After the surprise declaration of their first innings on 393 runs in the opening Ashes 2023 Test, England failed to impress in the second innings and could manage to set a target of just 281 runs for Australia.
It is worth mentioning that England’s declaration on Day 1 came when Joe Root was still on the crease and batting on 118. Although the decision was questioned by many, England succeeded in restricting Australia to seven runs behind their total, which shut down the discussions.
However, the call is now once again under fire as England failed to build big on the lead and were bundled out for 273 runs in their second innings. South Africa’s former skipper AB de Villiers also reacted to the same and shared his views.
De Villiers took to his Twitter and said that the English side would have been in a much better position had they not let go 50 runs by declaring their innings on Day 1. He even posted a poll regarding the same and asked the fans if it would cost England the match.
“Eng let 50odd runs go in that 1st inn. Big difference chasing 330 vs 281. Will it cost them the 1st Test? Too close to call now, but time will tell..” posted De Villiers
Eng let 50odd runs go in that 1st inn. Big difference chasing 330 vs 281. Will it cost them the 1st Test? Too close to call now, but time will tell..
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) June 19, 2023
The veteran Proteas cricketer further stated that Australia doesn’t like to bat defensively, and their aggressive approach can be dangerous for England. He also reckoned that English bowlers would really have to work hard to shift the game in their favour.
“Personally for me, when you play against Aus and get a chance to bat them out of the game, u do it everyday of the week. They don’t like to bat defensively. With this target they are forced to get into strong positions and think positively. That’s dangerous. Eng will have to bowl very well and take their chances. The stage is set for a wonderful finish to this Test.” added De Villiers.
Personally for me, when you play against Aus and get a chance to bat them out of the game, u do it everyday of the week. They don’t like to bat defensively. With this target they are forced to get into strong positions and think positively. That’s dangerous. Eng will have to bowl…
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) June 19, 2023
Speaking of Australia’s performance, the visitors are currently 174 runs behind the target with seven wickets still in hand and a day to go.
