Following their two-wicket defeat at the hands of Australia at Edgbaston, former England captain Michael Vaughan stated that he cannot recall pacer James Anderson not taking the second new ball in England.
Vaughan said he can’t remember the last time Anderson didn’t take the second new ball under English conditions in a Cricbuzz interview.
With just 27 balls and two wickets needed to win the first Ashes 2023 Test, Australia chased down 174 runs on Day 5.
“Jimmy Anderson didn’t use the second new ball when he was bowling. In English conditions, I don’t recall Jimmy Anderson ever taking the second new ball. The lights were on, it was wailing.“
You simply had the urge to tell Jimmy and Broady to head straight for Nathan Lyon with no difficulty. He’ll play across the line off one, Vaughan predicted.
“He continued by stating how important Australia’s victory at Edgbaston was and how special the five days of Test cricket were. Australia’s spinner Nathan Lyon and captain Pat Cummins put together an unbroken 55-run stand to lead their team to a thrilling victory on the final day. “
Lyon helped out by contributing 16 runs off 28 deliveries, helping Cummins maintain his unbeaten record at 44 off 73 balls.
Those five days were particularly memorable. The tension always arises at the conclusion of the game, but every single day we have witnessed two teams playing in divergent fashions, with Australia playing a safer or more traditional game and England playing one that is very expansive. It’s huge for the Australian team to win, said Vaughan.
Australia now leads the five-match Ashes 2023 series 1-0 with the next game scheduled to take place at Lord’s on June 28.
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