“That was a ridiculous request,” Ian Healy said in response to reports about England’s request for a flat, fast pitch for the first Ashes Test.

In the lead-up to the Ashes 2023, many news sources said that England wanted to play all five games on a flat, fast field because it would help them play a more aggressive style of cricket. Even though the curators later rejected the rumours, the surface at Edgbaston for the first test was perfect for the batters to do well. England took advantage of this and ended their first game when they had 393 runs. This came back to haunt them later, when Australia beat them by two wickets to win the match.

Ian Healy, a former cricketer who used to play for England, said that the home team’s plan could backfire because senior pacers like James Anderson and Stuart Broad won’t be as effective on flat decks. He also said it was stupid and said that if they don’t change their approach, the batters will have to step up big time.

“They didn’t want decks that were wet, did they? They wanted flat, fast ones. How does that work in England? If that was ever asked for, it was a stupid idea because it took away from their best. In the last 10 years, Broad and Anderson have been their best tools. During those 10 years, they took about a thousand wickets, which helped the batters get out of trouble. “Even on flat wickets, they weren’t making scores of 250 in each innings for far too long,” Healy said on a SEN podcast.

I would choose Jimmy Anderson for Lord’s again. Ian Healy

Ian Healy thinks that James Anderson should play in the next Test at Lord’s, even though he didn’t do well in the first Test. He has the needed experience, and dropping him could hurt his confidence.

“I would choose Jimmy Anderson for Lord’s again. It has always had a bit in it, both early in the morning and early in the match. So they should have more fun with that. He had a good bowl. Bowling is something he enjoys, so he needs to keep going. “It won’t help in the long run to get rid of him,” Healy said.