The tense Test match between England and Australia at Edgbaston concluded on Tuesday, June 20. Australia chased down the target of 281 runs in its fourth innings on Day 5 with two wickets remaining, largely due to the brilliant performances of Usman Khawaja (65) and Pat Cummins (44*) under duress. This victory gives Australia a 1-0 lead in the ongoing Ashes.
Ben Stokes’s audacious declaration on the first day of the Test, when Joe Root and Ollie Robinson were batting together, was one of the main talking points of the match. During their ninth-wicket partnership of 43 runs, both batters appeared well-prepared.
With four overs remaining in the day, Stokes chose to recall them because he wanted the Australian openers to face the consequences. David Warner and Usman Khawaja added 14 runs while safely navigating the four-over spell. When Australia won by just two wickets on Day 5, many criticised England’s decision to declare on Day 1 because they believed a few additional runs could have been useful.
According to former England captain Nasser Hussain, the team under the leadership of captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum plays the game according to their own logic, which has led to their success.
“People will undoubtedly look back on England’s declaration as a factor in the outcome, and yes, if you apply cricket logic, they should have continued batting with Joe Root and Ollie Robinson in. However, this England team has its own logic, which has enabled them win 11 of their last 14.
In his column for the Daily Mail, Hussain wrote, “I certainly won’t criticise them for keeping the game moving forward and entertaining people with a different style of Test cricket.”
Ben Stokes will occasionally make mistakes, but he is eager to entertain: Nasser Hussain
On all five days of the first Test, strong audiences were present. Hussain acknowledged that Stokes could make mistakes on occasion, but praised the all-rounder’s ambition to entertain.
“Ben Stokes will occasionally make a mistake, but he is desperate to entertain, and you cannot tell me that anyone who has been at the stadium over the past five days – there were still 25,000 people there at 7 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday evenings – has not enjoyed what they have witnessed.
“At a time when Test match cricket is in jeopardy, all of those individuals would want to witness a similar match again. This is the overall picture, he concluded.
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