ENG vs AUS, Ashes 2023 Highlights: Here's What Happened On Day 1 Of 1st Test

by Krupali
2 years ago

Ashes 2023 Begins

Ben Stokes won the toss and England opted to bat first on a dry wicket at Edgbaston. Zak Crawley set the tone for the series by hitting a 4 on the first ball of the innings off Australian skipper Pat Cummins. Hazlewood dismissed Ben Duckett for 12 runs in the 4th over.

Zak Crawley. Source: Twitter/@englandcricket

Crawley Scores 50

Crawley kept scoring boundaries as England scored 50 runs in the first hour of the day. Ollie Pope started taking on the bowlers as well. He got to 31 and was dismissed by Nathon Lyon. Crawley brought up his fifty and got out on the brink of lunch. England were 124-3 at the end of 1st session.

Australia Keep Picking Wickets

Joe Root and Harry Brook consolated the innings after lunch. Brook started aggressively and tried to take on Lyon as he had promised but was bowled in an unlucky manner of 32. Within a span of 8 deliveries, Ben Stokes edged one to Carey off Hazlewood’s bowling.

Bairstow Comes To The Crease

Jonny Bairstow came to the crease after England lost 2 quick wickets. He built a massive partnership of over a hundred runs with Joe Root. England ended the second session at 240-5 in 52 overs.

Jonny Bairstow. Source: Twitter/@englandcricket

Root Scores His 30th Test Ton

In the final session, England unleashed the ‘Bazball’ on the Australian bowlers with runs coming very fast. Bairstow got out on 78. Moeen Ali and Broad were dismissed after scoring 18 and 16 respectively. Joe Root, who was batting nicely decided to accelerate as wickets kept falling around him.

Joe Root. Source: Twitter/@englandcricket

The former England skipper scored his 30th Test hundred in just 145 balls. He played some extraordinary shots such as a reverse-scoop off Boland for a six! As England were cruising towards 400, Ben Stokes decided to declare the innings at 393/8.

Australia Survive The Day

Sent in to bat for 4 overs, Australian openers survived the day without losing their wickets. They scored 14 runs trailing England by 379 runs on a pitch that has no demons. It will be interesting to see Australia’s approach on Day 2.