Felix White’s Reflection on the Thrilling Edgbaston Test in The Ashes 2023

Felix White, the renowned musician, author, and co-host of the BBC’s Tailenders podcast, shares his thoughts on the unforgettable first Test at Edgbaston, which is destined to be remembered as a timeless classic.

Test cricket often demands our unwavering attention, but it is important to acknowledge that it can be as exhilarating, nerve-wracking, and emotionally captivating as ever. The recent Ashes Test at Edgbaston unequivocally proved itself to be an absolute masterpiece, transcending the boundaries of the sport and offering a glimpse into the future of the longest format.

From the outset, it morphed into more than just a cricket match—it became a battle that shaped the course of things to come. While the notion that Ben Stokes’ England represents chaos and Pat Cummins’ Australia embodies traditional Test cricket has its flaws, both teams admirably embraced their roles throughout the enthralling encounter.

If you were fortunate enough to witness the mesmerizing game of cat and mouse, filled with audacious strokes, thought-provoking strategies, flat wickets, adrenaline-pumping moments, and a fusion of genres, you would remember it as a sequence of heart-stopping instances etched in your weary soul, spanning from 11 in the morning till the late hours of the evening.

As with any new experience, it is best appreciated through familiar lenses. And on the second morning, after a day of composed batting and a bold declaration by Ben Stokes, we were treated to the quintessential moments that define an Ashes classic.

Stuart Broad dismissed David Warner with a play-on, a mode of dismissal that would become a recurring theme in the following days as batsmen attempted to score on an unresponsive pitch. The new batsman, Marnus Labuschagne, appeared preoccupied.

Broad paused and gestured for two police officers to sit behind the bowler’s arm, a gesture he seemed to relish, creating a crescendo of noise as he charged in and delivered a delivery just wide enough to keep Labuschagne cautious. Labuschagne edged it!

Jonny Bairstow flung himself to his right, completing a remarkable one-handed catch at full stretch. That was the delivery Broad had spoken about—the one that deviates uniquely away from right-handed batsmen. It worked. It was real. And in that moment, everything became palpable.

It felt just as real as it did at The Oval in 2009 and Trent Bridge in 2015.

The events that transpired between that moment and Broad’s relentless pursuit of the final two Australian wickets on the fifth day are difficult to trace. It’s as if every action within the Test match, and even every unforgettable Ashes encounter, every gasp of breath, every roar, and every fielding position you’ve seen only in video games, were tossed into a time-warping washing machine where linearity ceased to exist.

There was a Cummins yorker that rivalled the brilliance of Waqar Younis, Joe Root attempting a reverse scoop off the first ball of the day, Stokes snatching a game-winning catch only to see it slip through his grasp upon landing.

Bairstow stormed to the crease with such intensity that Root’s hands tingled from their fist bump, an expression of sheer determination for cricket to emerge victorious. Scott Boland suddenly became unplayable under gloomy skies for half an hour, and in that moment, one wished for England’s triumph.

Ollie Robinson finally dismissed Usman Khawaja, with the ball crashing onto the stumps, prompting an eruption from the Hollies Stand. Stokes bowled Khawaja in the second innings, standing there in a state of semi-disbelief. Jimmy Anderson elegantly reverse-swept his first ball for a boundary, while Moeen Ali bowled Cameron Green through the gate between bat and pad.

The typically boisterous Hollies Stand fell silent, and the scoreboard rapidly climbed to 281, evoking intolerable tension. Cummins struck successive sixes, tilting the game in favor of the Australian side.

And finally, beyond any doubt, Harry Brook flung himself towards the boundary rope, inadvertently propelling the ball in the wrong direction for a boundary, while Cummins celebrated an eerily reminiscent Australian victory—equally remarkable as the legendary 2005 match on this very ground.

In the days to come, both teams will face countless questions. However, perhaps we should ask ourselves one important question. Are we prepared to coexist with this relentless, perpetual whirlwind of anxiety-inducing, once-in-a-generation cricket? Can we truly commit five days of every week for the next six weeks to absorb it all?

Embrace these emotions and the profound sense of attachment that this magnetically irresistible, gloriously unpredictable series elicits. They will become an indelible part of your life until this remarkable journey concludes. Resisting it is futile.

In essence, this morning, we all awaken with a profound empathy for Moeen Ali’s spinning finger. At first eager and capable, it is eventually blindsided by the overwhelming reality before it—worn, battered, yet resilient. And now, like Moeen Ali, we withdraw to recuperate until we resurface at Lord’s, where the next chapter awaits.

“England, continue to sow chaos, but choose your moments wisely.” – A column by Jonathan Agnew.

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