Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has expressed his surprise over England declaring on the first day of the ongoing first Ashes Test against Australia.
A thrilling day of cricket at Edgbaston ended on a stunning note as Ben Stokes decided that his team had scored enough in their first innings. The hosts were on 393 for 8 when Stokes decided to declare the innings. In an usual scenario, any captain in the world would have wanted to score as many runs as possible with the remaining two wickets.
However, Stokes is an exception and perhaps that is why England’s new approach has yielded stunning results on the field. In reply to England’s total, Australian openers successfully managed to keep their wickets intact, helping their team finish the day on 14 for no loss.
Michael Vaughan on the declaration:
While Michael Vaughan was surprised with the decision to declare on day 1, he praised Stokes for his aggressive approach. The Ashes-winning skipper stated that England are sending a message with their Day 1 declaration call.
The former cricketer expressed the desire for more runs, especially with Joe Root on the field. Despite England failing to secure a wicket, Vaughan believed the lively play between David Warner and Usman Khawaja embodied the spirit of the Ashes, with the experienced duo exhibiting a youthful enthusiasm.
“I wouldn’t have declared. You just don’t know what is going to happen. England are trying to send a message no team has ever done before,” Vaughan said on the BBC.
“But I applaud Ben Stokes. You think the last England Ashes, I think this is the first time in my lifetime that England have sent the first punch. I, as a captain, would’ve wanted a few more runs, especially with Joe Root out there. Even though England didn’t get the wicket, it creates what the Ashes it’s all about. Warner and Khawaja, two experienced pros, were running like kids,” he added.
Joe Root starred for England on day 1 with the bat. After Zak Crawley’s fifty gave England a flying start, they lost some quick wickets to find themselves 5 down for 176. However, Root’s unbeaten century and Jonny Bairstow’s run-a-ball 78-run knock helped England post a good total.
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