'Cumball defeated Bazball' - Fans react to Australia's thrilling win at Edgbaston to put them ahead in Ashes 2023 series 

Australia (Source: Twitter)

The Ashes 2023 get off to a spectacular start as Australia defeats England in the first Test at Edgbaston to grab a 1-0 lead in the five-match series on Tuesday. England believed they would have to deal with three number 11s once they got past Pat Cummins. This confidence, however, backfired when two of those three - Scott Boland as the nightwatchman and Nathan Lyon 28 balls 16 - stood up in the last innings to pull off an epic win.

Australia needed 174 runs, and England needed seven wickets to win on Day 5. With first innings centurion Usman Khawaja still at the crease, the defending champions would have approached the final day with confidence. However, England was able to take out dangerous Travis Head and Cameron Green before they could cause too much damage.

Captain Ben Stokes dismissed well-set Khawaja for 65 to boost England's hopes of a straightforward victory. A few overs later, Joe Root almost dashed the Aussies' hopes with a brilliant return catch from Alex Carey. England celebrated Carey's wicket as if they had won the match, thinking they needed one more wicket and would then face only number 11s.

Cummins played a captain's innings to pull off a stunning win

Australia was still 54 runs short of victory when Lyon joined with Cummins. The skipper must have urged Lyon to stick with him and not give up the wicket, precisely what the 'No. 11' did. On the other hand, Cummins played a captain's innings, showcasing his all-round skills with great composure. He smashed Root for a couple of sixes at a crucial time, transforming the game's course.

England stuck to their aggressive 'baseball' approach, and their bowlers gave their all for the game, but in the end, the Test champions had the last laugh. Many things one can look back at in hindsight for England's loss. The first-innings declaration, made by Stokes when England had a chance to score at least 30-40 runs more with centurion Root at the crease, will be a hotly debated matter.

Here's how fans reacted to Australia's win in the first Test of Ashes 2023:

Who will tell BAZBALL 🤔😅😆Aus Won the game hehehe Brad M👍Bad timing of declaration in 1st innings cost England match

— Prince Raj (@bnprince007) June 20, 2023

Cumball>> bazzball

— Digvijay (@digvijay1520) June 20, 2023

Test cricket at its best. What a game

— Keshav sharma (@Keshavs111) June 20, 2023

Even their Tailender is doing more good batting than our top 4 in Test. 😭😭😭

What a player Cummins 🔥🔥💛

— Nikhil Pujari (@nikhilsp27) June 20, 2023

England lost due to overconfidence

— Pankaj Chaudhary (@Pankaj7504) June 20, 2023

pic.twitter.com/6r5acnrM9g

— rishiism (@rishiism_) June 20, 2023

Never take your opponents lightly, aur Karo jaldi innings declare.

This loss will surely make a debate on that decision.

— Bryan Dsouza (@bryan_dsza17) June 20, 2023

Pat Cummins's knock will go down as one of the most clutch knocks by a captain in Test match history. 🧊 in his veins!! Take a Bow Patty Boyy 🙇🏻‍♂️🙇🏻‍♂️👏🏻👏🏻 #Ashes2023

— 𝘾𝙍𝙄𝘾𝙆𝙀𝙏 𝘾𝙍𝘼𝙕𝙔 𝘼𝘿𝙄𝙏𝙔𝘼 🏏 (@imAditya168_) June 20, 2023

Now this is called Captains Innings for a Test match winning cause.

— Kiran Kumar (@akiran123) June 21, 2023