What happened on Day 1 of 1st ENG vs AUS Ashes 2023 Test?

Seasoned England batter Joe Root scored 118*, while Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon claimed four wickets as Day 1 of Ashes 2023 lived up to all the hype. Batting first after winning the toss at Edgbaston on Friday (June 16), England raced away to 393-8 in 78 overs before declaring their innings. Australia went to stump unscathed at 14-0, surviving four tricky overs.

The highlight of the opening day of Ashes 2023 was Root and Jonny Bairstow (78 off 78) adding 121 runs for the sixth wicket in ‘Bazball’ style to lift England from 176-5. Root reached yet another defiant fifty before reverse-sweeping Lyon (4-149) for two fours in the 50th over. In between, he was adjudged lbw attempting the stroke but got it overturned as he had clearly gloved it.

The final session saw Root reverse-scooping Scott Boland for a maximum. Bairstow kept finding the boundaries with ease and brought up his half-century on his comeback from injury by tickling Lyon fine for a couple. In the same over, he cracked two more fours.

Bairstow got a reprieve on 68 as he edged an attempted drive off Josh Hazlewood, but Alex Carey put down the chance, diving full length to his right. The Australian keeper, though, made amends by effecting the stumping of Bairstow as the batter charged down the track but was beaten by Lyon.

Coming out of Test retirement, Moeen Ali whacked Pat Cummins for four and a six in one over. However, he perished for 18, also skipping down the track to Lyon and getting stumped as he went for an aimless stroke. Stuart Broad (16), too, was also bowled, trying to have a hack at Cameron Green.

Root was on 93 when the eighth wicket fell but found support from Ollie Robinson (17*) and went on to complete his 30th Test ton by tucking Lyon behind square for a single. He hammered the off-spinner for two maximums in the 78th over after which captain Ben Stokes declared.

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Honours shared by England and Australia in first two sessions

Ashes 2023 kicked off in belligerent fashion for England as Zak Crawley thumped the first ball from Cummins through cover-point for four.

It was a statement of intent from the England opener. Ben Duckett, though, fell for 12, caught behind while chasing a wide delivery from Hazlewood, who was picked ahead of Mitchell Starc.

Crawley and Ollie Pope featured in a solid 70-run stand for the second wicket. The latter was looking good for a big score but was beaten was by a skidder from Lyon and was trapped lbw for 31. Pope tried to play across the line to a delivery from the Australian off-spinner but missed the ball, and the fielding side took a smart review to get the decision in their favour.

At the other end, Crawley completed an impressive fifty but fell to Boland for 61 just before lunch. The Aussie pacer got a delivery to jump from a length, which caught the glove of the well-set batter before settling in the hands of the keeper. For some reason, the umpire was unmoved, but DRS confirmed that Crawley had gloved the ball as England went to lunch at 124-3.

In the second session, Root and Harry Brook (32) defied Australia with a 51-run stand for the fourth wicket. The latter batted with aggression and slapped Boland for two fours in the 33rd over. He had a lucky reprieve in the same over when he was dropped on 24. The England batter top-edged a cut to deep backward point, where Travis Head spilled a catch, diving forward.

Eventually, though, Brook was dismissed in rather unlucky fashion by Lyon. A delivery from the Australian off-spinner produced extra spin and bounce and hit Brook’s thigh pad.

The ball bounced high in the air, and even as everyone was searching for it, the ball came down, hit the batter’s leg and went on to hit the stumps.

England suffered another setback when captain Ben Stokes (1) nicked Hazlewood to the keeper to leave the hosts in a spot of bother at 176-5. Root and Bairstow, though, ensured that England had the better of the opening day of Ashes 2023.