Joe Root scored his first century against Australia since 2015 before Ben Stokes declared as the ‘Bazball’ Ashes began in utterly engrossing fashion at Edgbaston.
England captain Stokes was adamant the swashbuckling style of cricket which had yielded 11 wins in 13 Tests would not be tampered with against the newly-crowned World Test champions and Zak Crawley (61 off 73) demonstrated that by slamming the first ball of the series, bowled by Pat Cummins, for four.
England batted with excellent intent to reach 393-8 from 78 overs before Stokes declared with half an hour remaining; the hosts’ innings showing that Bazball is not purely about bashing boundaries but also applying pressure with quick running and strike rotation, skills which Root (118no off 152) has long since mastered.
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England vs Australia, day one
England 393-8 declared from 78 overs – Root (118no off 152 balls); Bairstow (78 off 78), Crawley (61 off 73), Lyon (4-149), Hazlewood (2-61)
Australia 14-0 from four overs – Warner (8no), Khawaja (4no)
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Watch the best bits from Root’s century on day one at Edgbaston, which featured seven fours, four sixes and superb strike rotation
Root mixed classical shots with reverse sweeps and sublime reverse scoops as he completed his 30th Test ton, and fourth against Australia, from 145 balls, an innings which, along with Jonny Bairstow’s run-a-ball 78, helped England rally from 176-5.
Root’s straight six off Nathan Lyon was cue for Stokes to call his side side in and let Stuart Broad loose against David Warner, a man he dismissed seven times from around the wicket in the drawn 2019 series as the Australia opener averaged 9.50.
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Warner (8no) and Usman Khawaja (4no) made it through two overs of Broad and two of Ollie Robinson as Australia ended a breathless day – one that certainly lived up to its billing – on 14-0, trailing by 379.
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England were tottering when Harry Brook (32 off 37) and Stokes (1) fell in quick succession after lunch but Root and Bairstow shared a stand of 121 from 140 balls for the sixth wicket – Bairstow the aggressor in his first Test innings since August of last year after that devastating leg break a month later.
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He was stumped in the evening session – one of four wickets on the day for off-spinner Lyon (4-149) – but local lad Moeen Ali (18 off 17) clobbered two fours and a six in his first Test since September 2021 to get the bouncing England fans even more animated before he, too, was stumped off Lyon.
England scored at 5.03 an over against a defensive-minded Australia, who are bidding for a first series win in the UK in 22 years in what is the most eagerly-anticipated Ashes contest since the 2005 epic, which England won 2-1.
Australia defensive but still pick up wickets
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Zak Crawley hammered the first ball of the Ashes, bowled by Pat Cummins, for four – leaving Ben Stokes open-mouthed
The first deliveries of Ashes series have been somewhat unkind to England in the past, including at Brisbane in 2021 when Rory Burns was bowled by Mitchell Starc and also at the same venue in 2006 when Steve Harmison bowled a wide to second slip.
This time, though, England fans were celebrating not wincing as Crawley cracked Cummins to the cover fence amid a positive start for the hosts, one checked a little when Ben Duckett (12) feathered Josh Hazlewood behind in the fourth over with 22 on the board.
Crawley and Ollie Pope (31) kept the scoreboard ticking, picking up a large amount of singles during a 70-run stand as Australia persevered with containing rather than aggressive fields and barely bowled a bouncer.
It was spin that brought about the second wicket – Lyon trapping Pope lbw on the back foot – but then seam that ended Crawley’s knock on the stroke of lunch, with Australia’s review showing the England opener, who reached 50 from 56 balls, had gloved Scott Boland to wicketkeeper Alex Carey.
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Crawley hits his ninth Test half-century, from 56 balls, amid Australia deploying defensive fields
Australia would have had Crawley out for 40 had they reviewed for caught behind, UltraEdge showing a healthy nick off Boland.
England resumed after lunch on 124-3 and that quickly became 175-3 as Brook and Root shared a quick-fire partnership of 51 from 64 balls, during which Brook was grassed by Travis Head on 24 as the fielder ran in from deep backward point.
Head’s butterfingers did not really cost Australia, with Brook – one of two England players making their Ashes debut, alongside Duckett – bowled in bizarre fashion by Lyon as the ball looped up off his thigh pad, dropped back onto his leg and trickled onto the stumps.
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Travis Head dropped Harry Brook on 24 at deep backward point…
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But Brook was then dismissed eight runs later as Nathan Lyon’s delivery deflected off his thigh pad and back onto his stumps!
Root and Bairstow arrest England wobble
When Stokes (1) slashed Hazlewood behind in the following over, England were wobbling, only for Root and Bairstow to counterpunch.
Bairstow played with the power and poise he displayed during his golden 2022 summer, in which he scored four Test tons, averaged 75.66 and picked up runs at a strike rate of 96.59.
The disappointment England fans felt at Bairstow’s dismissal was quickly replaced with an eruption of noise as Moeen, lured out of Test retirement by Stokes following Jack Leach’s back injury, strode to the middle at his home ground.
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Welcome back, Moeen! England all-rounder Ali slammed two fours and a six during a cameo innings on his Test return
Moeen, Broad (16 off 21) and Robinson (17 off 31) all contributed alongside centurion Root, whose hundred was his first against Australia in 32 innings.
England are looking to win an Ashes series for the first time since 2015, with Australia’s 4-0 triumphs at home in 2017/18 and 2021/22 sandwiching a 2-2 draw in England in 2019.
The 2019 series – most memorable for Stokes’ match-winning knock at Headingley – was gripping but if the early signs in Birmingham are anything to go by then this summer’s contest could exceed it.
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Hussain: A quite brilliant day of Test cricket
Sky Sports Cricket’s Nasser Hussain: “I said to Stokes a month ago, ‘If you were eight down in the first innings, would you declare?’ He said ‘Yeah, why would we send Jimmy Anderson out to bat?’
“He didn’t send him out to bat, he sent his bowlers out to try and get Warner and Khawaja out.
“This was everything you want from day one of a series, it was quite brilliant. Root scored a brilliant hundred and then there was Stokes’ captaincy.”
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Jonny Bairstow reflects on his first Test innings since August and looks ahead to day two at Edgbaston
Bairstow: Our approach has not changed in 12 months
England’s Jonny Bairstow: “If the ball is there to hit we have tried to hit it. If we miss, it’s part and parcel of the game.
“Our approach hasn’t changed over the last 12 months. We are not machines. We all don’t bat in the same way. We are humans too so we will make mistakes as well.
“[With the ball], we need to be patient, relentless on a length. If we can build pressure, we have guys with such a wealth of experience. I’ve got no doubt the guys will be able to call on those experiences.”
Watch day two of the first Ashes Test, from Edgbaston, live on Sky Sports Cricket on Saturday. Build-up starts at 10.15am ahead of the first ball at 11am.
Sourse: skysports.com
