'Bazball 0-1 Basic Common Sense' - Iceland Cricket aim savage dig at England following Edgbaston defeat

A dramatic finish to the Ashes opener at Edgbaston saw Australia draw first blood in the iconic series. While Pat Cummins' men, especially the skipper, were praised for their grit on a nervy final day, Ben Stokes' team has come under scrutiny for some of their decisions in the series opener. Following their narrow loss, Iceland Cricket took a scathing jibe at the Three Lions, highlighting their gung-ho approach in red-ball cricket.

Despite a lengthy rain delay on the fifth morning of the Edgbaston Test, the match went down to the wire, in one of the most thrilling finishes to a red-ball game in the recent past. Ben Stokes' side were in pole position to draw first blood in the five-match series before Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon spoiled the party for a boisterous crowd in Birmingham.

While Cummins led his side to a famous victory in a cracking finish, question marks were raised over the English skipper's decision to declare on the first day, seemingly leaving a few runs in the tank, especially with Joe Root looking in prime touch after his century. Iceland Cricket's official Twitter account highlighted Stokes' decision with a cheeky dig at their reinvigorated approach in Test. 

Bazball 0-1 Basic Common Sense

— Iceland Cricket (@icelandcricket) June 20, 2023

Everyone should love the Viking spirit in Bazball. But it shouldn't mean declaring with too few runs, playing a spinner who hadn't played first-class cricket for 2 years, and dropping your best keeper who is very handy with the bat.

— Iceland Cricket (@icelandcricket) June 21, 2023

Stokes' decision to bring back Moeen Ali backfires in the first Test

They further elaborated the point by stating that it was a premature decision on the part of the English skipper to declare on the first day with Root going great guns from one end. Stokes' decision to bring Moeen Ali out of retirement for the Ashes opener also received a bit of flak as the veteran all-rounder failed to leave a mark with the ball, injuring his finger due to a lack of red-ball cricket in recent years. 

Jonny Bairstow, who dropped a few routine grabs in the match was also critiqued, especially with a specialist keeper like Ben Foakes being left out of the team.