Stuart Broad conjures one final burst of magic as England win fifth Test by 49 runs
England 283 (Brook 85, Starc 4-82) and 395 (Root 91, Bairstow 78, Crawley 73, Starc 4-100, Murphy 4-110) beat Australia 295 (Smith 71) and 334 (Khawaja 72, Warner 60, Smith 54, Woakes 4-50) by 49 runs
Stuart Broad conjured one final burst of magic, signing off from his skilled profession with the final two Australian wickets to sq. the Ashes sequence two-all at The Oval. England’s all-time main Ashes wicket-taker claimed his 603rd and 604th Test wickets, Todd Murphy and Alex Carey edging behind, to finish a comeback from two-nil down.
Australia retained the urn when rain washed England’s victory hopes away in Manchester however they squandered one other alternative to win a primary abroad Ashes sequence since 2001. They made important inroads right into a steep goal of 384 to win, however collapsed dramatically after tea on the fifth day.
When rain arrived simply because the gamers returned after the lunch break, Australia wanted 146 extra runs to win with seven wickets remaining, with Steven Smith and Travis Head each set. They chipped an extra 26 runs off the goal after tea, earlier than a dramatic collapse of 4 for 11 in 19 balls.
Moeen Ali, bowling regardless of a groin pressure in what was virtually sure to be his last Test match, received one to show sharply out of the tough as Head edged to slide, then Chris Woakes discovered Smith’s outdoors edge because the previous ball nipped away only a fraction off the seam.
Mitchell Marsh inside-edged onto his pad and Jonny Bairstow clung onto a pointy likelihood, sprawling low to his proper, and when Mitchell Starc nicked his second ball to second slip, The Oval erupted in celebration. Pat Cummins fell shortly after, inside-edging Moeen to leg slip by way of his thigh pad.
That introduced Murphy to the crease with 90 runs nonetheless required, however he held agency alongside Carey to whittle away on the goal. After beating Murphy on the surface edge with successive balls, Broad switched the bails on the non-striker’s finish – as he had within the first innings – then wheeled away in trademark celebration as his subsequent supply was nicked behind.
England declined to take the second new ball with a touch of motion nonetheless on provide, and Broad had Carey edging to second slip just for Zak Crawley to spill a tough likelihood. But Bairstow clung on when Carey feathered behind as soon as extra, and Broad basked within the glow of 1 last flourish to log out from his epic profession.
England’s seamers had struggled to create possibilities on the fourth day however a alternative ball – chosen 11 deliveries earlier than Sunday’s early shut – and useful overhead situations meant they had been within the recreation from the beginning of the fifth morning, with Broad virtually instantly beating the bat.
Woakes struck within the fourth over of the day, angling one throughout Warner to have him caught behind. Even if Broad is reputed to be Warner’s tormentor-in-chief, Woakes has taken on that mantle within the final two weeks, dismissing him twice within the match in Manchester and twice extra in South London.
England burned a evaluate when Broad’s nip-backer struck Marnus Labuschagne on the thigh, however outdoors the road of off stump, however the DRS couldn’t save Usman Khawaja in Woakes’ subsequent over. He went full and straight, trapped him on the entrance pad and introduced Khawaja’s excellent particular person sequence to an finish with a fourth-innings 72.
Labuschange had been the one frontline Australian batter to deal with Mark Wood’s tempo at each Headingley and Old Trafford, however was squared as much as fall to him for the second time within the match for under 13. He was overwhelmed by a size ball that moved away late, edging to second slip the place Crawley held a great, low catch.
Smith and Head counter-punched, citing a 50-run stand in 62 balls. Head was repeatedly overwhelmed on the surface edge by Broad however thumped back-to-back boundaries off James Anderson, whereas Smith appeared someplace again to his finest after two quiet Tests since his hundred at Lord’s.
He was dramatically reprieved within the over earlier than lunch, gloving Moeen’s offbreak to Stokes at leg slip just for Stokes to lose management of the ball, brushing it towards his thigh as he went to throw it up in celebration. England challenged the on-field resolution and had been pissed off to lose a evaluate, however Smith survived and reached the interval on 40.
Rain worn out the second session and delayed the third. Shortly after the resumption Smith introduced up his second half-century of the match and his first within the fourth innings of a match in seven years – however Head fell to the very subsequent ball, and England grasped their second.
For Australia, defeat signifies that a era of contemporary greats will depart the sport with out successful a sequence in England outright, regardless of going two-nil up after two Tests. Murphy is their solely participant who featured at The Oval underneath the age of 29; many others won’t be again in 4 years’ time.
And for England, this was validation for a rare transformation of their strategy to Test cricket. They hardly landed a punch in a depressing Ashes tour 18 months in the past however had Australia on the ropes for a lot of this sequence. For Broad – and Moeen – it was a becoming send-off.
Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @mroller98