3 players who looked rusty in Ashes 2023 opener
Australia emerged victorious over England in a thrilling Test match in Edgbaston to start off what promises to be a riveting Ashes 2023. Pat Cummins and Co. sneaked home by two wickets in a game that ebbed and flowed.
While the match was played at a high intensity, it was evident that both teams were playing a Test after a bit of a break, with Australia having just one game against India under their belt.
It seemed a bit difficult for some players to hit the top gear straightaway and that reflected in their performances as well. Here are three such players who looked a bit undercooked in the first Ashes 2023 Test:
#3 Josh Hazlewood
Josh Hazlewood has had a lot of injury issues over the past 12 months and that has been one of the main reasons why someone like Scott Boland has got an opportunity. He seems to have cemented his place in the Test team as well.
Australia didn't have Hazlewood available for the World Test Championship final. But as soon as his Achilles issue was resolved and he was available for the first Ashes 2023 Test, the visitors made the tough decision of leaving out left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc.
However, Hazlewood couldn't quite do justice to his selection and seemed to be lacking match practice. The consistency and accuracy that one expects from Hazlewood were not there as he leaked runs at an economy rate of over 4 in both innings, picking up just three wickets in the game.
#2 Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes was reportedly increasing his bowling workload coming into the first Ashes 2023 Test in Edgbaston. Although he got some crucial breakthroughs like Steve Smith in the first essay and Usman Khawaja in the second innings, his left knee still seemed dodgy.
England seemed keen on using the short-ball ploy but he didn't have the pace and relentless accuracy for that. Stokes historically has been brilliant with the short ball tactic and had he been fully fit to bowl, he could have added great value to that ploy, probably making a difference in the result of the game.
#1 James Anderson
Arguably one of the most baffling decisions that England took in the Edgbaston Test apart from their early declaration was when they decided not to give the second new ball to James Anderson in the second innings.
However, when the veteran pacer bowled in the game, it seemed that the management knew something that the spectators didn't. Anderson was also coming into Ashes 2023 on the back of a lack of match practice as he had sustained an injury while playing in the County Championship.
The legendary bowler took just one wicket and also didn't get to bowl the second new ball deep into Day 5 when England desperately needed a wicket. It will be interesting to see how Anderson shapes up with four Tests left to play in the series.