Ashes: Pat Cummins burns Ben Stokes with blunt answer on England's contentious declaration

Why You Are Reading This: The reigning world champions Australia were off to a flying start in the Ashes 2023, as they clinched victory in the first Test by two wickets on Tuesday. The win handed Australia a 1-0 lead in the prestigious series, while providing a fitting answer to England’s ‘bazball’ approach. In the meantime, English captain Ben Stokes’ decision to declare in the first innings of Day 1 became a big topic of discussion for the cricketing world.

3 Things You Need To Know

• England declared on 393/8 in the first innings of the first Ashes 2023 Test
• Joe Root was unbeaten on 118 runs when Stokes decided to declare
• Australia chased down 281 runs in the fourth innings for the win

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Pat Cummins reveals if he would have declared like Ben Stokes in the first innings

As reported by Daily Main, Pat Cummins was questioned after the match if he would have declared the way Ben Stokes did in the first innings of the first Ashes Test. Weighing in on the same, Cummins bluntly admitted that he would not have done the same but revealed he was not surprised to see the events unfolding on Day 1. “I'm not overly surprised [that Stokes did] but the wicket felt pretty good so I thought every run was pretty much needed in that first innings,” the Aussie skipper added.

However, the English captain was unrepentant about his Day 1 decision and said he would consider doing so even in the next Test at Lord’s. “I'm a captain who saw it as an opportunity to pounce on Australia. I don't think any batter likes to go out 20 minutes before the close of play. The way in which we played, and took Australia on, actually allowed us to be able to do that. I could also turn around and say: "If we didn't declare, would we have got that excitement like we did at the end of Day 5?” said Ben Stokes.

ALSO READ | Ashes 2023: Australia Break 75-year-old Jinx As They Stun England At Edgbaston

England found themselves on 393/8 in 78 overs, with Joe Root batting an unbeaten 118 runs when captain Stokes decided to declare. It was understood that the English side did so to get the best out of the remaining 20 minutes in the day and fetch a few wickets. However, the plan did not go as planned and the Aussies scored 386 runs in the second innings, giving the home side a lead of only seven runs.