England captain Ben Stokes has no regrets declaring innings in the first Test of the ashes 2023 despite the fact that Australia retains the urn of ashes. He said that the last game is extremely important for them and they want to end the series on a high.
Neither England nor Australia, but it was the rain that won the Manchester test, but ultimately it was a victory for the Pat Cummins-led as they retained the Ashes. The hosts were clear favorites to win the third game as they displayed a high profile cricketing brand in the first three days.
England, opting to bowl, dismissed Australia with 317 runs, and in response, amassed a massive score of 592 runs, seeing them take a 275-run lead in the first innings. If this wasn’t enough, they took the Australian wickets early and left them reeling at 214/5 in the second innings before rain washed the game away.
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England were heavy favorites to win the game and if that had happened the series would have been leveled and would have been an exciting decider to watch. But the hosts couldn’t beat the English weather, paving the way for the match to earn a draw and Australia to retain the Ashes.
Ben Stokes admitted that the tied game is difficult for them as they played well the first three days. He also revealed that Ollie Pope’s injury made them think about the combination, but he is proud of the way his team held their own. Speaking after the match, he said:
“It’s a hard question to take, you know? The kind of cricket we played the first three days and being on the wrong side of the weather, it’s tough. But it is part of the journey. I think going into this game was a game of life and death for us. Shooting them for 320 and scoring 590, we couldn’t do much. We will be very proud to play the next game.
“Pope’s injury made us think about the structure of the team. Very happy with everyone’s effort. I’ve talked about Crawley, what Zak does is he changes the game, the way he plays and the way he deals with bowlers. They were amazing entries, we knew an entry like that wasn’t far off.”
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Ashes 2023: Watch – No Regrets For Edgbaston Statement – Ben Stokes
As Australia retained the Ashes, Ben Stokes’ decision to declare the innings in the first Test with Joe Root batting at 118 has come under scrutiny once again. The boss was asked if he regrets that decision, to which he responded emphatically “No.”
Ben Stokes also praised the fast bowling duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad for their incredible record and also expressed his enthusiasm to end the series on a high. Ben Stokes explained:
“It’s unbelievable (his record). Broad and Jimmy have been incredible examples. Broad loves the battle and he loves playing against Australia, he has a good record against them. (When asked if he has any regrets about Edgbaston) No. We know what the last game means to us as a team and we want to finish on a high. I want the crowd to come out and support us.”
Straight to the point of Ben Stokes…✅ pic.twitter.com/dW8rFlJcJU
—Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 23, 2023
The last and definitive Test of Ashes 2023 will be played from July 27 at The Oval in London.
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