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Ben Stokes praised by Kumar Sangakkara for putting Australia under pressure with the fielding set-up (AP Photo)
Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara credited Ben Stokes for his pro-active captaincy on Day 3 as Australia went from 372/7 to 386 all out in the first Test
Former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara was full of praise for Ben Stokes, crediting the England skipper for his proactiveness on the field as they hunted the Australian lower order on Day 3 of the first Test between England and Australia.
Ashes 2023 got underway with England playing the Aussies at Edgbaston, Stokes made a bold call when he decided to declare the first innings after Joe Root got his century on Day 1 with the scoreboard reading 393/8.
In reply, Australia could only manage to score 386 before getting all out on Day 3, however, at one stage, Pat Cummins’ side looked like they would take the lead however the lower-order collapse meant that England managed to fork out a 7-run lead when the Australian batting line-up folded before Lunch.
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The Aussies started Day 3 at 311/5, with Usman Khawaja batting at 126, although James Anderson dismissed Alex Carey to put the visitors under pressure.
Slowly, Khawaja and Cummins stitched together a crucial stand but once the Australian opener was removed by Ollie Robinson it meant doom for the newly crowned World Test Championship winners.
The Australian batting line-up went from 372/7 to 386 all out. Sangakarra credited Stokes for his brilliant field set-up and also gave England the edge over Cummins’ side.
“It is set up wonderfully and there will be an exciting two sessions from here. I think it is pretty even but the way the innings ended I would give England (the edge). The thinking was brilliant, the captaincy was brilliant,” said the Sri Lankan legend while talking to Sky Sports during the Lunch break.
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“England are not going to settle for draws and now it will be if they can dominate with the bat after lunch. An aggressive declaration may come,” he added further.
There were some remarkable fielding setups from England and Stokes got his due getting praised for just sitting back but making Australia suffer.
“This is where England are ahead, especially Stokes. He understood singles wouldn’t matter to the tailenders, they were going to come out swinging. The fields were really well set to create those chances, showing the Australians they needed to take chances,” Sangakkara added.
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