In a nail-biting contest at Edgbaston, Australia’s captain Pat Cummins showcased exceptional leadership skills to guide his team to a sensational two-wicket victory over England in the opening match of the Ashes 2023 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Cummins remained composed under immense pressure during the tense chase, leaving Ben Stokes-led English team devastated.
Drawing parallels to the iconic 2005 Test, which England won by a mere two runs, the specter of that historic game loomed large over the final day’s proceedings. However, Cummins exorcised some of those ghosts as he steered the tourists home with nerves of steel.
Cummins played a magnificent unbeaten innings of 44 runs, forming a match-winning partnership of 55 with Nathan Lyon, Australia’s number 10 batter, who remained not out on 16. Together, they orchestrated Australia’s second-highest successful run chase in England, reaching a target of 281 that had seemed insurmountable less than an hour earlier.
Notably, Usman Khawaja‘s patient half-century set up the chase, but a cluster of wickets early in the evening session put England within touching distance of victory in Birmingham. But in a dramatic twist, Cummins and Lyon defied the odds and slowly chipped away at the deficit, getting the job done under floodlights.
Here is how Twitter reacted:
PATRICK CUMMINS YOU KING 👑
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) June 20, 2023
Test cricket is like a beautifully sung raga. You live the many moods of it.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) June 20, 2023
Pat Cummins' 44 not out is the highest 4th-innings score to win a Test by someone batting at 9 or lower. https://t.co/htBNbdGm18
— Andy Zaltzman (@ZaltzCricket) June 20, 2023
𝘼𝙪𝙜 7, 2005: Eng won by 2⃣runs
𝙅𝙪𝙣 20, 2023: Aus won by 2⃣ wicketsSomething about Edgbaston and the Ashes. 🔥
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) June 20, 2023
1 – 0 😉
— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) June 20, 2023
https://twitter.com/_AMcCormack7/status/1671224353751695360
Cometh the hour. Cummins the man.
This is going to be an epic series.#Ashes #AusvEng pic.twitter.com/UO7v8yWaYy— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) June 20, 2023
An old-fashioned TEST will never be out of fashion ❤️ #Ashes
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) June 20, 2023
AN ICONIC PICTURE.
PAT CUMMINS IS THE HERO. pic.twitter.com/D21lZiSjUX
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) June 20, 2023
This is like watching Gabba chase without Rishabh Pant's knock.
— Silly Point (@FarziCricketer) June 20, 2023
Australia beat England in the thrilling first Test#Ashes #ENGvAUS #Ashes2023 #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/MFTKsnZIEw
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) June 20, 2023
Top 9th wkt partnerships in successful chases in Tests:
81 – Laxman & Ishant v Aus, Mohali 2010
61* – Dujon & Benjamin v Pak, Bridgetown 1988
56* – Cotter & Hazlitt v Eng, SCG 1907
55* – CUMMINS & LYON v Eng, Edgbaston 2023
54 – Lara & Ambrose v Aus, Bridgetown 1999#Ashes23 pic.twitter.com/9d1AuZYNR9— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) June 20, 2023