James Anderson. (Photo Source: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
The Ashes 2023 got off to a perfect begging as Australia won the first Test at Edgbaston in dramatic fashion by two wickets. The Pat Cummins-led side were staring down the barrel at 227/8 with Cummins and Nathan Lyon at the crease. However, the duo turned out to be the knights in shining armour for their side as they forged an unbeaten 55-run stand to guide their team home.
After being down and out in the first Test, veteran England seamer James Anderson has said that England will be more positive, more aggressive and more entertaining in the second game as they look to level the series.
“I think we’ll go more positive, more aggressive, more entertaining, We want to try and make sure people go home happy as they did each day at Edgbaston,” Anderson was quoted as saying by NDTV.
The veteran seamer further said that just because they’re 1-0 down they won’t try anything differently.
“Just because we’re 1-0 down I don’t think we’ll try anything different. I think we showed enough last week to show we can win the next four if we keep playing like that and iron a few things out. We’ll go exactly the same,” he added.
England’s ultra-aggressive approach was heavily criticized by experts as captain Ben Stokes decided to declare the first innings on 393/8 late on Day 1 to have a crack at the Australian openers in the remaining 20 odd minutes. However, the plan did not work as the Aussie opening duo of David Warner and Usman Khawaja managed to pass through the challenging period unscathed.
Anderson could pick only one wicket during first Test
Meanwhile, Anderson didn’t have a great first Test as he could only pick one wicket across two innings, with his combined figures being 1/109 in 38 overs during the game. Apart from him, there’s another cause of worry for the hosts and spin all-rounder Moeen Ali was struggling with blisters on his fingers during the first game.
Wrist spinner Rehan Ahmed has been added to the squad as a cover for Moeen ahead of the second Test beginning on Wednesday, June 28.