Australia won a tight contest right at the end and it was fitting that Cummins, the captain, not only scored the winning runs but was at the very end to take his team home. Cummins, who had lost some of his batting potency, seems to be rediscovering it at the opportune moment. The game was quite entertaining right till the end with the rain interruption adding to the thrill. Test cricket is tough and winning Tests, especially away from home is always rewarding. Australia must be appreciated for winning 2 of them in quick succession. The Ashes always hold a special place in the hearts and minds of both England and Australia. The first Ashes Test was no exception either.
A declaration that should not have been
England was not exactly in the driving seat but was poised to score more than 425. Root at one end was playing beautifully whereas Robinson was quite secure with his batting on the other. The partnership had already added 43 and looked good enough to add another significant chunk of runs. Runs in the ultimate analysis could have ensured victory for England. However, Stokes thought it fit to declare on the first day of an Ashes Test to pounce on Australia.
“I thought that was a time to pounce.”
How was he going to pounce on Australia with just 4 overs left for the day? By the time Anderson and Broad get their line and length correct, a couple of overs would have gone by already. The Australian openers would have been left with just 2 overs to survive. It would not have been a tough job on that pretty placid pitch.
Root and Robinson would have easily added another 50-60 runs. Root must have seen the ball like a football, and Robinson, who had scored 20, would have fancied himself to score 50. These missed runs proved crucial in the final outcome. Ofcourse, England could have lost both the wickets quickly and could have been bowled out for less than 400 but the chances of that were slim. The batsmen were quite comfortable.
Stokes commented that the game would not have been entertaining if not for his declaration.
“I could also turn it around and say, ‘if we didn’t declare, would we have got the excitement that we did at the end of day five?’ I’m not a hundred percent sure, but I’m not going to be looking back on this game as ‘what ifs’… the reality is, we just didn’t manage to get over the line.”
Ashes is the pinnacle for England
This shows that Stokes did not understand the gravity of his error. International players are not there for entertainment. The movie industry is for entertainment. The music industry is for entertainment but sports is a different altogether. It is played for winning and not just for competing.
Especially Ashes. For every English supporter, The Ashes is the pinnacle of the sport. They do not care about World Cup or series wins against any other side. An Ashes victory is the be-all and end-all of things for them. There was a whole generation of players who never tasted success in Ashes. Ask them, they will tell Stokes the pain of not winning Ashes. Alec Stewart, Mike Atherton, Nasser Hussain to name a few were never involved in an Ashes series win. Stokes being a New Zealander, perhaps does not realise the importance of Ashes for every English supporter.
Moreover, it wasn’t a decision that took the Australian openers completely off-guard because at 8 wickets down, they would have been mentally prepared to bat. It is just that, they wouldn’t know by when.
There is a thin line between being aggressive and looking ridiculous. This decision of Stokes looked ridiculous.
It was surprising that neither Atherton nor Hussain condemned the declaration. It was only Michael Vaughan and Pietersen who spoke against it.
Oliver Brown, writes Stokes is, as The Telegraph’s Oliver Brown wrote, “a high-roller to his very core.”
“Whatever the risks, whatever the circumstances, he backs himself to deliver with gambles that make sense in his mind but that seem ludicrous to everybody else.”
England may win from here
Ofcourse, it is just the first game and there are 4 more to go. Stokes may hold the Ashes high above his head once the series is over but the defeat has made things that bit more difficult. Remember, England must win the series to regain the Ashes and a draw will not be sufficient. Stoke will have to decide which is more important for him. Test wins, series wins, Ashes or entertaining the public? There is nothing wrong with Bazball. Afterall, it is about mindless slog but being positive all the time and looking to score. It need not be through boundaries but singles and doubles are also included in that.
Right, enough about the declaration.
Ollie Robinson’s comment
After Robinson made his debut, one of his tweet surfaced which portrayed him to be a racist. He apologised for his comment and promised to change. However, just after the day 3 drew to a close, Robinson was answering the press when he mentioned that the Australian bottom 3 are all number 11s and that it is easy to dislodge them.
“It’s something we’ve spoken about as a group,” Robinson said.
“We’ve said once we get past (Pat) Cummins, we feel like they’ve got three No. 11’s (in Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland and Josh Hazlewood).
“It’s something we can target through the series and try to wrap things up quite quick and give us that momentum throughout the series.”
This was audacious to the core. Lyon has shown great patience at the crease to not just hang in there but also to score runs. He may not have scored 50s but has scored sufficient number of 20s and 30s to prop the score up. If a proper batsman is at the other end, Lyon does not gift his wicket away. He is a fighter to the core. As for Boland, he is new to international cricket and not much is known about his ability with the bat. He showed that in the 2nd innings when Broad was at his fiery best. It is ridiculous for Robinson to paint all of them with the same brush. Perhaps, this quote of his motivated Lyon and Boland to do whatever is possible from their end to win the game.
Bairstow’s keeping
Some of Bairstow’s innings in 2022 were outrageous. His daring strokeplay was in complete contrast to the Bairstow of old. Geoffrey Boycott predicted a bright career for Bairstow before he made his debut but he wasn’t suitable for the approach with which England played earlier. The Stokes-McCullum era has awakened the sleeping giant in him. Perhaps, this is what he does best. The audacious batting in the 1st innings was breathtaking. He completely overtook Root who had been at the crease for longer than him. England just cannot imagine a team without Bairstow.
What about his keeping? That is England’s conundrum. Bairstow missed a couple of catches and a stumping. Atleast 2 of them were simple chances. These misses directly contributed to Australia’s score and England’s loss. England just cannot continue with him as the keeper. A way must be found for Foakes, an excellent keeper and decent batsman. The obvious replacement will be either Pope or one of Duckett or Crawley though I am not sure whether Bairstow is comfortable opening the innings. It might even result in puncturing the confidence of Bairstow. Stokes needs to make a tricky decision. However, the news that is coming out of the England camp seems to instill faith in Bairstow’s keeping. England and specifically, Moeen will hope that the Australian batsmen do not miss any delivery and that they do not edge any delivery towards the keeper.
The point of Moeen Ali
Moeen Ali was picked from obscurity. He had hardly played red-ball cricket for 2 years. Yet, Stokes felt that he can still contribute to the cause. Jack Leach’s injury left England will a spinner short but it is hard to believe that there isn’t any spinner in County Cricket who can replace Leach. Hence, Moeen was plucked out of nowhere.
He was literally massacred by the Australian batsmen. Khawaja especially, came down the wicket repeatedly to clobber him straight down the ground. 30% of Australian runs came off Moeen’s bowling. Perhaps, Stokes had too much faith in Moeen. It was misplaced faith. With Leach ruled out of the series, Moeen is likely to play in all the games. Alongwith the keeper, this is another area of concern for England. If Moeen fails to step up, England can kiss the Ashes goodbye or they will have to find another spinner from County.
England’s bowling resources
All the England seamers are of the same nature. None of them, including Stokes are capable of bowling at 140KMPH and above. Ollie Robinson is much more slower than the rest. It does not really instill any dread in the Australian batsmen. England’s bowling is their weakest link.
They need someone who can hurl the ball at 145KMPH consistently. In the absence of Archer, Wood or Stone is the obvious choice. Wood is part of the squad. Anderson had a quiet game but one can understand. He will comeback to his usual self pretty soon but I do not see any reason to retain Robinson. Yes, he can bat and yet, he picked up some wickets but he never looked threatening. If Stokes wants to retain Robinson, Wood must come in for Moeen which will essentially mean using Root as the main spinner just to keep up with the overs rate.