Ashes 2023: No regrets at all, there was an opportunity to pounce on Australia – Ben Stokes on his first innings declaration

England skipper Ben Stokes admitted he has no regrets about his first innings declaration decision after they lost the opening Ashes Test against Australia by two wickets at Edgbaston, Birmingham on Tuesday. Stokes decided to call back Joe Root and Ollie Robinson when England was motoring along at 393-8 in the first essay after winning the toss.

The talismanic all-rounder revealed the strategy was to have a crack at the Australian openers – Usman Khawaja and David Warner – before the end of the first day’s play. However, the decision was not a fruitful one for England as Australian openers went back to the dressing room without losing their wickets.

Many cricket boffins reckon England could have added more valuable runs to their total if Stokes had not decided to declare. Root was batting unbeaten on 118 while Robinson also looked settled at 17 and thus it was a bold decision.

On the other hand, it was a thrilling finish to the first Test match. Australia needed 54 runs when Nathan Lyon joined forces with skipper Pat Cummins as the visitors were under the cosh, with England needing two more wickets for the victory. However, Cummins and Lyon added 55 runs to take Australia to an emphatic win and helped them take a 1-0 lead in the five-match Ashes series.

Ben Stokes said in the post-match presentation, “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.”

Stokes added he was proud of his team for the performance they put in. In fact, England dominated the majority of the game but fell short in the end. The English skipper revealed they will continue to take bold decisions and will play in a similar fashion in the remainder of the series.

Stokes 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. A 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 second Ashes Test will be played at Lord’s, from June 28 onwards.