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Xtra Time Web Desk: England captain Ben Stokes defended his decision to declare in the first innings at 393 for 8 after their two-wicket defeat to Australia in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston. England were in a dominating position on Day 1 with Joe Root unbeaten on 118 runs. But Stokes decided to put the Australian openers in for about 20 minutes. David Warner and Usman Khawaja negotiated the new ball with the left hander going on to make a massive contribution, scoring 145 runs in the first innings.

Also Read: 1st Ashes Test, Day 5: Cummins & Lyon partnership give Australia thrilling 2 wicket win at Edgbaston

Stokes' decision came under scrutiny in the media, with former England captains lining up to say they would not have declared in the same circumstances. But Stokes is not too bothered about the outside noises.

"I'm a captain who saw it as an opportunity to pounce on Australia," Stokes said in the post-match press conference.

He added, "I don't think any batter likes to go out 20 minutes before the close of play. The way in which we played, and took Australia on, allowed us to be able to do that.”

According to the England captain, the test match would not have been as exciting as it was on Day 5.

"I could also turn around and say, 'If we did not declare, would we have got that excitement like we did at the end of day five? I am not 100 per cent sure but I'm not going to be looking back at this game as 'what ifs,” said Stokes.