CricketStokes’ fierce response after he faced criticism for early declaration during first Ashes test
Australia registered a stunning victory in the first match of The Ashes yesterday at Edgbaston. While chasing a small target of 281, The Australians did face some trouble when they lost some crucial wickets at the very start. The trouble increased after the dismissal of their star batter Usman Khwaja because the team was eight wickets down and they still needed 72 runs to win, but Alex Carey and skipper Pat Cummins carried the match to the end with Nathon Lyon playing the supporting role, and the team bagged the win by two wickets.
The England skipper faced criticism
After England’s defeat, their skipper Ben Stokes faced a lot of criticism on social media, which we saw coming as his decision to declare very early during the first innings on the first day of the match was condemned by many. England declared when they were at a score of 393/8, and the captain didn’t even let the team complete 400 runs even when Centurian Joe Root was still on the crease. After The declaration, Australia got to bat for just 20 minutes on the first day. This declaration dissatisfied many cricket fans, but Stokes has now defended his decision, saying that they wanted to pounce on Australia.
Stokes about his decision
After the match, the English captain stated that he saw this as an opportunity to pounce on Australia, as no one likes to go on the ground at bat just for 20 minutes. By scoring 390 and declaring, England sent a message to Australia that their team wanted to take on them. If we didn’t declare, then the excitement we got at the end wouldn’t be there. Ben Stokes further said that he is going to look at this game as “what ifs,” as they didn’t manage to cross the line and there were many moments during the game when the situation could have worked in favour of both teams.
England’s aggressive approach impressed many ex-cricketers
Although England didn’t win the first match of the Ashes, the aggressive approach they showed was truly commendable. Stokes’ experimental captaincy was praised by many former cricketers, including former Australian captain Ricky Ponting. The way he set the umbrella field for Usman Khawaja and created pressure on him showed a lot about their changed attitude. Even in the second inning, it was Stokes who dismissed Khawaja and took a sigh of relief. The next Ashes match will start on June 28, and everyone will be excited to see what new approach both teams will be showing.
