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England’s Bazball approach in Test cricket has made many heads turn over the past 18 months. The Ashes 2023 series is going to make everyone talk about it a little more and little longer.
The first day of the Ashes 2023 series ensured that the talk would last longer than expected.
The hero of the opening day of the Ashes series this year was the amazingly consistent Joe Root. He has been scoring runs in buckets over the past three years. His focus on Test match cricket specifically has ensured that he has overtaken everyone in the modern-day Fab Four. He has left everyone way behind.
Now with over 11,100 Test runs, Root is going to take some catching up with the other members of the Fab Four. Root’s unconventional approach while playing Australia captain Pat Cummins was the talk of the town at Edgbaston. His reverse scoop six over the third man will be the talk of the series for time immemorial.
But the tone was set by Zak Crawley when he struck the first ball of the series for a boundary. It was an audacious shot off the first ball of a much-vaunted series. This approach by the English batters shows the total support of the team think-tank. Obviously, the impact of head coach Brendon McCullum and Test captain Ben Stokes.
They have revolutionised the way Test cricket has to be played. They chased down tall scores for fun last year. Then in Pakistan at the end of 2022 they made close to 500 plus on a day. There is just no stopping them right now.
On the opening day of the Ashes series as well they kept scoring at a breakneck speed even when they were losing wickets left, right and centre. The funny part is that Root is the least of the unconventional batters in this English Test XI and he has been the one scoring tons of runs.
The other batters will be kicking themselves for missing out on an opportunity to score runs for fun on a flat track in an Ashes opener. Harry Brook was the unluckiest of the lot.
The most intriguing thing of the day was obviously the timing of the declaration. Just why would you declare with just 78 overs of batting. But then that is the new England Test philosophy. They may have figured out that it makes no sense to expose James Anderson to the Aussie pace attack. Instead, they cut their losses and made the most of the score they rattled up in just 78 overs.
It makes for breath-taking viewing if you are a cricket fan. The rest of the series will make for compelling viewing too if the opening day is anything to go by.
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