England vs Australia 1st Test Highlights, Ashes 2023: Australia 14/0 ...

THE TIMES OF INDIA | Jun 16, 2023, 23:13:57 IST

England have kept up with their recent reputation and have played with positive intent through Day 1 with the declaration coming as a show of strength by Ben Stokes. This could easily backfire if Australia manage to consolidate their position on Day 2 with the bat and it could easily take the game away from the hosts. The action continues on Saturday 17th June as we shall have Day 2 of this first Ashes Test which promises to be equally entertaining. The first ball will be bowled at 3.30 pm IST (10.00 am GMT) but do join us early for the build-up. Until then, take care and goodbye!

Australia looked completely shaken by the Jonny Bairstow onslaught as the 121-run partnership for the sixth wicket which came in just 140 deliveries threatened to take the game away from them. They lacked any sort of plans and when Alex Carey dropped Bairstow behind the stumps, it looked like Australia were in for a long day. That was not the case though as the English batters decided to self-destruct and Nathan Lyon got two of them stumped trying to send him out of the ground. The deceleration by England meant that he missed out on another five-wicket haul and he had to settle with four wickets. Cameron Green disturbed Stuart Broad’s stumps and got his first wicket of the game. They had a long day in the office with all the batters going after them barring Joe Root who showed his class with a well-constructed inning but they kept chipping away at the wickets. They would have not expected to bat though but David Warner and Usman Khawaja handled the pressure well and went into Stumps unscathed as they trail by 379 runs which puts them in a better position going into Day 2.

SESSION SUMMARY - 167 runs, 30 overs, 3 wickets. England continued from where they left off at Tea break as they came out into the final session looking to play their shots and accumulate the runs. Jonny Bairstow looked to be at his dominating best as he scored freely and reached his half-century in his comeback Test. His aggression brought about his downfall as he looked to charge the spinner and was stumped having scored a run a ball 78. Moeen Ali came out to the middle and looked to continue the onslaught and scored a quickfire 18 but became the second England batter who found himself stranded well out of the crease. Stuart Broad looked comfortable at the wicket and just when it looked like he would play the supporting role to Joe Root, he played a rash shot and saw his stumps shattered. Root continued to accumulate runs on the other end though and reached his 30th Test century with Ollie Robinson doing a good job to give him company. With 393 runs on the board, England decided to have a go at the Australian openers but were unable to get a breakthrough in the 4 overs that they bowled. 

Ollie Robinson to Usman Khawaja, Angled across once again, on a good length, outside off, Usman Khawaja solidly blocks it away on the off side. That will be Stumps on Day 1!

Ollie Robinson to Usman Khawaja, WIDE! Loses his radar and sprays it way outside off, Usman Khawaja shoulders arms and lets it go for a wide. 

Ollie Robinson to Usman Khawaja, Continues to bowl full and on off, a hint of inward movement, Usman Khawaja gets on the front foot and pushes it to mid off. 

Ollie Robinson to Usman Khawaja, Outside off, on a good length, Usman Khawaja is happy to let the ball pass. 

Ollie Robinson to Usman Khawaja, Goes full and shaping away, outside off, Usman Khawaja steps out of the crease and pushes with a straight bat back to the bowler.

Ollie Robinson to Usman Khawaja, Angled across, outside off, on a length, Usman Khawaja plants his foot forward and defends it to cover. 

Ollie Robinson to Usman Khawaja, Full and swinging away, outside off, Usman Khawaja shuffles in the crease and pats it to mid off. 

Stuart Broad to David Warner, Seaming away, on off, on a good length, David Warner hangs back to defend. Gets an inside edge and the ball rolls towards square leg. Last over of the day coming up. 

Stuart Broad to David Warner, Honing in at the stumps, on a good length, David Warner gets behind the line and pushes it to mid on. 

Stuart Broad to David Warner, Bowls it on off, angling in, on a good length, David Warner steers it from the crease to backward point. 

Stuart Broad to David Warner, On a good length and moving in, in the channel outside off, David Warner shoulders arms this time. 

Stuart Broad to David Warner, FOUR! Classy shot! Broad goes full and outside off, David Warner does not miss out as he takes a good stride forward and drives it through covers for a boundary. 

Stuart Broad to David Warner, Comes from 'round the wicket and serves it wide outside off, David Warner goes for an expansive drive. Gets it from the inner part of the bat to square leg for a dot. 

Ollie Robinson to Usman Khawaja, Switches to 'round the wicket and bowls it around off, on a good length, Usman Khawaja gets behind the line and defends it back to the bowler. 

Ollie Robinson to Usman Khawaja, Brings his length back and angles it across, outside off, Usman Khawaja is happy to let the ball pass. 

Ollie Robinson to Usman Khawaja, Goes full searching for swing, outside off, Usman Khawaja pushes it wide of mid off and comes back for the second run with ease. 

Ollie Robinson to Usman Khawaja, Beauty! Angles it away, on a good length, on off, Usman Khawaja shapes to defend but gets beaten on the outside edge. 

Ollie Robinson to Usman Khawaja, On a full length, around off, Usman Khawaja keeps it out on the off side. 

Ollie Robinson to Usman Khawaja, Starts off on a full length and angling away, outside off, Usman Khawaja gets on the front foot and times the drive through covers. Opens his account with a couple of runs. 

Stuart Broad to David Warner, FOUR! David Warner is up and running! Pitched up, outside off, David Warner leans and creams the drive through extra cover for his first boundary. 

Stuart Broad to David Warner, Back of a length and angled in, around leg, David Warner tucks it off his hips to square leg. 

Stuart Broad to David Warner, A huge mixup but Usman Khawaja gets back in safely! Tailing in sharply, on a good length, on off and middle, David Warner gets behind the line and pushes it a bit wide of mid off. A yes-no situation in the middle as the fielder there dives to make a good stop. Khawaja dives and makes his ground eventually. 

Stuart Broad to David Warner, Fullish delivery, around off, David Warner drives it firmly but straight to short cover. 

Stuart Broad to David Warner, Serves it fuller and outside off, David Warner covers his off stump and leaves the ball alone. 

Stuart Broad to David Warner, NO BALL! Australia are underway! Angles it in, on a length, outside off, David Warner gets on the front foot and drives it straight to cover. 

Stuart Broad to David Warner, Starts off on a hard length, shaping in, on off, David Warner punches it off the back foot towards extra cover. Warner sets off for a single and is almost halfway down the track. Usman Khawaja says no and sends him back. 

Australia XI

David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland

England XI

Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jonny Bairstow(w), Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson

We'd have batted as well. One change, Mitch Starc out, Hazlewood comes in. Tough call, Starc was really good last game but good to have someone like Hazlewood come in. Tough to manage the workloads, but that is a good problem to have. Good preparation to win the WTC final, we went into that fresh and we are now eager to go. England will come at us, but that's okay...

We'll bat first. Looks a great cricket wicket. Good toss to win. Very proud to be here with all the hype around, very special moment for me and the team. It has been tough at times with the energy, but that has been something we are good at in the past. Happy to have Mo back, unfortunate injury to Leachy. I've seen Mo produce some great performances in the past, we know what he can bring to the team.

Toss news

1st Ashes Test: England skipper Ben Stokes wins the toss, opts to bat first against Australia in Birmingham.

As the eagerly anticipated Ashes series gets underway at Edgbaston, England's young batting sensation, Harry Brook, is eager to make a similar impact to the heroes of the iconic 2005 Ashes victory. The 24-year-old Yorkshire cricketer has enjoyed a remarkable start to his international career, having already notched up four centuries in just seven Test matches. Brook also played a significant role in England's triumph at the T20 World Cup.

15 minutes to go for the toss!

Australia captain Pat Cummins expressed his belief that David Warner would showcase a transformed version of himself and emerge victorious in his personal battle against Stuart Broad, dominating England's bowlers in the upcoming Ashes series. In the series opener, England's team will feature seamer Stuart Broad, who holds the record for dismissing Warner the most number of times, tallying at 14. Notably, seven of these dismissals occurred in 2019 alone, when Warner endured a challenging period, averaging a mere 9.50.

England pick Stuart Broad, Moeen Ali for first Ashes Test

It's time!

ENG vs AUS Live Score, Ashes Live Score - Bowlers hold key for Australia

Pat Cummins' side are not exactly shrinking violets and will begin quest for a first series win in England since 2001 full of confidence after convincingly beating India in London to win the World Test Championship. Steve Smith, so often a thorn in England's side, scored a century in the first innings against India and along with Marnus Labuschagne will form the bedrock of Australia's batting while Travis Head will be a handful for England's bowlers. But how their bowling unit of Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood react when faced with 'Bazball' for the first time could be the key to the outcome.

ENG vs AUS Live Score, Ashes Live Score - Will the Aussies fight fire with fire?

The big question, however is whether England will play with the same almost reckless abandon against an Australia side possessing arguably the best pace attack in the world? Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum have given no hint at reeling it in during the build-up to the most eagerly-awaited series since the classic 2005 edition won by England. Whether Australia, who reclaimed the Ashes in 2018 with a 4-0 home win, retained them with a 2-2 draw in England in 2019 before another 4-0 home rout in 2021, try to fight fire with fire is another matter.

ENG vs AUS Live Score, Ashes Live Score - The Juggernaut

The 'Bazball' has bamboozled India, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan. England made a first-day record 506 runs in 75 overs in the first test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. And against New Zealand at home last year, they made daunting fourth innings victory targets of 277, 299 and 297 look as demanding as a walk in park.

ENG vs AUS Live Score, Ashes Live Score - 84 percent - The success rate of 'Bazball'

Conventional cricketing wisdom has been turned upside down by England coach Brendon 'Baz' McCullum and captain Ben Stokes in a scintillating run of 11 victories from 13 Tests. Scoring at a head-spinning average of almost five runs an over under McCullum, England's risk-takers have re-imagined the approach to Test cricket and transformed the country's fortunes after a run of only one win from 17 matches previously.

ENG vs AUS Live Score, Ashes Live Score - Test revolutionaries face the Test Champions

England's barnstorming version of Test cricket has shredded the textbook of the sport's longest format but so-called 'Bazball' faces its biggest examination yet as they seek to regain the Ashes against world champions Australia.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the first Ashes Test between England and Australia in Birmingham.