England suffered a devastating defeat in the first Ashes Test of 2023, as Australia emerged victorious by two wickets. The Ben Stokes-led English team faced a barrage of questions following their dismal performance. Right from the beginning, England showcased an aggressive approach with their ‘Bazball’ strategy, which included early declaration by Stokes and unique fielding tactics. However, the Aussies proved to be a step ahead, countering every move effectively. Ricky Ponting, the former Australian captain, shared similar views, stating that Bairstow’s below-par performance as a wicketkeeper played a significant role in England’s loss. Ponting scrutinized Bairstow’s abilities behind the stumps, emphasizing its impact on the outcome of the game.
“As far as I’m concerned now, England have more questions to answer than Australia. On their style of play, but also now looking at that first Test, they’ve got some selection issues that they’re going to have to deal with as well,”
Ricky Ponting said.
“Jonny Bairstow actually had a very ordinary game behind the stumps. There’s about four chances that he put down. And on flat wickets, if they want flat wickets, you cannot afford your keeper to be making mistakes,”
Ponting further added.
Those mistakes could have cost them the Test match: Ponting
Ponting highlighted that Australia, having emerged victorious, will face fewer queries compared to England. He further expressed his opinion that Bairstow’s errors potentially had a significant impact on England’s loss. According to Ponting, Bairstow’s mistakes may have ultimately been responsible for costing England the match.
“If you look at those mistakes by themselves, some people might say those mistakes could have cost them the Test match. Those are things they have to answer. Whereas Australia, because they’ve won the game, they’ll have to answer a lot fewer questions,”
Ponting further added.
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