The decision taken by England cricket team skipper Ben Stokes to declare their first innings towards the end of Day 1 in the first Ashes Test against Australia on Friday took a lot of fans and experts by surprise.
With England batting on 393/8, fans expected them to play out the day but Stokes decided to give his bowlers a shot at the Australia openers and that left experts divided.
England football team head coach Gareth Southgate also opined about the decision and said that it is not something that he has seen ever in his life.
In the press conference following England's 4-0 win over Malta in their Euro 2024 qualification match, Southgate had his say over Stokes' surprising declaration. “I'm a big cricket fan and it's something that is hugely exciting to watch at the moment.