"England have sent the first punch" - Michael Vaughan hails Ben Stokes for gutsy declaration on Day 1 of first Ashes Test
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan lauded Ben Stokes and England for landing the first punch of the 2023 Ashes series with a brave declaration at the fag end of day one at Edgbaston.
Despite admitting he would have batted longer, considering the presence of Joe Root on 118 and a benign pitch, Vaughan praised England for sending a message to their arch-rivals.
Speaking to BBC at stumps on day 1, Vaughan said:
"I wouldn't have declared. You just don't know what is going to happen. England are trying to send a message no team has ever done before. But I applaud Ben Stokes. You think the last England Ashes, I think this is the first time in my lifetime that England have sent the first punch."
"I, as a captain, would've wanted a few more runs, especially with Joe Root out there. Even though England didn't get the wicket, it creates what the Ashes it's all about. Warner and Khawaja, two experienced pros, were running like kids" added Vaughan.
Winning the toss and batting first on a placid Edgbaston track, England got off to a rocky start, losing opener Ben Duckett for 12 in the fourth over of the day.
However, fellow opener Zak Crawley and one-drop batter Ollie Pope settled the nerves with a solid partnership of 70 before being dismissed for 61 and 31, respectively.
After a brief partnership with Root, Young Sensation Harry Brook was dismissed most bizarrely off the bowling of Nathan Lyon for a well-made 32. Skipper Ben Stokes fell soon after for just a run, leaving England reeling at 176-5 in the 39th over.
With the Aussies smelling blood and sensing an opportunity to restrict the Three Lions to a below-par total, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow put on a scintillating 121-run partnership to help England stage a recovery.
They eventually declared their innings at 393-8, leaving the visitors four uncomfortable overs to play before the close of the day's play.
Despite some indifferent running between the wickets, the Aussie openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja saw off the threat and ended the day on 14-0.
Former skipper Joe Root capped off a thrilling opening day of the Ashes with his 30th Test century, compiling an unbeaten 118 off 152 deliveries. It was his fourth Ashes century and an incredible 18th ton at home.
"They are doing everything to take the game forward" - Ricky Ponting
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting praised England's proactive decision to declare the innings at 393-8, calling it a change in attitude under skipper Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.
Having transformed their style in Test Cricket to a more aggressive brand in the Stokes-McCullum era, England scored 393-8 in just 78 overs before asking Australia to bat just before the close of play on Day 1.
Speaking to the official broadcasters, Ponting said:
"We were sort of expecting it, weren’t we? They were up with the scoring rate and had a chance to get the Australians out for 15-20 minutes tonight. I love it, to be honest. That’s all about Ben Stokes and the new attitude of this current England regime under Stokes and McCullum."
"They are doing everything to take the game forward and give themselves the best chance of winning games. They are trying to capitalise and seize the moment," added Ponting.
England have reaped the rewards for their attacking Test cricket, winning 11 of their previous 13 games since the Stokes-McCullum combination took over.
They hope to retain the Urn from Australia for the first time since winning an Ashes series in 2015.