Ashes 2023 1st Test Day 1: England Opt to Bat First in the First Ashes 2023 Test

Pat Cummins confirms Josh Hazlewood's inclusion over Mitchell Starc in Australia's Playing XI

In the first Ashes 2023 Test, England captain Ben Stokes has won the toss and decided to bat first against Australia.

Ashes 2023 1st Test Day 1: England Opt to Bat First in the First Ashes 2023 Test

Stokes expressed confidence in the pitch, stating, “Looks like a good cricket wicket. Now we’ll go out and put runs on the board.”

Australia captain Pat Cummins confirmed that Josh Hazlewood has been preferred over Mitchell Starc for the final spot in the Playing XI. Cummins acknowledged the difficulty of the decision, saying, “Tough call, I thought Mitch was impressive against India in the WTC Final, but it’s a squad mentality. It’s a really good problem to have.”

The Playing XIs for both teams are as follows:

England Playing XI against Australia:

1. Zak Crawley

2. Ben Duckett

3. Ollie Pope

4. Joe Root

5. Harry Brook

6. Ben Stokes (c)

7. Jonny Bairstow (wk)

8. Moeen Ali

9. Ollie Robinson

10. Stuart Broad

11. James Anderson

Australia Playing XI against England:

1. David Warner

2. Usman Khawaja

3. Marnus Labuschagne

4. Steve Smith

5. Travis Head

6. Cameron Green

7. Alex Carey (wk)

8. Pat Cummins (c)

9. Nathan Lyon

10. Josh Hazlewood

11. Scott Boland

IPL 2024

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