Ben Stokes caught in awe with Zak Crawley's sensational first-ball four in Ashes 2023 | WATCH

England's charge to the Ashes 2023 got underway with a Zak Crawley four off the very first ball in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham. England host Australia in the greatest Test rivalry as the World Test Championship three gets underway. The home side opted to bat first and while England already made sure to continue their 'Bazball' approach, Crawley showcased it on the very first delivery.

After being asked to bowl first, Pat Cummins started the proceedings for his team from over the wicket. As bowlers generally do, Cummins tempted Crawley to drive a ball outside off to try and find the edge. The English opener welcomed the opportunity with both hands and smoked a cover drive through to the fence to send the home crowd roaring. This also attracted a special reaction from England captain Ben Stokes.

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England had earlier made their intent clear of staying with their famous 'Bazball' approach. "We know the threat that Australia pose, no matter who they are playing against, they are a very good team but we’ve found something that works and has been successful,” Stokes said before the series as quoted by BBC Test Match special.

"That doesn’t change with the opposition. Nothing is going to change because we’ve had unbelievable success with it. If we were to change anything from the last 12 months because we find ourselves in an Ashes series, then anything from the last 12 months will have been completely pointless," he added.

England's Playing XI:

Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson

Australia's Playing XI:

David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland