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England opener Zak Crawley stunned everyone, including skipper Ben Stokes, as he hit a first-ball four to kick-start the 2023 Ashes against Australia at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Friday, June 16.
The right-hander made the most of a full and wide ball on offer from Australian captain Pat Cummins outside the off stump. Nine out of 10 openers would have left such a delivery in Test cricket, but Crawley was the exception. The 25-year-old slashed it hard through extra cover for a boundary. The crowd roared in delight.
In a video shared by England Cricket, Ben Stokes was stunned by Crawley’s Bazball approach. Watch the clip below:
Stokes will now look to regain the Ashes and continue England’s impressive record against Australia at home since 2001.
The 32-year-old has, so far, guided England to 11 wins in 15 Tests, three losses, ever since taking over the reins of England in Tests. Stokes and head coach Brendan McCullum will look to continue to weave their 'Bazball' magic in Test cricket.
Ben Stokes and Co. opt to bat against Australia in the 2023 Ashes opener
England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and decided to bat against Australia in the 2023 Ashes opener. He said at the toss:
“We'll bat first. Looks like a great cricket wicket. Good toss to win. Very proud to be here with all the hype around, very special moment for me and the team. It has been tough at times with the energy, but that has been something we are good at in the past.”
Australian captain Pat Cummins, meanwhile, dropped Mitchell Starc for fit-again Josh Hazlewood after winning the WTC final against India last week. He said:
“We'd have batted as well. One change, Mitch Starc is out, and Hazlewood comes in. Tough call, Starc was really good last game but good to have someone like Hazlewood come in. Tough to manage the workloads, we'll assess things week by week, but that is a good problem to have. Good preparation to win the WTC final, we went into that fresh, we feel well suited and we are now eager to go.”
Australia (Playing XI): David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (w), Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland.
England (Playing XI): Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jonny Bairstow (w), Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson.
Follow 2023 Ashes live score updates here.
