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‘Absurd’: England creates cricket history with Bazball bloodbath on Day 1 of First Ashes Test

England unleashed Bazball on Australia on day one of the First Ashes Test — and created cricket history multiple times in the process.

Jai BednallJai Bednall
@jaibednall
11 min read
June 17, 2023 - 8:54AM
'You can't do that!' - Root drops jaws with audacious sixes

This is not your grandfather’s - or even your father’s - Test cricket.

Aussie cricket fans got their first taste of Bazball on day one of the Ashes and it’s fair to say it was a new experience.

England has redefined the game in the past 12 months with their aggressive approach to batting under coach Brendon McCullum.

And it was on full display as they blasted 8/393 off 78 overs before surprising everyone with a late declaration.

Joe Root was still at the crease 118 not out when Ben Stokes called it an innings - the earliest declaration in the first innings of an Ashes Test in history.

There might be a few question marks around that decision as Australia reached stumps without loss at 0/14 but England’s intent is clear.

They are going to stalk Australia like a hungry lion all English summer.

The hosts’ appetite was apparent from the outset as opener Zac Crawley smashed Pat Cummins’ very first delivery to the boundary.

“Well there’s the first question answered,” Ricky Ponting said in commentary for Channel 9. “What a shot that was.”

Australia prepared its answers too - and they weren’t all to the liking of the men who went before them.

Ponting said several of the group chats on his phone “lit up” when Cummins stationed a deep cover on the boundary from the first ball.

He didn’t like gifting easy singles to fresh batsmen, but it continued for the duration of the day’s play.

Having all sorts of room to knock around singles - and a pitch that was offering barely any movement to Australia’s pace trio - allowed all of the English top order to get starts, although only Root properly capitalised.

Mark Taylor was critical of the decision to leave Mitchell Starc out of the Australian team but Josh Hazlewood (2/61) was the best of the visiting quicks and struck first to remove Ben Duckett cheaply.

But Crawley punished a wicketless Pat Cummins (0/59) and a surprisingly expensive Scott Boland (1/86 from 14 overs), so Nathan Lyon was relied upon heavily - and delivered with regular breakthroughs.

Lyon (sixth) is still behind Cummins (third) in the ICC Test bowling rankings but there’s little doubt he’s Australia’s best bowler at the moment.

The Barmy Army targeted with him a song declaring Lyon is “just a s**t Moeen Ali” but he finished with 4/149 - and Ali’s wicket.

Perhaps the most contrasting aspect of Bazball is how it appears to remove almost all of the pressure on the batting team.

Australia took wickets at a more than acceptable rate for the first day of Test match, claiming three scalps in the opening session, two in the second and three in the third.

But the normal periods of consolidation which follow dismissals - where bowling attacks can build pressure - were completely absent from the day’s play.

The runs - which came from quick singles and charges down the pitch - kept coming at five an over and it appeared to prompt a sloppy day in the field as Travis Head, Alex Carey and Cummins all dropped catches.

Boland is used to bowling on flat pitches like this one but he’s not used to being reverse-ramped for six in the first over after the tea break.

And it was this type of “absurd” shotmaking from Root (just to prove it was no fluke he did it a second time off Pat Cummins) that led to his 30th Test century. He’s just the second Englishman to reach that milestone after Alastair Cook (33).

But for each Root and Jonny Bairstow - who peeled off a damaging run-a-ball 78 - there is one Ben Stokes.

Stokes (1) was out in a matter of minutes after attempting to drive a ball that every cricketer is taught to leave alone.

The key question at stumps was had England scored enough.

Late in the day The CricViz analyst tweeted “the average lateral movement (seam+swing) of 0.89 degrees on offer for the pace bowlers was the lowest recorded in England since records began in 2006”.

So opening duo Usman Khawaja (four not out) and David Warner (eight not out) couldn’t have asked for a friendlier pitch to begin their campaigns and Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne will hope to bat all day.

3am - Root reaches his hundred, England declares

Joe Root’s 30th Test century was followed by an England declaration.

The hosts were happy enough with a score of 8/393, leaving Root unbeaten on 118 to give their bowlers a few overs at the Australian top order.

2.05am - ‘S**t Moeen Ali’ removes Bairstow ... and Ali

The Birmingham crowd was nicely lubricated by the start of the third session and broke out in full voice to sledge Nathan Lyon.

As the offspinner manned the boundary while Scott Boland bowled, the Barmy Army began singing “you’re just a s**t Moeen Ali, s**t Moeen Ali”.

Lyon has almost 300 Test wickets more than Ali - and he was in desperate search of another as Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow began to take the game away from the Aussies.

Root reverse-ramped Scott Boland for an “absurd” six in the first over after tea and Bairstow raced past 50 as England closed on the 300-mark.

It got worse for Australia when Josh Hazlewood drew a nick from Bairstow but a diving Alex Carey dropped the chance.

He was lucky to be presented another opportunity shortly after as Bairstow danced down the wicket to Lyon but missed and was stumped for a damaging run-a-ball 78.

It gave Lyon the chance to pay Ali back for the crowd’s singing and he got his man 18 as Carey grabbed another stumping.

12.40am - Root the real danger man

He might not be scoring as quickly as some of his teammates but Joe Root is showing why he remains the class batsman in England’s XI.

The former skipper was 66 not out off 97 balls at tea, putting on 64 runs Jonny Bairstow (33 not out) after Australia’s double strike to nudge England back in front in the game at 5/240.

Root was by no means scoring slowly.

He brought out the reverse sweep against Nathan Lyon in the 50th over and sent him to the boundary.

The following ball Root attempted the same shot and had an LBW decision overturned when replays showed the ball clipping his glove before hitting his pad.

But the close call was no reason for caution as the very next delivery he reverse swept again - again to the boundary.

Lyon and Hazlewood have been the pick of the bowlers with two wickets each while Scott Boland has been the most expensive, going at almost six runs an over.

11.38pm - Stokes goes cheaply as Aussies turn tables

Australia is back on top in Birmingham after Ben Stokes quickly followed Harry Brooks to the pavillion.

Stokes attempted to drive a Josh Hazlewood delivery on one but nicked it through to Alex Carey to leave the hosts 5/176 midway through the second session.

Joe Root remains at the crease - and passed 50 a few overs after Stokes’ departure - but Australia is just one wicket away from the tail.

11.33pm - Brook’s stroke of misfortune after Head grasses chance

Eight-Test sensation Harry Brook made a lightning start to his innings in the second session, passing 20 at better than a run-a-ball.

He mixed dropping the ball at his feet for quick singles with charges down the wicket to give Australia a firsthand look at a game that has delivered more than 800 runs already in his short career.

Scott Boland must have been getting frustrated at all the runs flowing to the third man area in particular but he appeared to have his man when Brook skied a shot to Travis Head at deep cover.

But the Aussie boundary rider grassed it. Head dived forward to reach the ball and got two hands to it before it bobbled out.

A couple of overs later Head misfielded to concede a soft boundary and Ricky Ponting immediately questioned why Australia didn’t have a better fielder like Marnus Labuschagne in the position.

The visitors responded by moving Labuschagne to deep cover the next over.

The damage was limited when Brook fell in incredibly unfortunate fashion to Nathan Lyon.

He attempted to pad a ball away to the leg side but it cannoned high into the air - and as the Aussie fielders attempted to locate the ball - it dropped back on to the pitch and spun into middle stump. Brook departed for 32 from 37 balls. England was 4/175.

10.07pm — Boland does it again

And just like that, it’s Australia’s morning as Scott Boland dismisses Zac Crawley for 61 with the final ball of the session.

The Aussies were in disbelief after the ball clipped Crawley’s thumb, going straight through to Alex Carey — and umpire Marais Erasmus gave it not out.

A review from the Aussies corrected the decision and the score is 3/124 at lunch after 26.4 overs (or 160 balls).

Joe Root is the not out batter on 20, while excitement machine Harry Brook is scheduled to come to the wicket next.

Mark Taylor was slightly critical of the Australians while speaking on Channel 9 during the lunch break, saying the decision to drop Mitchell Starc showed a “defensive mindset”.

Taylor said the Aussies were “rocked” when Crawley sent the first ball of the day to the boundary and delivered some questionable field placements.

Former Test spinner Steven O’Keefe also described Starc’s omission as a “big miss”.

9.26pm — Australia are back

Ollie Pope is back in the pavilion as Nathan Lyon has struck.

Bowling from around the stumps, Lyon was pitching it on the stumps and straightening it.

Finally getting the ball past Pope, umpire Ahsan Raza gave it not out before Australia reviewed.

And it was bang on from Cummins and co as the umpires call was overturned, leaving England 2/93.

On a pitch which is as flat as a pancake, it’s been a good start from Australia as they stay in the game.

While Zac Crawley moved to 50 soon after, it appears to be game on.

9.17pm — ‘Unbelievable scenes’: Australia blow it

Australia looked like they just missed a golden chance to get a second wicket.

In Scott Boland’s last over, a ball appeared to move off the deck and carried through to Alex Carey.

It turns out it may have come off the edge of Crawley’s bat but no one — not even Marnus Labuschagne — appealed.

“Unbelieveable scenes,” Adam Collins said on SEN Cricket.

8.19pm — Hazlewood strikes

Ricky Ponting and Michael Atherton had just finished talking about what an absolute road the pitch at Edgbaston is when Josh Hazlewood took the first wicket.

Pushing the ball across opener Ben Duckett, Hazlewood drew an edge with Alex Carey taking a low catch.

But it could be a hard slog for Australia with little movement.

“They just needed that, they looked a little` ragged there Australia,” Michael Atherton said.

It makes it 1/22 off four overs.

8.02pm — ‘Question answered’: Captain’s face says it all

If there was any doubt about England’s commitment to its Bazball style, it has been answered by the first ball of the series.

Pat Cummins pitched his opening ball of the series wide of off and Zac Crawley has unloaded, thrashing the ball to the boundary for four.

Strap in, this will be a wild ride.

Former England captain Michael Atheron called the shot: “A real statement from the first ball.”

“Well there’s the first question answered,” Ricky Ponting agreed. “Would they continue on, would they play that way? What a shot that was.”

And it seems like after asking for “fast, flat” wickets, England get exactly what they asked for.

There’s very little movement for the Aussie quicks and the commentators have already called it a “batter’s paradise” as we expected from the first look.

7.30pm — England win toss and will bat

Let’s see what Bazball is all about.

England has won the toss with Pat Cummins getting the call wrong and Ben Stokes has decided his side will bat first.

It looks a batters paradise at Edgbaston.

Cummins would have batted first as well.

But Australia have made the big call, deciding to drop Mitchell Starc for Josh Hazlewood.

And no Mitch Marsh in the team!

Australian XI: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland.

England XI: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joseph Root, Harry Brook, Benjamin Stokes (c), Jonathan Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Oliver Robinson, James Anderson.

6.45pm — ‘Is he going to play?’: Pic teases Aussie shock

While Australia was wondering which of Scott Boland, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were going to play, was the side working on a left-field solution?

The Australia’s cricket writer Peter Lalor shared an image from Edgbaston which he said showed Mitchell Marsh marking out his run up.

“MITCH MARSH IS marking out a run up,” he wrote.

“Is he going to play?????????

“Two all rounders ??????????”

If it turns out Marsh has made the team, it would be one of the greatest selection shocks in Ashes history, particularly after there were few question marks but how to get all our quicks into the side.

Marsh’s last Test was in 2019 at The Oval, so it’d be a monster call to sub him in.

It appears that Boland is in as he has marked his run up, while Cameron Green, Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins have also measured up.

And now Hazlewood is out there, suggesting Starc has missed out for the first Test.

6.30pm — Mystery leaves Australia on the edge

C’mon Patty, don’t do this to us.

Australia will have to wait until the toss to work out who will make up Australia’s pace attack with only two of Scott Boland, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc to join Pat Cummins for the opening Test.

Cummins admitted at a press conference on Thursday that Australia had settled on its team but he wasn’t going to reveal it until the toss.

It's in stark contrast to England, who boldly revealed its side days ago.

Boland has had a stunning start to his Test career and was Australia’s best in the World Test Championship Final.

He has been declared as “undroppable by Allan Border and Mark Waugh to name a few.

Cummins refused to guarantee Starc’s position in the team, saying “We’ll see” when asked if he was playing.

Boland and Hazlewood? Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Boland and Hazlewood? Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Starc? Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Starc? Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

But Starc is coming off four wickets in the World Test Championship Final and took a wicket every 41 balls he bowled in the match.

Although there are question marks as to whether he would be the target of a Bazball onslaught as he was also the most expensive Aussie bowler, going for over five-runs an over.

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Hazlewood averages just 23.58 in England with the ball, but is returning from injury and has played just four Tests since early 2021.

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I guess we have to wait until the toss.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/cricket/ashes-first-test-day-one-live/news-story/a385fe68741c5c76b109a997a70aff7c