England captain Ben Stokes‘ unexpected declaration on the opening day of the Ashes Test against Australia has left cricket fans and experts bewildered. England declared their first innings at 393/8 after only 78 overs, marking the earliest first-innings declaration in Ashes history.
The decision to declare came as a surprise, considering that star batter Joe Root was still at the crease, having just smashed his 30th Test century and looking to accelerate the scoring rate. However, Stokes, in a bold and unexpected move, opted to declare the innings with Root unbeaten on 121.
Stokes’ decision has sparked widespread reaction from all corners, including former England captain Kevin Pietersen. Pietersen expressed his disappointment with the early declaration, emphasizing that England should have aimed to surpass the 400-run mark for a psychological advantage against Australia.
Pietersen’s concern was that an early declaration on Day 1 might give Australia an advantage on Day 2. He warned England of the potential consequences and cited the India-England Test as an example, where the hosts faltered despite a strong first-innings total. Notably, in a rescheduled Test between India and England in 2022, India scored 416 in their first innings but ended up losing the match.
“I don’t think that’s the nature of his captaincy (in and out fields from Stokes). It’s difficult to answer because we did not see much in it this evening. And I did that Test match last year against India with you guys, it was a wicket that did get better for batting, and I think that tomorrow (Saturday) could be the most beautiful day. That’s why I am… I didn’t like the declaration,” said Pietersen while speaking on Sky Sports.
“We’ll find out if it’s the right thing to have done. I just always got told to get to 400-450 in the first innings of a Test match. They’ve almost got it, I know, but it’s psychological. Maybe, being too critical. I don’t know. We’ll see,” he added.
Here is the video:
Will England regret declaring? 🤨 pic.twitter.com/8SB4yzmMDY
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 16, 2023
Veteran Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle also shared his reaction on the red-hot topic, acknowledging that only time will reveal whether Stokes’ decision was a wise or risky move. However, he pointed out that Stokes has shown confidence in his bowlers by making this call and has even challenged them to deliver a lead for England.
“Time will tell whether Stokes’ decision was foolhardy or clever but he has backed his bowlers, even challenged them, to provide him a lead. Having said that, I am not sure there is the same bowling depth in his side on a flat wicket to make this a matchwinning call. But we are all excited and that cannot be bad for the game,” wrote Bhogle on Twitter.
Time will tell whether Stokes' decision was foolhardy or clever but he has backed his bowlers, even challenged them, to provide him a lead. Having said that, I am not sure there is the same bowling depth in his side on a flat wicket to make this a matchwinning call. But we are…
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) June 16, 2023
