England opening batter Zak Crawley hitting first ball of Ashes 2023 for a four left his captain Ben Stokes at a loss for words at Edgbaston today. In the rich history of this iconic rivalry, batters have mostly been seen playing a defensive stroke or even leaving the ball to kick-start a long five-match series. That being said, Crawley made his and England’s intentions clear under the Bazball era from the word go.
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Not just a regular or an unconvincing shot for a boundary, Crawley nailed a cracking cover drive to put on display a statement in front of Australia captain Pat Cummins. Crawley, however, practiced what is normalcy for this format by leaving the next two deliveries outside the off-stump.
With a lot of criticism around his position on the back of below par form, Crawley has justified head coach Brendon McCullum‘s immense faith in him by scoring a brisk ninth Test half-century in the first session of the series. Having hit seven fours in the session thus far, Crawley would be looking to convert this start into a substantial knock especially on a pitch which is likely to favour the batters.
Ben Stokes At A Loss For Words As Zak Crawley Hits First Ball Of Ashes 2023 For Cracking Boundary
Sitting in the dressing room wearing a bucket hat, Stokes behaved like any other fan upon being witness to the sight of a first-ball boundary in Birmingham on a Friday morning. Utterly shocked by Crawley’s shot, Stokes’ reaction following a smile provided a self-explanation to the right-handed batter’s shot.
Stokes, who didn’t bat or bowl in a one-off Test against Ireland at Lord’s earlier this month, would be looking forward to both bat and bowl in this match. Having not batted or bowled in a representative match in the last two months, fans will certainly be waiting for the 32-year old player to do his thing here.
