Ben Stokes will take risks, even if it results in a loss. He backs himself to deliver with gambles that make sense in his mind but that seem ludicrous to everybody else.

■ A few of his decisions in the Ashes Test that were baffling:

1. With 80 overs played on Day 5, Australia seven down for 227 and the new ball available, he decides not to take the gleaming red Dukes. Instead he chooses to keep bowling himself and the occasional off-spin of Joe Root, all while spreading the field. Misguided? In hindsight, probably yes.

2. Again, when Root brilliantly caught Alex Carey off his own bowling to leave Australia 54 runs short of their target and eight wickets down, Stokes shuffled the field and relinquished the advantage. By the time the new ball was taken, it was all too late. Cummins was in his groove, even blocking a Stuart Broad yorker with assurance, ready to punish his opposite number’s idiosyncratic tactics.

3. The bizarre first-day declaration before England had even reached 400, with Joe Root batting well on 118. With Ollie Robinson at the other end and James Anderson yet to come, who knows the total could have done with a few more. But does Stokes regret it? Absolutely no.

■ And one which was inspired…

On Day 3, Stokes and Ollie Robinson placed six fielders in front of Usman Khawaja, batting on 141, to build pressure. All fielders were in close-catching positions, three on the offside and three on the leg. The setup looked like an umbrella, and was named ‘Brumbrella’, after the large pitch covering that was used in Edgbaston in the eighties and nineties. The field was designed to lure Khawaja into playing a false shot. It took just two balls for the left-hander to do so, castled by a yorker as he tried to hit the ball over the ring.

Inputs from The Daily Telegraph in London

Points docked

Birmingham: Australia and England have been penalised two World Test Championship points each and fined 40 per cent of their match fees after they were found guilty of maintaining slow over rates during the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Wednesday.

Ben Stokes and Pat Cummins’ teams were ruled to be two overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration.

“In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC code of conduct for players and player support personnel, players are fined 20 per cent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time,” the ICC said.

“In addition, as per Article 16.11.2 of the ICC World Test Championship playing conditions, sides are penalised one point for each over short. Consequently, two World Test Championship points will be deducted from both teams’ points total.”

Reuters