In a nail-biting contest at Edgbaston, Australia’s captain Pat Cummins showcased exceptional leadership skills to guide his team to a sensational two-wicket victory over England in the opening match of ꦚthe Ashes 2023 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Cummins remained composed under immense pressure during the tense chase, leaving Ben Stokes-led English team devastated.
Drawing parallels to the iconic 2005 Test, which England won by a mere two runs, the specter of that historic game loomed large over the final day’s proceedings. However, Cummins exorcised some of those ghosts as he steered the tourists home with nerves of steel.
Cummins played a magnificent unbeaten innings of 44 runs, forming a match-winning partnership of 55 with Nathan Lyon, Australia’s number 10 batter, who remained not out on 16. Together, they orchestrated Australia’s second-highest successful run chase in England, reaching a target of 281 that had seemed insurmountable less than an hour earlier.
Notably, Usman Khawaja‘s patient half-century set up the chase, but a cluster of wickets early in the evening session put England within touching distance of victory in Birmingham. But in a dramatic twist, Cummins and Lyon defied the odds and slowly chipped away at the deficit, getting the job done under floodlights.
Here is how Twitter reacted:
PATRICK CUMMINS YOU KING 👑
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau)
Test cricket is like a beautifully sung 🌳raga. You live the many moods of it.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha)
Pat Cummins' 44 not out is the highest 4th-innings score to win a Test by someone batting at 9 or lower.
— Andy Zaltzman (@ZaltzCricket)
𝘼𝙪𝙜 7, 2005: Eng won by 2⃣runs
𝙅𝙪𝙣 20, 2023: Aus won by 2⃣ wicketsSomething about Edgbaston and the Ashes. 🔥
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan)
1 – 0 😉
— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri)
//twitter.com/_AܫMcCormack7/status/1671224353751695360
Cometh the hour. Cummins the man.
This is going to be an epic series.— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73)
An old-fashioned TEST will never be ou♊t of fashion ❤️
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif)
AN ICONIC PICTURE.
PAT CUMMINS IS THE HERO.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns)
This is like watching Gabba chase without Rishabh Pant's knock.
— Silly Point (@FarziCricketer)
Australia beat♌ England in the thrilling first ♔Test
— betvisa68.com (@CricketTimesHQ)
Top 9th wkt partnerships in successful chases in T🌳ests:
81 – Laxman & Ishant v Aus, Mohali 2010
61* – Dujon & Benjamin v Pak, Bridgetown 1988
56* – Cotter & Hazlitt v Eng, SCG 1907
55* – CUMMINS & LYON v Eng, Edgbaston 2023
54 – Lara & Ambrose v Aus, Bridgetown 1999— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath)
