No bounce, no seam, no swing, no spin, and a lot of runs Such was the nature of the pitch on the first day of the first Ashes test match between England and Australia. Stokes, the English captain, had revealed in an interview before the series began that he wanted flat and batting pitches in the series, and it seems curators have followed his instructions blindly.
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On a batting wicket, let us see who were the top performers on day 1 of the first test match of this historic series.
1. Zak Crawley
A good foundation is a necessity for getting a good score in a test match, and Crawley provided that foundation for his team. He batted with an attacking mindset and smashed the first ball of the day for a four through the covers, which 99% of the batters would have left alone. He scored 61 runs in 73 balls before nicking one to Carey.
2. Joe Root
Root was the performer of the day yesterday, as he scored a fantastic century and took England to a massive total. His innings was a mixture of composure, attacking cricket, respecting the bowlers, and some innovative shots as well. He hit seven fours and four sixes in his 118-run innings in just 152 balls.
3. Jonny Bairstow
Bairstow was another batter who smashed a top fifty as he made a run-a-ball 78 with twelve boundaries. He played with the “Bazball” mindset and made a roaring comeback in test match cricket. He gave much-needed impetus to England’s innings.
4. Nathan Lyon
On a pitch where bowlers, especially fast bowlers, struggled to take wickets, Nathan Lyon made full use of his experience and skills, taking wickets of four England batters. He was lucky at times, but he showed why he is the best off-spinner on the planet. He finished with the figures of 29-1-149-4.
