The first day of the first Ashes 2023 Test at Edgbaston, according to Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, was well-played by the visitors.
Given the calm surface, the Australian pacer said it was a fair day of play even though England declared on 393/8 after 78 overs.
Ben Stokes stated this before the series began: “England batted first after winning the toss and scored at a rapid pace.”
In addition to opener Zak Crawley’s 61 off 73 and Jonny Bairstow’s run-per-ball 78, Joe Root scored an unbeaten 118 off 152 balls.
Hazlewood disagrees with some critics who claim that England had the advantage at the end of Day 1.
After the play for the day was over, he stated at a press conference:”I believe that you must consider the final score, so 8 for less than 400 or essentially going all out for 400. On that wicket, you would undoubtedly take that. It doesn’t matter how many overs it takes—80 or 160—the result is the same. We must begin to view things somewhat differently, perhaps focusing less on things like strike rates, economies, and the like.”
“It’s just about wickets and the score, and if we can keep it that straightforward, I think it will help us better understand the new Ashes. We felt that we handled our guns fairly well. Not a wild strokeplay, that.”
“There was a bit at the end there off Gazza [Nathan Lyon] for Rooty, but a batter on 100+ usually plays shots like that with the tail, added Hazlewood, who took two crucial wickets.“
Australia’s defensive field positioning on Day 1 of the Edgbaston Test received criticism from former England captain Nasser Hussain. Hazlewood, however, defended the strategies, claiming that the bowlers had little to work with on the playing surface. The right-arm pacer uttered:
“If it’s dry, you might occasionally find a day four or day five wicket in England that is like that. After that new ball, the outside edge didn’t feel like it was in play very much, so you could compare it to the subcontinent or a Sydney wicket where the game plans can change throughout the day and you go straighter to look for lbws and wickets.”
The pitch is “not your typical wicket, but both teams have to bowl on it, so we’ll see how it goes,” Hazlewood continued.
Nathan Lyon, an off-spinner, had figures of 4/149 from 29 overs, making him Australia’s most effective bowler of the day. Hazlewood on England’s announcement: “Sensed it was coming.”
The 32-year-old added that he was unsurprised by England’s declaration on the first day of the first Test after taking out Ben Duckett (12) and Ben Stokes (1).
When questioned about it, he responded: “Really not” They played a few shots after Joe reached 100 and realized what was about to happen. That is the current style in which they are playing cricket. To be honest, my first day was probably about what I had anticipated.
The wicket was very, very slow, with not a lot of movement. Almost no swinging or sideways motion. The Australian pacer declared, “390 and we are none-for, so pretty even I’d say.
Australia was 14/0 at day’s end in response to England’s declared first innings score of 393/8.
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