WATCH | Zak Crawley leaves Ben Stokes and Co STUNNED after hitting first-ball four in Ashes

Ben Stokes was in awe of Zak Crawley as the young England batter stunned his teammates on Friday, June 16 as he kick-started the Ashes 2023 with a four. Crawley, playing in his 35th Test match was at his fluent best as the hosts started on the front foot at Edgbaston in Birmingham against the Aussies. The four sparked a reaction from Stokes and Crawley’s other teammates as the Ashes kickstarted with a bang.

What happened at the start?

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After opting to bat first in the contest, England sent Crawley and Ben Duckett to open the innings on the Day 1 of the Edgbaston Test. Ben Stokes sitting in the balcony of the famous ground was then left stunned as Crawley smashed Pat Cummins through the covers for a four. England has the best possible start to the series as they started on the front foot. The Edgbaston crowd was also on its feet as they witnessed a special start to the series.

The joy was short-lived as the Baggy Greens then made a good comeback as returning Josh Hazlewood was on the money after he scalped Ben Duckett (12) on the fourth ball of the fourth over. Crawley then partnered Ollie Pope for the next hour and so as he brought up his ninth Test fifty in the 19th over. His 61-run innings came to an end on the last ball of the first session as England ended at 125/3 after 27.1 overs.

Crawley along with Pope stitched a partnership of 70 runs for the second wicket as they gave the Aussies a hard time before their mini comeback.

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England look for redemption

Having lost the Ashes 0-4 Down Under in 2021-22, England will be out for redemption as they try to get the better of the Aussies. England have not won the Ashes since 2-15 and will to end their drought of the Ashes, where they also won the ODI and the T20 World Cup. They will have history on their side as the Ashes has not been won by a host nation for more than a decade.

The last time the Ashes was won by an away team was in 2011 while the last time Australia won the Ashes on English soil was in 2001. Currently, England are also enjoying a purple patch of form having won 11 matches in their last 13 matches under the captaincy of Ben Stokes, who took over as the skipper in June 2022.

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