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'I'll Be Very Surprised If...,' Ben Stokes Has No Declaration Regrets Despite Edgbaston Defeat

Aakash Saini

image-lj4ub3qqBen Stokes leads his side off the field after defeat (Twitter)

England’s ‘BazBall’ approach fell short against Australia in the opening Test of the 2023 Ashes series. On a topsy-turvy Day 5 in Edgbaston, the visitors chased down a monumental target with two wickets and a few minutes still left in the bank.

England skipper Ben Stokes took positives from the defeat, and praised his side for fighting till the end. The dynamic all-rounder also claimed that his team will keep playing with the same aggression throughout the remainder of the series, even though their year-long success with the approach was just halted by the WTC winners.


Ben Stokes has no regrets for early declaration

Ben Stokes’ England had the Australians floored at 227-8 at one stage. Still over 50 runs away from the target, tailenders Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins shrugged off an experienced English attack with calculated ball-striking during the twilight stages of the day.

The hosts skipper praised his team for fighting till the end, and stated that the thrilling affair will only help to hook more English and Australian supporters to follow the Ashes. He also claimed England will keep following their ‘BazBall’ template, considering its aggressive tactics have brought them much success in the last one year. During the post-match presentation, he said:

“Very proud of the team to take it till the end, go through all those emotions. That’s another great game we have been part of, I’ll be very surprised if we haven’t kept people at the edge of their seats throughout this Test. Good reason for more people in England and Australia to follow the Ashes. A loss is a loss, we said we are going to keep playing this way. This is the way we will continue playing, going hard at Australia, taking certain decisions that feel right.”

The all-round veteran further spoke about his decision to declare the first English innings late on Day 1. The cricketer said that with just two wickets left in the innings, the team may have well been in the same place without having a crack at the Australian openers.

“Not at all, I saw it as a chance to pounce on Australia. Never easy for someone to go out and bat 20 minutes. Who knows? Maybe Root and Jimmy could have got out and we would have been in the same place.”

England and Australia will keep their Ashes rivalry going, as they compete in the second Test of their five-match series. The contest is scheduled to be played at Lord’s, London between June 28 and July 2.