So the first match between England and Australia was played on 16 June to 20 June 2023 at Birmingham. England won the toss and chose to bat first. The Aussies successfully defeated the bazball in a very daunting clash. And it was all due to the heroics of Usman Khwaja, the man of the match.
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Usman has a lousy track record in England, but this time he pulled the big boy’s pants up and played the knock that saved his team from defeat.
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In this article, we will go innings by innings and give you highlights from these innings. So without any further delay, let’s get right into it.
Check: Australia team for ICC Cricket world cup 2023 [Announced]
England First Innings
- On 393/8, England proclaimed. They’d instead take on Australia this evening and then try to get more runs with these last two wickets. On such a flat surface, this is an intriguing option.
- There are 10 more overs scheduled for today, but with the time remaining, we may only get half of them. After tea, England proceeded virtually at six overs per minute, with Bairstow scoring quickly and Root reaching his 30th Test century.
- With Root still on the field, it would have been simple to add some more runs. However, they’ve had enough.
[su_table]
| ENGLAND 393-8 Declared | |
| BATTING | BOWLING |
| Joe Root 118 (152) | Nathan Lyon 4-149 |
| Jonny Bairstow 78(78) | Josh Hazlewood 2-61 |
| Zak Crawley 61(73) | Cameron Green 1-32 |
[/su_table]
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Australia First Innings
- Anderson got Carey early this morning, breaking through his defences after Bairstow shelled him again. Another pair then kept England away, with Cummins again getting his eye in.
- However, some superb run-stopping efforts resulted in a false shot from Khawaja, who was removed on 141.
- The floodgates were opened, and Broad and Robinson annihilated the lesser order.
- From here, it’s a one-inning shootout. The ground remains relatively flat for the seamers, and all of the speed appears to have been lost.
- Lyon, on the other hand, will be pretty interested in the rough places that have formed. It’s also quite dry, so there should be more turns.
[su_table]
| AUSTRALIA 386 | |
| BATTING | BOWLING |
| Usman Khawaja 141 (321) | Stuart Broad 3-68 |
| Alex Carey 66 (99) | Ollie Robinson 3-55 |
| Travis Head 50 (63) | Moeen Ali 2-147 |
[/su_table]
England Second Innings
- England were handicapped by 20 minutes of play in very cloudy circumstances yesterday, during which they lost both of their openers.
- They received starts from Root, Brook, and Ben Stokes, but Australia never let up.
- Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon each got four wickets for Australia, including a magnificent inswinging yorker from the skipper that will be talked about for a long time.
- England’s tailenders provided some fight, as Robinson chipped in with a helpful 27, while Broad and Anderson added to the frustration. However, they are all out for 273 in the end.
[su_table]
| ENGLAND 273 | |
| BATTING | BOWLING |
| Joe Root 46 (55) | Pat Cummins 4-63 |
| Harry Brooks 46 (52) | Nathan Lyon 4-80 |
| Ben Stokes 43 (66) | Josh Hazlewood 1-48 |
[/su_table]
Australia Second Innings
- Australia’s ninth wicket partnership completes the job this time, sending their teammates into pandemonium. Cummins is filled with emotion as he lifts Lyon in his arms.
- These two threw the ball and hit it with the bat. Remember England, who gave it everything.
- They attacked and then attacked again, and Australia took everything without modifying their tactics.
- It gripped cricket throughout, especially on Day 5 when England seemed to be favourites after chipping away and leaving the Aussies eight down.
- England had annihilated the lower order in the first innings.
- They were referred to as three 11s. In this inning, two of the three stood up.
- Boland as the nightwatchman, and Lyon as the No.10 elegant straight-driver.
- What a spectacular start to the Ashes!
[su_table]
| AUSTRALIA 282-8 | |
| BATTING | BOWLING |
| Usman Khawaja 65 (197) | Stuard Broad 3-64 |
| Pat Cummins 44 (73) | Ollie Robinson 2-43 |
| David Warner 36 (57) | Ben Stokes 1-9 |
[/su_table]
Conclusion
What a show it was from Pat Cummins, a captain’s knock. It seems like the Aussies have defeated the bazball strategy. Brendon McCullum will have much to look forward to when making the strategy in the dressing room. What a brilliant start to the Ashes. This is why they call Test cricket THE REAL CRICKET.
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