Pat Cummins, Ben Stokes and a tale of two Ashes classics
Pat Cummins and Ben Stokes have played enough Ashes cricket to know the rich history, tradition and buzz that come with each rendition. One made his captaincy bow against the old enemy, while the other arrived in Test cricket altogether when the heat was on in Australia.
They've grown up watching the Ashes and have undoubtedly dreamt of holding that urn. They've both lived that dream, and the flame continues to burn bright as they seek to do the same all over again. Why wouldn't they? It's the Ashes after all. That alone explains what it's all about.
It's oodles of history and pride at stake. It is the ultimate prize in the oldest format of cricket, and there's nothing quite like the oldest rivalry to bring the best out of champions. Particularly in clutch moments where you're expected to carry nerves of grit. Grit which typified two of modern cricketing history's finest classics.
Ben Stokes, the hero of Headingley
When Stokes cut Cummins to the cover-point fence at Headingley in 2019, he entered eternal Ashes - and sporting - folklore, having orchestrated a heist for the ages. There was agony and ecstasy in equal proportions that day, and a dream year for the talismanic all-rounder hit its highest peak.
Australia were within touching distance of retaining the Ashes. They eventually did in the next Test in Manchester, but the demons of Headingley would have hurt them to no end. Not only did it deny them the chance of taking a 2-0 lead in the series, but it also eventually cost them the opportunity to win their first Test series on English soil since Steve Waugh's near-invicible outfit did so in 2001.
One man had other ideas, though. Stokes, who vaulted England into pole position in the 2nd Test at Lord's courtesy a stellar hundred, thwarted the Australians' hopes with an innings of sheer valor. What made that innings all the more remarkable was the set of narratives surrounding his Houdini act.
"Oh he's fumbled! He's fumbled. Lyon has fumbled!"
Nathan Lyon failed to gather the ball cleanly as Jack Leach survived a run-out chance with England still needing two more runs. An LBW call soon went against Australia, who had exhausted all of their reviews. Leach took one of the most iconic singles in the history of the sport and then,
"Cut away! Cut away for four!"
Stokes pulled off the great escape. The bowler in question then - Cummins - bowled his heart out. He did when England were rolled over for a paltry 67 in the first innings. He did in the second essay too as Australia were on top of their defense for most parts.
But the cruel nature of sport saw Cummins finish second, even as the pretty side of it saw Stokes complete his remontada as an Ashes hero. That too at a venue which already boasted an iconic Ashes memoir scripted by another superstar all-rounder - Sir Ian Botham - in 1981.
Cummins completes the Edgbaston epic
The curtain-raiser of Ashes 2023 is here. A LOT has changed in the four years between the last Ashes series in England and the ongoing one. The two men who were amongst the protagonists of that fateful day in Headingley are now captains of their respective sides.
Stokes' England is far different to the one that Australia faced four years ago. They don't shy away from a white-ball approach in whites (you can use the 'B' word describing their game if you wish to). They don't shy away from a bold - or questionable - declaration either. And as for his field placements, it's hard to think of another Test where the graphic showing the field has come up as often as it did during the opener of the latest Ashes rendition at Edgbaston.
Two captains with contrasting emotions.
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As for Australia...well, they're Australia. Hungry to win. Always in the game. Never out of any situation. Just as Australia have always proven to be.
It's a boisterous, intimidating crowd that greets the two teams, with those in the Hollies stand bellowing their throats out. Steven Smith buried the ball tampering saga long in a pre-pandemic world and sent the English bowlers into submission four years ago, but the crowd leaves no stone unturned in reminding him of those events.
Cummins is defensive. Plain, simple defensive with his field placements, and there are simply no two ways about this. It's the first morning of an Ashes series and the toss hasn't gone his way. The wicket looks like a road and batting last is, as obvious as it may sound, not a stroll in the park. Australia had to make inroads, but right from the first ball that Zak Crawley cracks through the covers, they seem to be playing catch-up.
Stokes must have been loving every bit of this in the dressing room. It seemed as though the 'Bazball' (yes we can use the word) template had gotten into the minds of the Australian think-tank even before a ball was sent down. It was a tale of two massively contrasting approaches and perhaps one that fittingly summed up the possibility of multiple roads leading to the ultimate goal.
It's funny that Cummins went ultra-defensive at times and packed the ropes with too many patrollers. He's a fast bowler. He steams in targeting the stumps to send them flying or to have the batter smell the leather. Fast bowlers smell blood, you see.
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It's funnier because for someone as useful as him with the bat, he has shown a recent tendency to occupy the crease without moving the scoreboard forward. Not this time, though - two massive sixes off Moeen Ali in the first innings were a clear sign of what was to come in the second. And the moment Cummins became the most recognized batter out there in Australia's chase, he had Stokes clutching at straws.
No point hanging around for a blockathon now. Attack truly is the best form of defense. Bazball agrees to that notion too. Australia had the right blend of caution and aggression during that partnership between Cummins and Lyon as they wrested the game away from the hosts.
Two classics, two heroes and two contrasting emotions
The celebrations told a story. This was a ground where the ghosts of 2005 continued to be spoken about heading into this Test. No Ashes reference at Edgbaston is ever complete without a mention of that epic. And in the future, no such reference will be complete without an ode to 2023.
The image of Cummins flinging his bat in delight is one for the archives. Not just because the photographers captured the moment as brilliantly as one possibly could, but also because it was a poetic reflection that something special had transpired in the moments leading into it. Much like the image of Stokes holding his arms aloft and roaring in ecstasy at Headingley in 2019.
Life works in mysterious ways, doesn't it? It was Cummins who had to bowl a miracle ball to halt the unstoppable superhero that Stokes was in 2019. It didn't work. It was Stokes who had to marshal his troops this time around to stop his opposite number. It didn't work either.
Both were involved in different capacities in one heck of a battle four years ago. They were back at it, albeit in different roles this time around. Almost as though it was Test cricket and its most sacred rivalry's way of handing out a different acid test.
Cummins succeeded. It's harsh to say Stokes failed because he was that close to coming out on the right side. But four years apart, the duo were involved in two modern-day Ashes epics. Memoirs that will last a lifetime and stick with every individual who bore witness to them.