3 reasons why England declaring on Day 1 of first Ashes Test was a wrong move
England surprised the cricket universe when they declared their first innings of the first Ashes 2023 Test against Australia on the first day itself. A well-set Joe Root was batting in the middle along with Ollie Robinson, when Ben Stokes decided to call his men back.
England were 393/8 after 78 overs when they declared the innings. It seemed like England wanted to take a couple of wickets by the end of Day 1 of The Ashes and push Australia on the backfoot, but the Aussie openers Usman Khawaja and David Warner survived that crucial half an hour.
Australia did lose two quick wickets at the start of Day 2. However, Khawaja's century has placed them in a decent position at the end of second day's play. Australia are now at 311/5, trailing by 82 runs, with five wickets in hand.
In this listicle, we will look at the three reasons why England declaring the first innings on Day 1 was a bad move.
#1 England could have crossed the 450-run mark in the first innings of The Ashes
There is a different type of pressure on the opponents when a team scores 450 in the first innings. It is not the same when a team scores 393. Even though England declared their innings in 78 overs, the bottom line was that they scored only 393 runs.
With a well-set Joe Root batting in the middle, England could have even crossed the 450-run mark in the first innings. The declaration would have made a lot more sense had Root lost his wicket, but he stitched up a decent 43-run stand for the eighth wicket when Ben Stokes declared the innings.
🗣️ "It's the first team in my lifetime to declare 383 for 8 on day one!"
England manager Gareth Southgate draws comparisons between the Three Lions and Ben Stokes' Ashes team 🦁🏏 https://t.co/Ag30QnTAMm
Those 40-50 extra runs could have put more pressure on Australia in the first innings. Those runs could have also made a difference in the target which Australia will receive in the fourth innings.
#2 The pitch in Birmingham for the Ashes Test is good for batting
The pitch in Birmingham is flat. Scoring runs is not that challenging on this surface, which is why declaring the innings at 393/8 may hurt England later in the Test. A total of 425 or 450 would have been a better total on this wicket.
Poor decision by England to declare on the first day itself. I would prefer 550- 10 on lunch second day, than bazball 383-8 innings where batters like bairstrow threw their wickets.
Now Australia can pile up hugh total and push England on the Blackfoot. #bazball #Ashes2023 https://t.co/hI5RYiAkMp
Had the conditions been more helpful for the bowlers, England's decision to declare the innings on Day 1 would have made a little more sense. However, declaring on the first day on a flat pitch looks like a wrong move.
#3 Not a single Australian fast bowler bowled more than 15 overs in the 1st innings of The Ashes
Workload management will be a crucial thing in this Ashes series as this five-match series will be over before August 1. Managing the workload of all players, especially the fast bowlers, will be important.
Since England declared the first innings after batting for only 78 overs, not a single Australian pacer bowled more than 15 overs. Pat Cummins and Scott Boland bowled 14 overs each, while Josh Hazlewood bowled 15. Cameron Green bowled six overs.
England could have tired out the Australian fast bowlers a bit more if they batted longer. It is pertinent to note that Australia have already batted for 94 overs in their first innings.