Root proves 'Bazball' can take it to Australia as England make Ashes declaration

16 June 2023 , 18:56

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Joe Root scored a century on day one of the First Ashes Test

Joe Root held England’s excitable Bazballers together at the start of the Ashes like a master of his art with his 30th Test ton.

And just moments after one former skipper gave the crowd their voice in celebration the declaration whisperer Ben Stokes pulled the pin and sent the Aussie openers into bat for a 20-minute examination at the end of the day.

No other England, or Australian captain for that matter, would have voluntarily ended their innings on day one of the Ashes after winning the toss, but this is the game as Stokes sees it and it often works.

Throughout the build up there has been a constant reference to 2005 when England racked up 407 all out in 79.2 overs. This time they made 393-8 declared in 78 so we’re bang on course.

And for the thousands of fans lucky enough to have the golden ticket to the ground, every one of them remained glued to their seat hoping to see Stuart Broad knock over David Warner.

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It didn’t happen this time as Australia closed 14-0, but make no mistake, Stokes and his team committed totally to their attacking philosophy and it came off in fits and spurts.

They can thank their lucky stars though they have an all time great to give them the foundation to build on and around.

Root’s 118 not out was the meat on the bone of England’s total as they rattled along at five runs per over and provided the entertainment they promised.

Right at the front of that queue was the returning Jonny Bairstow, batting for the first time in a Test since August last year, and pumping the ball all round Edgbaston for a run-a-ball 78 as if he had never been away, or broken his leg.

The Aussies saw England score at more than five an over

From the moment Zak Crawley crunched the first ball of the series from Pat Cummins through the off side for four, England’s stall was set.

But it took the reliable brilliance of Root to take the promising starts of so many and turn it into a substantial outcome, like has done so many times before.

Under Stokes he has continued to pile on the runs, and even though this was his first Ashes hundred since 2015, it was his fifth since giving up the captaincy.

And what a beauty it was too, blending the deft touches and classic strokeplay that he has always had with the creative and expansive shots he has added in the last year.

The reverse scoop for six will forever feature on a greatest hits compilation and he gave the fans just what they wanted when he brought it out twice against Scott Boland and Cummins.

Zak Crawley smashed the first ball of the match for four

It was part of a sparkling partnership between Root and Bairstow worth 121 that had started to put their team in control after a wobble either side of lunch.

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In a sign of what could be to come in this series, England and Australia traded blows and the upper hand on day one like two fresh prize fighters at the first bell.

Crawley’s sweetly timed cover drive started his most fluent and assured innings since his Rawalpindi hundred in December but was halted by a terrific ball from Boland that brushed his glove to the keeper.

Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope had already gone, while Harry Brook’s first act in Ashes cricket was an encouraging cameo of 32.‌

But having played out the first of just two maidens in the day, he was undone by a combination of dumb luck for Lyon and a lack of desperation on his part as the ball cannoned off his thigh pad, looped over his head and rolled into the stumps while he held the pose.

Stokes came and went for just one, flashing a drive on the up and edging behind, and Moeen Ali cracked two fours and a six in his 18. That’s entertainment.

Dean Wilson