Vaughan, Pietersen fume at Ben Stokes' declaration call in 1st Ashes Test; elated Ponting gives stunning reaction

The declaration call left England cricket legends furious while Australia great Ricky Ponting was left elated.

They call it Bazball. England's new-way approach to the traditional format of the game. And it is not just about the big shots and aggressive batting, but also the bold calls as seen through their last couple of months. In fact a glimpse of it was largely on display at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground on Day 1 of the first Ashes Test series when England skipper Ben Stokes declared at 393 for eight with Joe Root still unbeaten on 118. The call left England cricket legends furious while Australia great Ricky Ponting was left elated.

England's Ben Stokes, right, and England's Jonny Bairstow leaves the pitch at the end of play on day one of the first Ashes Test cricket match (AP)

The Birmingham opener was said to be the true test for Bazball which has helped England claim seven wins in last eight Tests at home under captain Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum. And while was only Day 1 of the first Test match of 2023 Ashes, England stayed true to their approach which eventually led to a brave call to declare the innings in the final hour of the evening session just shortly after Root notched up his 30th Test century.

Neither Michael Vaughan nor Kevin Pietersen was left happy over Stokes' call as they both felt that a little more runs on the board wouldn't do harm especially with an unbeaten Root at the crease.

“I wouldn’t have declared,” former England captain Michael Vaughan said on BBC Test Match Special. “You just don’t know what is going to happen. England are trying to send a message no team has ever done before. I, as a captain, would’ve wanted a few more runs, especially with Joe Root out there. Even though England didn’t get the wicket, it creates what the Ashes is all about — Warner and Khawaja, two experienced pros, were running like kids.”

Pietersen admitted that he might have been a tad too critical but felt that a little over 400 runs as first-innings target would have been better for England.

He said on Sky Sports: “I don’t think that’s the nature of his captaincy (in and out fields from Stokes). It’s difficult to answer because we did not see much in it this evening. And I did that Test match last year against India with you guys, it was a wicket that did get better for batting, and I think that tomorrow (Saturday) could be the most beautiful day. That’s why I am… I didn’t like the declaration. We will find out if it’s the right thing to have done. I always got told 400… get to 400, 450 in the first innings of a Test match. It’s psychological. Maybe I am being too critical, I don’t know, we will see."

Australia batted for four overs only with David Warner and Usman Khawaja holding the fort at 14 for no loss at stumps.

Stokes however received the backing from former England skipper Nasser Hussain and ex-Australia captain Ponting. “England wanted to have a crack at Warner toward the end of the day’s play. That’s a fair call from Stokes,” said the former.

Ponting, meanwhile, admitted that he was expecting the declaration call and explained that Stokes is giving England the full chance to win the game rather than a draw.

“We were sort of expecting it, weren’t we? They were up with the scoring rate and had a chance to get the Australians out for 15-20 minutes tonight. I love it, to be honest. That’s all about Ben Stokes and the new attitude of this current England regime under Stokes and McCullum,” Ponting was quoted as saying to the official broadcasters. “They are doing everything to take the game forward and give themselves the best chance of winning games. They are trying to capitalise and seize the moment."