In the morning session of the third day at Edgbaston, Ben Stokes‘s England made short work of the Australian tail. After an ingenious move by the English captain, former Sri Lankan cricketer and batting legend Kumar Sangakkara praised the English pacers’ discipline.
Ben Stokes, the English captain, decided to take matters into his own hands in the middle due to the Birmingham pitch’s difficulty for fast bowlers. The English all-rounder invited the Australian batters to go for the big smashes by surrounding them with close-in fielders, which ultimately led to their demise.
England‘s short-ball strategy against the lower-order batters worked wonders for the home team, while Usman Khawaja left after becoming frustrated with close-in fielders. Australia lost their final four wickets for just 14 runs, handing the host team a narrow lead. Former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara praised England’s strategy against the bottom teams.
“This is where England has the upper hand, particularly Stokes. He realised that the tailenders didn’t care about singles; they were going to come out striking. The fields were exceptionally set up to create these opportunities, demonstrating to Australia that they needed to take risks. “The thinking was brilliant; the captaincy was brilliant, and England has already stated that they will not accept draws,” Sangakkara said on Sky Sports Cricket.
Moeen’s involvement is crucial; they will attempt to get him bowling again. Kumar Sangakkara
The former cricketer also shed light on the significance of veteran English spinner Moeen Ali, who left the pitch on the third morning of the Ashes opener with a finger injury. Sangakkara believes that Moeen’s role is essential for Sri Lanka because the pitch favours slower bowlers and England cannot rely solely on Joe Root in the fourth inning.
“England requires a spinner who can do the dirty work. You’ve seen how flat it was for the fast bowlers and how hard they had to work to take wickets; the ball is rotating and staying low. The team will attempt to get Moeen back to bowling condition, but if you are the captain, you will be concerned. Root is competent, but is he competent enough? Sangakkara added.
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