Under the captaincy of Ben Stokes and the leadership of head coach Brendon McCullum, England have played a new brand of cricket.
On the opening day of the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham, Joe Root played a crucial role as anchor for England. After host skipper Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bat first, England lost wickets at regular intervals.
However, a solid partnership between Root and Jonny Bairstow for the sixth wicket put the side in control against Australia. The surface offered for the game was a batting paradise, and Root took full advantage of every opportunity to score.
Root's dominance with the bat was so impressive that he even hit a reverse scoop for a six off the bowling of right-arm Australia pacer Scott Boland. Boland bowled a fuller ball outside off stump, and Root sent it over the third man fence for a six.
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Nasser Hussain, the former captain of the England cricket team, has made a bold prediction regarding the Ashes series. According to Hussain, star batters such as Root, Steve Smith, and Marnus Labuschagne are poised to score big runs during the highly anticipated tournament.
"We have three of the batting greats of world cricket in the series in Joe Root, Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. Sorry to sit on the fence, but I think all three of them will get runs," Hussain told Sky Sports as quoted by ANI.
Under the captaincy of Ben Stokes and the leadership of head coach Brendon McCullum, England have played a new brand of cricket.
"I don't think there will be many draws - England haven't a draw in 12 Tests under Brendon McCullum," he added.
Australia enters the Ashes opener with a resounding victory under their belt. They triumphed over India in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval, securing a massive 209-run win.
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