Ashes 2023: "Declaration Was No Surprise To Us" - Jonny Bairstow

Published - 17 Jun 2023, 12:11 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:15 AM

Jonny Bairstow. Pic Credits: Twitter.

England astonishingly declared on 393-8 even when the centurion Joe Root was present at the crease. Jonny Bairstow formed a crucial partnership of 121 runs with Joe Root. Jonny Bairstow played a significant knock of 78 runs in 78 balls and struck 12 fours and the management’s decision to make him bat at No.8 position did wonders for the team.

The shrewd spinner Nathan Lyon was the pick of the bowlers as he took 4 scalps but conceded 149 runs in his 20 overs. England’s ‘Bazball’ proved to be somewhat effective as the out-of-form batter Zak Crawley played a fiery knock of 61 runs in 73 balls and struck 7 fours.

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Australia were making comebacks in the match by picking wickets at regular intervals of the match. Josh Hazlewood did a pretty decent job as he replaced the lethal speedster Mitchell Starc. Hazlewood took 2 key scalps of Ben Duckett & skipper Ben Stokes which changed the course of the match.

Also Read: Ashes 2023: “The Only Way To Beat Australia Is To Go Into Combat Mode And Attack”- Kevin Pietersen

A fresh bowling attack and a team that are really looking forward to the challenge – Jonny Bairstow

Jonny Bairstow was having an interaction with Sky Sports and stated that the decision to declare the innings came in as no surprise for the players. Jonny Bairstow was quite optimistic that England would make a comeback in the match despite the mighty Aussies scoring 14 runs in 4 over spell.

“I’m sure there are many decisions that Ben has made that have probably taken commentators and some people by surprise. It was no surprise to us. You’ll all be aware that a 20-minute slot for any opening pair is something that’s not very nice and can be a bit niggly,” said Jonny Bairstow.

“It was a decision that Ben and Brendon [McCullum] made in conjunction with the bowlers. It’s a shot to nothing, isn’t it? You can walk off and there might be an unbelievable ball in there – there might be a loose shot or whatever,” he stated.

“But we’ll come back tomorrow with a ball that’s four overs old, a fresh bowling attack and a team that are really looking forward to the challenge,” he added.

Also Read: Ashes 2023: “I Think They Went Straight To Plan B,” Kevin Pietersen Slams Australia For Their Defensive Approach On Day 1 Of Ashes At Edgbaston

We didn’t know anything about the declaration in advance- Jonny Bairstow

Jonny Bairstow said that the team had 20-odd minutes and stated that when a team has got the services of Stuart Broad & Ollie Robinson then it won’t be easy for the batters to play out the tricky phase.

“It’s a bold call. It’s a good call. There will be conversations around it, but no-one likes going out there with 20 minutes and four overs, when you’ve got Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson running in at the end of the day that’s been a bit of a toil,” said Jonny Bairstow.

“We didn’t know anything about it [in advance]. It was a scramble to get the old tape, pads, and the rest. When you’re not expecting [something], it’s sometimes the best form of attack,” he added.

Also Read: Ashes 2023: WATCH – Harry Brook Gets Out In A Bizzare Way At Edgbaston As Ball Crashes On To Stumps After Landing Between Him And Stumps

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Jonny Bairstow Josh Hazlewood Mitchell Starc Ollie Robinson Stuart Broad