Opinion
Edgbaston 2005, Amazing Adelaide 2006-7, Cape Town 2011, Headingley 2019: these are the Test matches that we’ll tell our children and grandchildren. You can now add Edgbaston 2023 to that list.
The narratives, the individual performances, the moments, the battles within the battle. Here’s five stories that stood out for me from Edgbaston 2023.
Captain courageous
In a Test match that needed a hero. Captain Patrick Cummins delivered. He’s been criticised for his handling of the Justin Langer saga.
Criticised for his opinion on climate change. Labelled Captain woke. During the Test match he was criticised as being too “one dimensional” and “too defensive.”
Yet when the moment required. He delivered. What separates good players from great players is their ability to seize the moment.
As Jacob Polychronis from Fox Sports observed to “bend games to their will.” After the rain delay, he brought himself and Scott Boland on in what was 20 minutes of spell-binding cricket resulting in the wickets of Duckett and Crawley. He continued the next morning breaking the crucial partnership of Ollie Pope and Joe Root just as the game was getting away.
Pat Cummins celebrates after hitting the winning runs. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
His batting on Day 5 will long be remembered as one of the great individual performance in Ashes history. Coming out to bat, 7 down and forming crucial partnerships with Carey and Lyon to lead Australia to a famous, famous victory.
He took advantage of the moment, both taking on Joe Root when required whilst having faith in his partner Nathan Lyon and fittingly hit the winning runs.
When we think of hundreds in cricket, some are more equal than others. Take for example Joe Burns 180 against Sri Lanka in 2019. While still a big score, I doubt it will be nothing more than a footnote in history.
Compare that to Michael’s Clarke’s 151 against South Africa in Cape Town. Hundreds when the team has their back against the wall and needs someone to step up are worth their weight in gold.
When Australia needed someone to stand up, deliver and drag the game by the scruff of the neck Uzzie did just that. Reputations are made and broken during the Ashes.
Usman Khawaja of Australia (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
We could be on the verge of watching a very good cricket player, write himself into Ashes folklore. Which brings me to the question.
Where does Usman Khawaja’s 141 rank in Australian cricket history?
Not to mention his crucial knock of 65 in the second innings kept Australia alive in the game.
Watching Ben Stokes captaincy is engrossing. From his field placements to his bowling changes to, his attitude after the game. On a different day, I might be writing about how Ben Stokes bent the game to his will.
His willingness to declare at 8-393 to have a chance at bowling Australia in the evening, his attacking field placements and taking the crucial wicket of Usman Khawaja when his team required him with one working knee is nothing short of extraordinary.
Not taking the new ball which resulted in the wicket of Carey was a brave gamble. A gamble that very nearly paid off.
This cliché has been around cricket almost as long as the game itself. Jonny Bairstow’s dropped catches and missed stumpings meant valuable runs were added to the Australian total. In comparison Alex Carey was superb behind the stumps.
In the final session Ben Stokes dropped a tough chance when Nathan Lyon was on two.
In a close series between bat and ball it will very much be the better fielding team that comes out on top. In fact, I’m certain of it. Moments of individual brilliance in the field will decide the series.
While this is not a moment, it will continue to be a story throughout the series.
What do we do about David Warner? In his first innings he made 9 of 27 before being bowled by Stuart Broad as his feet couldn’t get moving.
In the second innings he made a crucial 36 of 57 providing a platform for the middle order. At his best he’s world class taking apart bowlers to all parts of the ground.
My concern is we haven’t seen his best outside his 200 on Boxing Day. If anything, we’ve seen his worst. Over the last two years, across 19 Tests, Warner has an average of 30 with 1 century, 4 fifties and a high score of 200.
If Australia lost, calls would be coming thick and fast calling for his head, however a win keeps the wolves at bay.
For now.
What a Test match. What a start to the Ashes.
To those that stayed awake, I salute you. To those that didn’t, there’s four more games to go.
Reputations will be formed and staked. History will be made and stories that we’ll tell our children and grandchildren about will form. Bring on the rest of the series.
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