Living up to all the pre-series hype and chatter, Ashes 2023 got off to a big-bang start with Australia edging out hosts England in a nerve-wracking thriller in Birmingham (Pic: AFP)
Usman Khawaja was awarded the 'Player of the Match' for his exceptional batting performance in both innings. In the first innings, he scored a century but his second innings was much more crucial for the game. He smashed 65 runs on the last day of the match to guide his team closer to the target
Instrumental in Austalia's win, Nathan Lyon had taken four wickets in the first innings and repeated the same in the second innings, taking four wickets
Playing his first Ashes Test series at home, Ollie Robinson outperformed his opponents in every way, having scalped five wickets. The likes of Usman Khawaja, Pat Cummins and Cameron Green fell prey to his prolific wicket-taking ability.
Pat Cummins's last-day innings of 44* guided his team to a first-test victory. Australia were eight down and England needed only two wickets to win the match but Pat Cummins's counter-attacking knock turned the table on Aussies' side
Joe Root had batted brilliantly in the first innings, scoring 118*, besides claiming a crucial wicket in the second innings of Australia's batting.
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