The Ashes is here and so is blockbuster entertainment. There is a reason this bilateral series is rated so highly. The first Ashes Test turned out to be an absolute thriller with Bazball and Australia’s old-fashioned approach pitted against each other. Although rain forced the first session on Day 5 to be called off, fans got to see a great contest between the top two Test teams in world cricket.
While England were looking to bowl out Australia, the visitors eyed a historic chase. Starting the day on 107/3, Australia lost Scott Boland early as Stuart Broad got the night watchman caught behind. Boland’s departure meant Travis Head walked out in the middle and everyone was excited to see the southpaw’s approach.
But to everyone’s disappointment, Head played cautiously and then departed cheaply. The swashbuckling batter was dismissed by Moeen Ali. Cameron Green too could do nothing as he got an absolute banger from Ollie Robinson. However, Usman Khawaja held one intact and scored a gutsy half-century.
It took Ben Stokes’ sorcery to send back Khawaja. Joe Root too pulled off a blinder on his own bowling to get rid of Alex Carey. With all the hopes fading, captain Pat Cummins took the onus on himself to finish things off and he did it in some style. With England tightening their grip, Cummins led the charge and scored a crucial 44*. Nathan Lyon too hung around, scoring a 28-ball 16*.
Twitter erupts as Edgbaston goes quiet
With Cummins hitting the winning runs and going on a marathon, Twitter also erupted. Fans were thrilled to see Australia winning and Pat Cummins was their hero. A few also hailed Test cricket as the best cricket.
Check out the reactions.
Shame most of Australia is asleep. Because this is epic sporting drama #Ashes— Matt (@Mattys123) June 20, 2023
PATRICK CUMMINS!LEADER. LEGEND.Captain leafing from the front. Chasing 281. Superbly aided by Lyon and England tried hard but eventually Australia dug in and found a way. England were enterprising no doubt.Well led. #Ashes— Nikhil 🏏 (@CricCrazyNIKS) June 20, 2023
Australia needed 72 runs when Cummins came out to batHe and Lyon kept the faith, believed in themselves and pulled of a remarkable victory!Well done Australia#Ashes— ThePoppingCrease (@PoppingCreaseSA) June 20, 2023
Australia’s great escape from the Alcatraz of Edgbaston. A truly great win for Australia. Houdini Act et al.England aren’t done for the series. They still have something left in their tank.But Australia have taken a small step to erase the hurt of 22 years.#Ashes pic.twitter.com/ivZvWpQi3S— Vijay A (@VAAChandran) June 20, 2023
Wow! What a fantastic game of Cricket. Run rate still good😉😄Well played both team! Test Cricket at its best #Ashes23— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) June 20, 2023
What a test match Well done Australia Great work England Cricket is the winner ❤️❤️Test cricket 😍#Ashes23 #ENGvAUS— DK (@DineshKarthik) June 20, 2023
England played Bazball.Aussies played the way they knew best.Both teams could play their game because of Good Test match wicket.Good Test cricket requires good pitches. No one likes 2 and 1/2 day gigs.#Ashes23— Kushan Sarkar (@kushansarkar) June 20, 2023
Why just enjoy the climax, enjoy the rollercoaster too.
Quality of cricket is compromised everytime I see Bazball winning. But thik hai thoda dard rahega seene me sab chala lenge— Udit (@udit_buch) June 20, 2023
The kind of match that reminds you why test cricket stands unique amongst all sports #ENGvAUS— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) June 20, 2023
lyon bhi chauke laga raha hai rohit bhai— vishal dayama (@VishalDayama) June 20, 2023
This Bazball phenomenon is not just about gung-ho cricket but about expecting the unexpected & this move to stick with Joe Root & not take the second new-ball sums it up. Even Broad was convinced he would be charging in for the 81st over before Ben Stokes changed his mind #Ashes— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) June 20, 2023
I think more Indians watching this match than Aussies and English. BCCI should have the next #Ashes in India 🤣— Vikram Sathaye (@vikramsathaye) June 20, 2023
An old-fashioned TEST will never be out of fashion ❤️ #Ashes— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) June 20, 2023
Oh man this #Ashes is something else! Every edition, there’s drama! Guaranteed! What a Test match 🔥#ENGvAUS— Tanay Tiwari (@Tanay_Tiwari) June 20, 2023
…and you’re telling me we have to do this four more times? #Ashes— Brett Sprigg (@BrettSprigg) June 20, 2023
With Australia winning the first Test, England’s tactics to declare early in the first inning with an unbeaten Joe Root at the crease will be questioned. Ben Stokes‘ decision to hold the second new ball will also be criticized but as the England skipper says, this is Bazball.
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