Anderson defends Ben Stokes with 'positive move' remark over early declaration in 1st Test

Why you're reading this: The English cricket team could not win the ENG vs AUS inaugural Ashes 2023 Test and lost the match by two wickets. The team's 'Bazball' tactics didn't help them win the match as the Aussie skipper snatched the win out of the jaws of the hosts. Cummins added 55 runs for the ninth wicket along with Nathan Lyon and took his team over the line. 

3 things you need to know

• Australia needed 281 runs to win the inaugural Ashes 2023 Test match
• England declared their first innings at 393/8 on Day 1
• Australia takes a 1-0 lead in the five-match Ashes 2023 series 

Did England lose the match on Day 1? 

The English cricket team has been playing Test cricket with an aggressive mindset since skipper Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum have taken over the team's charge. The hosts made their intentions clear that they will continue with the famous tactic known as 'Bazball' by the fans in the Ashes 2023 series. 

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English opener Zak Crawley hit Australia captain Pat Cummins for a first-ball boundary and also nearly all the England batsmen scored with a strike rate of close to 100. They declared their first innings at 393/8 on Day 1 itself and invited the Aussie batsmen to bat on the first day. 

Since the tactic did not help England win the Test match, Ben Stokes and Co. have been constantly facing criticism over the issue. 

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James Anderson comes out in defence of Ben Stokes 

However, despite all the criticism, the English cricket team pacer James Anderson has come out in defence of his captain Ben Stokes. Anderson believed that declaring the innings on Day 1 was a 'positive move'. The right-handed English pacer wrote in his column of 'The Telegraph'. 

I had my pads on waiting to bat when Ben declared. He said he would have declared in the same position against any team in the world so why should it be different in an Ashes series? It was a positive move.

After Australia's historic win in the first Ashes 2023 Test, the focus will shift to the second Test, which will be played from June 28, 2023, at the Lord's cricket ground in London.