The Ashes 2023: Joe Root's century steers England to surprise first-day declaration

England stunned Edgbaston by declaring against Australia connected the archetypal time of an Ashes bid that much than lived up to the hype.

Root added 121 with Jonny Bairstow, who crunched 78 successful arsenic galore balls, and coaxed invaluable lower-order contributions from Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson.

All this aft Zak Crawley, who batted beautifully for 61, got the bid disconnected to an explosive commencement by hammering Pat Cummins' archetypal shot of the time done the covers for four.

Off-spinner Nathan Lyon took 4-149 for an Australia broadside that looked to antagonistic England's swashbuckling benignant by posting fielders to the bound for the full day.

If that maneuver was surprising, it was thing compared to Stokes' bold play that gave his bowlers 4 overs astatine the Australians precocious connected a baking day.

David Warner defied his aged nemesis Stuart Broad, taking Australia to 14-0 alongside opening spouse Usman Khawaja.

At the extremity of a breathless, memorable day, the Ashes holders recovered themselves 379 runs behind.

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Ashes opener lives up to hype

This was much than capable to warrant the anticipation surrounding the astir eagerly anticipated Ashes bid successful a generation.

There were fireworks erstwhile erstwhile England skipper Alastair Cook paraded the urn earlier play, but that was thing compared to the pyrotechnics of Crawley's crunching thrust disconnected Cummins' archetypal shot of the lucifer - a changeable that volition spell down arsenic an iconic infinitesimal successful Ashes past if England spell connected to triumph the series.

What followed was riveting, made each the much compelling by the Australian program to person fielders connected the bound for the full day. It created a high-stakes crippled of cat-and-mouse, with England lone uncovering their apical cogwheel for a play aft tea.

Were the Australians excessively passive? England inactive scored successful excess of 5 runs an over. The tourists had the accidental to tally done the location side's little order, but, guided by Root, England were capable to scope a full that is astatine slightest par connected a transportation presently perfect for run-scoring.

Then came the eventual powerfulness determination from Stokes, who had earlier won the toss. No-one successful Birmingham was expecting the declaration, but it exposed Warner and Khawaja to an evening examination.

Broad adjacent took the archetypal implicit against his aged bunny Warner, but Australia came done and England look immoderate hard enactment with the shot connected Saturday.

Root successful the ranks and successful the runs

Root did not marque an Ashes 100 successful immoderate of his 3 bid arsenic captain, but backmost successful the ranks produced his archetypal period against Australia since 2015.

It was a captious contribution, too. When Stokes edged down disconnected Josh Hazlewood, England had mislaid 2 wickets for 1 tally and were successful immense danger.

But Root combined with Yorkshire team-mate Bairstow successful a basal that had shades of their epic match-winning effort against India connected this crushed past year.

Root flicked disconnected his pads, dabbed to 3rd antheral and reverse-swept Lyon - a changeable that resulted successful an lbw determination connected 61, lone for Root to successfully review.

Pacemen Scott Boland, preferred to Mitchell Starc, and Cummins were some audaciously reverse-scooped for six.

Bairstow, successful his archetypal planetary innings since breaking his limb past August, timed the shot arsenic if helium had ne'er been away.

He looked primed for a period erstwhile helium ran past Lyon to beryllium stumped. Moeen was fixed a rousing reception connected his instrumentality to Test cricket, making 18 earlier helium fell the aforesaid mode arsenic Bairstow.

Broad, with 16, and Robinson, 17 not out, guided to Root to his 30th Test century, which helium celebrated with 2 consecutive maximums disconnected Lyon earlier England declared.

More to follow.