3 times choosing to field first backfired in a Test in England

England were in for a long outing on the first day of the second Ashes Test at Lord's despite choosing to field first upon winning the toss. With the Australian batters making hay, a long road lies ahead for the hosts as they seek to roar back into the game.

England skipper Ben Stokes cited the overhead conditions as a major reason behind choosing to field first. It was understandable, considering that conditions were very overcast and there were a couple of brief rain interruptions as well that followed.

However, the bowlers lacked the penetration that was required to make inroads into the Australian batting lineup. The visitors finished the day on 339/5 and given that England are already trailing in the series, the hosts have a stiff task on hand.

Time will tell if this move will truly backfire or not with four days left in the contest. However, it wasn't the first time that a captain choosing to field first in England didn't work out for the best.

Here's a look at three previous instances:

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#1 ENG vs IND at Trent Bridge, 2018

With Hardik Pandya wreaking havoc, Joe Root's decision to field first turned pear-shaped.\

England took a 2-0 lead in the five-match Test series against India in 2018 and entered the third match at Trent Bridge with a commanding foothold.

However, in a rather surprising move, Joe Root stuck to what he did in the previous game at Lord's and opted to field first upon winning the toss.

While conditions were extremely overcast at Lord's, the skies were much clearer in Nottingham even as Root cited the green look of the pitch as the reason for opting to field. As it turned out, it fell flat on his face with India turning in a solid batting display to post 329.

Thereafter, Hardik Pandya's five-wicket haul routed the hosts for 161 before Virat Kohli's sublime 103, in the company of half-centuries from Cheteshwar Pujara and Pandya, batted England out of the Test for good.

India wrapped up the contest by 203 runs as fielding first proved to be a flawed plan for the hosts.

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#2 WTC final at The Oval, 2023

India and Australia drew the battle-lines for the World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval in London earlier this month. On a pitch that had a green tinge and with the grey clouds surrounding the venue, Rohit Sharma inserted Australia in to bat after winning the toss.

Alas, the move backfired alarmingly with David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne digging deep in the first hour before the former tore into a number of loose deliveries from Umesh Yadav. Steve Smith and Travis Head then took over and sent a toothless Indian bowling unit - that had its radar all over the place - into submission.

Australia ended the opening day on 327/3 and there was no looking back thereafter, even as India showed glimpses of a fightback on a largely good batting track.

Far too much damage was inflicted on the opening day and a 209-run defeat was inevitable before Lunch on Day 5.

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#3 ENG vs AUS at Edgbaston, 2005

It was a long day on the park at Edgbaston after surprisingly opting to field first.

The 2005 Ashes series remains etched in cricketing folklore as one of the most hard-fought and iconic tussles the sport has seen. Once Australia took a 1-0 lead at Lord's, England bounced back in style in that famous epic that unraveled at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham in the second Test.

Ricky Ponting took a bold call and opted to field first after winning the toss, despite Glenn McGrath rolling his ankle over just minutes prior. England made the Aussies pay with Andrew Strauss and Marcus Trescothick going along at a rapid pace before Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff launched a counter-attack themselves.

The hosts were bowled out on the opening day but had piled up 407 on the board. The decision at the toss looked worse once Australia conceded a 99-run lead and despite roaring back in style with the ball in the second innings, they found themselves reeling at 175/8 in their chase of 282.

What Shane Warne, Brettt Lee and Michael Kasprowicz did thereafter is the stuff of fantasies as they almost pulled off one of cricket's greatest heists. Until Steve Harmison bounced Kasprowicz out to spark massive celebrations in the England camp.

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Can England put behind a disappointing first day at Lord's and bounce back to level the Ashes scoreline? Have your say in the comments section below!

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