With this, England has drawn the series 2-2. Australia has retained the Ashes urn, but they have not won it outright, something that they have not done since 2001 in England. After the second session was washed out due to rain, Australia started the final session of the day at 238/3 with Steve Smith (40) and Travis Head (31) standing unbeaten at the crease, needing 146 runs to win.

Smith and Head continued to build pressure on England bowlers, with the visitors needing less than 150 runs to win.

With the help of a cracking boundary by Travis Head, Australia crossed the 250-run mark in 69 overs, needing 131 runs to win.

Smith reached his half-century in 89 balls.
The 95-run stand between Smith and Head was broken by Moeen Ali when Head edged his delivery into the slips to Joe Root. The big wicket of Head was taken for 43 runs off 70 balls. Australia’s half side was back in the hut at 264 runs, needing 120 runs to win.

England made a comeback in the match, with Chris Woakes getting the prized wicket of Smith, who nicked the ball straight into the hands of Zak Crawley for 54. Later, Moeen dismissed the dangerous Mitchell Marsh for just six after being caught behind by Jonny Bairstow. Woakes then in the next over got Mitchell Starc for a two-ball duck.

The tides turned in favour of England, who had reduced Australia to 275/7 with 109 runs to go.
Moeen’s golden arm continued to do wonders for England, as skipper Pat Cummins was caught by England captain Ben Stokes at leg slip for nine. Australia was 294/8 and needed 90 runs with two more wickets left.

Australia reached the 300-run mark in 83.2 overs.
Alex Carey and Todd Murphy continued the run chase, bringing down the equation to 55 runs to win.
But Stuart Broad helped England get back in the game, dismissing Murphy for 18 after he edged the ball to Bairstow. With this, England was one wicket away from drawing the series. Carey was Australia’s last hope.

Broad completed a fairytale finish to his career, taking his final wicket, dismissing Carey for 28 after he was caught by Bairstow. Australia was all out for 334 runs, losing by 49 runs.

Chris Woakes (4/50), Moeen Ali (3/76) were the pick of the bowlers for England. Stuart Broad took two wickets and Mark Wood got one wicket.

Earlier, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood provided the early breakthrough on Day 5 of the ongoing fifth Ashes Test to help England stage a fine comeback against Australia here at Kennington Oval on Monday.

At Lunch, Australia’s score read 238/3 with Steve Smith (40) and Travis Head (31) standing unbeaten at the crease, needing 146 runs to win.

In the 41st over of Australia’s innings, Chris Woakes made Warner dance on his tune as the batter managed to get some bat on an inswinger before it hits his pads.

But the very next ball the seamer removed Australia opener Warner as the batter’s slight edge was carried by wicketkeeper Bairstow to gratefully snaffle. Warner’s innings in England ends on 60 and it was the breakthrough the hosts desperately needed.

The right-handed batter Marnus Labuschagne then came out to bat. A couple of overs later, Woakes in red-hot form gave visitors another blow as he delivered a swing-back ball in at left-hander Khawaja and struck him on the stumps.

The batter decided to take a review, with three red dots shown on the crease indicating Khawaja to go back in the pavilion.

Woakes did the damage in the morning, bowling beautifully to dismiss David Warner caught behind and Usman Khawaja lbw, sending both Aussie openers went back into the pavilion.

Australia was in a bit of bother early on the fifth day, but got still plenty of batting to come. Steve Smith then came out to bat for Australia and the batter got off to the mark from the final delivery as it raced away for four off the outside edge.

In the 49th over, Mark Wood found the edge of Labuschagne’s bat and it was carried enough for Zak Crawley to take the catch in the slips, leaving Australia struggling at 169/3.

Travis Head then came out to bat for Australia. The direction continued to shift as Smith slammed two boundaries in James Anderson’s over.

Smith went on the attack in the first session and Head gave him able support. Head took a liking to some of Anderson’s bowling and found boundaries off veteran England pacer as he drove the ball through mid-on, then pushed through the covers for four on the next delivery.

Anderson managed to keep things tight for the remaining four balls of the 56th over, but Australia crossed the 200-run mark, needing 178 more runs to win.

The partnership of Smith and Head brought Australia back into the game after early blows. The Smith-Head partnership passed the 50-run mark as the lunch breaks get closer.

At the end of the first session of the fifth day, Australia’s score read 238/3 with Steve Smith (40) and Travis Head (31) standing unbeaten at the crease.

Australia started the final day of the match at 135/0, with Usman Khawaja (69*) and David Warner (58*) unbeaten during a run-chase of 384 runs.

In their second innings, England was all out for 395 runs and they gained a lead of 383 runs over Australia, setting them 384 to win.

Zak Crawley (73 in 76 balls, with nine fours) and Ben Duckett (42 in 55 balls) stitched a solid 79-run opening stand. Crawley had a 61-run stand for the second wicket with skipper Ben Stokes (42 in 67 balls, with three fours and a six). Later, Stokes had a 73-run stand for the third wicket with Joe Root. After Stokes’ departure, Harry Brook was also dismissed quickly, leaving England at 222/4.

Then it was Root and Jonny Bairstow who had a fifth-wicket partnership of 110 runs. Root was dismissed for 91 off 106 balls, with 11 fours and a six and Bairstow was later dismissed for 78 in 103 balls, with 11 fours, leaving England at 360/6. A useful 29 by Mooen Ali in his final Test innings proved to be vital in taking England to 395.

Mitchell Starc (4/100) and Todd Murphy (4/110) were the top bowlers for Australia.
In their first innings, Australia was bundled out for 295 runs and they had a 12-run lead. They lost wickets at regular intervals. At the top of the order, Steve Smith (71 in 123 balls, with six fours) and Usman Khawaja (47 in 157 balls with seven fours) delivered key contributions which kept Australia’s innings together.

Down the order, skipper Pat Cummins (36) and an aggressive Todd Murphy (34 in 39 balls with two fours and three sixes) helped the Aussies gain the lead, putting on a 49-run stand. Smith and Cummins had also put on a 54-run stand for the eighth wicket.

Chris Woakes (3/61) emerged as the pick of the bowlers for England, while Root, Wood and Broad took two wickets each. James Anderson got one wicket.

In their first innings, England was bundled out for 283 runs after being put to bat first by Australia. Harry Brook (85 in 91 balls with 11 fours and two sixes) top-scored for England and had a 111-run stand with Moeen Ali (34 in 37 balls with three fours and two sixes) after England slipped to 73/3. Later a 49-run stand for the eighth wicket between Mark Wood (28) and Chris Woakes (36) helped England reach a decent first-innings score.

Mitchell Starc (4/82) was the pick of the bowlers for Australia. Josh Hazlewood and Todd Murphy took two wickets each while skipper Pat Cummins and Mitchell Marsh got a wicket each.

Brief Scores: England: 283 and 395 (Joe Root 91, Jonny Bairstow 78, Mitchell Starc 4/100) vs Australia: 295 and 334 (Usman Khawaja 72, David Warner 60, Chris Woakes 4/50).

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The post Stuart Broad ends his glorious career with fairytale finish as England deny Australia first away Ashes win since 2001 first appeared on The Australia Today.

At the end of the day’s play, Australia were at 135/0, with Khawaja (69*) and Warner (58*) unbeaten. Khawaja and Warner reached their respective half-centuries as Australia looked absolutely solid at the end of a rain-interrupted second session during day four of the match, inching towards a 150-run opening partnership.

At the end of the session, Australia was at 135/0, with Khawaja (69*) and Warner (58*) unbeaten.
Following the start of the second session, the duo continued to bat in a good rhythm, unleashing some timely boundaries on England.

Aussies reached the 100-run mark in 32.1 overs.
Khawaja reached his third half-century of the series in 110 balls by smashing Mark Wood for a four. His knock had five fours.

Warner also reached his half-century, his second in the series, in 90 balls. His knock had seven fours.
In the 36th over, Khawaja -Warner smashed Joe Root for three fours.

The rain stopped play in the 38th over and an early tea was taken.
Notably, at the end of the first session, Australia was at 75/0, with Usman Khawaja (39*) and David Warner (30*) unbeaten.

England started the first session at 389/9, with James Anderson (8*) and Stuart Broad (2*) unbeaten.
Broad received a ‘Guard of Honour’ from Australian players as he walked down to the field to play his final international cricket match.

Broad sent the crowd present at the venue into loud cheers as he smashed Mitchell Starc for a massive six over deep mid-wicket in the first over of the session.

However, in the very next over, Todd Murphy clinched his fourth wicket by dismissing Anderson for eight runs. England was bundled out for 395 runs and led by 383 runs.

A target of 384 runs was set for Australia to win the Ashes series 3-1 or else England could make it 2-2.

Mitchell Starc (4/100) and Murphy (4/110) were the top bowlers for the Aussies. Skipper Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood got one wicket each.

Australia came out to chase 384 runs. Openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja gave the visitors a good start.

As the innings progressed, Warner showed more aggression with the bat than Khawaja.
At the end of 10 overs, Australia was at 38/0 with Khawaja (20*) and Warner (16*) unbeaten.
Australia reached the 50-run mark in 13.2 overs.

Khawaja -Warner continued to hammer England with timely boundaries.

At the end of 20 overs, Australia was 63/0, with Warner (28*) and Khawaja (29*) unbeaten.
The duo took Australia safely through the first session.

Brief Scores: England: 283 and 395 (Joe Root 91, Jonny Bairstow 78, Mitchell Starc 4/100) vs Australia: 295 and 135/0 (Usman Khawaja 69*, David Warner 58*). 

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The post #Ashes 5th Test: Rain washes out final session, Australia at 135/0 in pursuit of total dominance first appeared on The Australia Today.

At the end of day two, Australia was bundled for 295 in reply to England’s 283 in the first innings.

Australia started the final session at 186/7, with Steve Smith (40*) and Pat Cummins (1*) unbeaten.
Smith and Cummins carried on with their partnership. Smith survived a run-out attempt by Bairstow. The bat was outside the crease, but the wicketkeeper had dislodged the bails before collecting the ball.

Smith ‘would have been given out’ with zing bails

Smith was saved from a run out on the “benefit of the doubt” to batter. At first, it seemed that Smith was short of his ground.

But, after seeing replays, umpire Nitin Menon ruled that the bail was not completely dislodged from both grooves of Jonny Bairstow until Smith was in his crease. Bairstow had knocked off a bail with his arm and when the ball reached his grooves, Smith was in the crease.

“I honestly don’t know the rules, I think there was enough grey area to give that not out. It looked like the benefit of the doubt sort of stuff, the first angle I saw I thought out, and then the side angle it looked like the bails probably dislodged,” Broad said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Australia brought up their 200 runs in 78.3 overs.
In the 81st over, Smith smashed Stuart Broad for two back-to-back fours to bring up his half-century in 98 balls.

Smith and Cummins eventually brought up their fifty-run partnership.
Their 54-run partnership came to an end after Smith was caught behind by Bairstow for 71 off 123 balls, consisting of six fours. Australia was 239/8 at that point.

Australia crossed the 250-run mark in 92.5 overs.
Murphy made his intentions clear to counter-attack right from the start, smashing Mark Wood for two sixes in the 95th over.

The duo fell one run short of a fifty-run partnership after Murphy’s attacking knock of 34 in 39 balls with two fours and three sixes was ended by Woakes. Australia was 288/9 at that point.
Joe Root got his second wicket as he dismissed Cummins for 36 after he was caught by Ben Stokes near the boundary. Australia was all-out for 295 and lead by 12 runs.

Woakes (3/61) emerged as the pick of the bowlers for England, while Root, Wood and Broad took two wickets each. James Anderson got one wicket.

Earlier, it was complete domination from England pacers, led by veteran Stuart Broad as Australia lost some key batters during the second session during the second day of the fifth Ashes Test against Australia at The Oval on Friday.

At the end of the second session, Australia was at 186/7, with Steve Smith (40*) and Pat Cummins (1*) unbeaten.

Australia started the second session at 115/2 with Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja unbeaten at the crease with scores of 13* and 47* respectively.

Stuart Broad helped England solidify their grip on the match when he dismissed both Usman Khawaja (47 in 157 balls) and Travis Head (4) in quick succession. With this, he brought up his 150 Ashes wickets and became the first England bowler and overall third bowler to do so.

Australia was 127/4 after these two quick dismissals.
Following this dismissal, Mitchell Marsh and Smith carried the innings forward.

Australia reached the 150-run mark in 59.5 overs.
Marsh injected some life into the innings with some aggressive shot-making. However, he could last for only 28 balls as James Anderson took his wicket by hitting the top of his leg stump for 16 runs. Australia was 151/5 at that point.

Smith held the other end steady, but Australia continued to lose wickets. Alex Carey was dismissed for just 10 runs after Ben Stokes caught him on a Joe Root delivery. Australia was 170/6 at that point.
Mitchell Starc also was dismissed for seven runs by Mark Wood. England was 185/7.

Smith and skipper Cummins took the Aussies through the remainder of the session without any loss of wicket.

At the end of the first session, Australia registered a score of 115/2 with Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja unbeaten at the crease with scores of 13* and 47* respectively.

Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne kicked off Day 2 looking to chase down the massive trail of 222 runs.

Labuschagne solely depended on his defensive technique to face the fierce English bowling line-up. Khawaja on the other hand took up the role of scoring boundaries.

Their innings progressed steadily with both batters taking their time on the pitch and dictating the run rate according to their own terms. Their partnership was a complete contrast to England’s ‘Bazball’ approach.

They got to the drinks with 21 runs after facing 14 overs. Both batters were quite comfortable defending against England’s bowling length which was slightly short of the length.

Before Australia reached the three-digit mark, Mark Wood removed Labuschagne from the pitch for a score of 9 after facing 82 balls.

Wood found a thick outside edge, Bairstow decided to hold his ground, Root saw the opportunity a little too late as he snatched the ball with his left hand to end Labuschagne’s stay on the pitch.
Steve Smith came in to replace the departing batter and played two beautiful straight drives to push Australia’s scoring rate.

Australia scored a total of 54 runs in the entire first session. Labuschagne ended up with the third-lowest strike rate for an Australian batter in an Ashes innings after facing a minimum of 75 balls.

Brief Score: England 283 (Harry Brook 85, Ben Duckett 41, Mitchell Starc 4/82) trails Australia 295 (Steve Smith 71, Usman Khawaja 47; Chris Woakes 3/61).

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The post #Ashes 5th Test: Australia gain slender 12-run lead as England pacers dominate first appeared on The Australia Today.

At the end of the first day of play, Australia was 61/1, with Usman Khawaja (26*) and Marnus Labuschagne (2*) unbeaten. England started the final session at 250/7, with Mark Wood (23*) and Chris Woakes (15*) unbeaten.

At the start of the final session, Murphy struck early to remove Mark Wood for 28 off 29 balls. This ended the 49-run partnership between Wood and Woakes. England was 261/8.
Broad was quickly dismissed by Starc for seven, reducing England to 270/9.

Starc completed a four-wicket haul by dismissing Woakes for 36, after the batter mistimed a pull caught by Travis Head at deep square leg.

England was bundled out for 283 runs. Starc (4/82) was the pick of the bowlers for Australia. Murphy and Hazlewood also got a couple of wickets. Cummins and Marsh got one wicket each.

Australia came to bat in their first innings.
Openers David Warner and Chris Woakes gave Aussies a solid start, seeing of the new ball well.
Woakes delivered the first breakthrough to the Aussies, dismissing Warner for 24 after he was caught by Zak Crawley. Australia was 49/1.

Marnus Labuschagne was next up on the crease and took Australia through the remainder of the session without any loss of wicket.

Earlier, England started the second session at 131/3, with Harry Brook and Moeen Ali unbeaten on the crease with scores of 48 and 10 respectively.

Brook brought up his half-century in just 44 balls.
In the 31st of the innings, Brook and Moeen brutally attacked Aussie skipper Pat Cummins’ pace. Brook smashed two fours while Moeen smashed a four and six each to take 19 runs from this over.
England reached the 150-run mark in 30.2 overs.

Moeen Ali continued to punish Australian bowlers until spinner Todd Murphy dismissed him for 34 off 37 balls, consisting of three fours and two sixes. England was 184/4 and this also ended a quickfire century stand between Brook and Moeen.

England endured a big blow when skipper Ben Stokes was bowled by Mitchell Starc for just three. England was 193/5.

England touched the 200-run mark in 40.4 overs.
Just a few overs later, Josh Hazlewood also clean-bowled Jonny Bairstow for four. England was 208/6.
In the very next over following Bairstow’s dismissal, Starc got his second wicket as Steve Smith caught Harry Brook in the slips for 85 off 91 balls, consisting of 11 fours and two sixes. England was 212/7.

The pair of Mark Wood and Chris Woakes gave some respite to England, displaying a wide array of attacking shots.

England reached the 250-run mark in 50 overs.
The duo helped England end the second session at 250/7, with Wood (23*) and Woakes (15*) unbeaten.

In the first session, Australia’s pacers dominated England’s opening order to end the first session of the first day of the final Ashes Test on a positive note on Thursday at the Oval.

At the end of Lunch, England managed to put up a score of 131/3, with Harry Brook and Moeen Ali unbeaten on the crease with scores of 48(41)* and 10(28)* respectively.

England kicked off the session with their usual ‘Bazball’ style. They cruised through the first 10 overs scoring at a run rate of nearly five an over. At the end of 10 overs, England is 49/0, with Ben Duckett (37*) and Zak Crawley (11*).

Australia managed to bring a halt to the English duo’s scoring rate with Mitchell Marsh bringing an end to Duckett’s bright innings for a score of 41.

A half-hearted appeal following a faint edge from the gloves ended Duckett’s stay on the pitch. Cummins saw the opening and introduced himself into the attack to further inflict damage to England’s batting set-up.

The Australian skipper removed Crawley from the other end for 22 to further increase Australia’s dominance in the session. Hazlewood added the icing on the cake by chopping off Joe Root for 5.
Australia could have enjoyed control if Alex Carey managed to hold onto the ball following an edge from Brook. The young English batter made the most of the opportunity and took the fight against the Australian bowlers.

A few edges flew past the third slip as he continued to keep the scoreboard ticking for the hosts.
Moeen Ali held onto the other end taking his time with each passing ball. Brook played the majority of the balls as they built an unbeaten partnership of 58.

England ended the session on 131 despite losing three wickets.

Brief Scores: England: 283 (Harry Brook 85, Ben Duckett 41, Mitchell Starc 4/82) vs Australia: 61/1 (Usman Khawaja 26*, David Warner 24, Chris Woakes 1/8).

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The post #Ashes: Australia dominates day 1 despite Brook’s half-century first appeared on The Australia Today.

Australia were leading the series by 2-1 and the rain prevented the play on the final two days of the Test, which resulted in a draw.

After retaining the Ashes, Australian skipper Pat Cummins said that though the team did not retain it in the most ideal circumstances, they are happy to do so and the result does not change the way they are looking at the final Test.

“Our preference is to come over here and win the Ashes. Not the greatest of circumstances but happy to retain it now.”

“What happened today does not really change how we look at the next game. It has been an amazing group, we all turned up here very motivated. Will be a special week at The Oval. We all turned up here to win the series, retaining the Ashes is nice but we are fully focused on winning it (by winning the final Test),” said Cummins in the post-match presentation.

“Tough one to take” after dominating Australia

England skipper Ben Stokes said that the result is pretty hard to take after dominating the visitors for the majority of the match. He said they want to finish off the series on a high with a win in the final Test.

“It is a tough one to take, you know (the match ending in a draw). The kind of cricket we played on the first three days and being on the wrong side of the weather, it is a tough one. But it is a part of the journey.”

“I think coming into this game, it was a do-or-die game for us. Bowling them out for 320 and scoring 590, we could not do much. We will have a lot of pride to play the next game,” said Stokes in the post-match presentation.

What Happened on ground

On the fourth day, rained had intervened most of the game. The stumps were called when 214-5, taking a lead of 61 runs. Mitchell Marsh 31* and Cameron Green 3* were at the crease at the close of play in the second session after which the game did not resume.
With the opening session washed out because of a shower and a wet outfield, Australia resumed their innings post the lunch break at 113/4.

Looking increasingly assured and confident at the crease, Labuschagne raised his fifty with a couple of tearaway Mark Wood.

Australia added 150 runs in 52.3 overs, with Labuschagne and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh holding the fort for the visitors.

Labuschagne brought up his century in the 63rd over, off Moeen Ali’s bowling. He took 161 balls to achieve his first three-figure mark since December.

After suffering early blows, Australia limped back into contention, riding on the enterprising partnership between Labuschagne and Marsh.

The Aussies reached 200 in the 64th over. England turned to Joe Root’s golden arm to bring an end to the partnership. The former England skipper induced an edge off Labuschagne’s bat, which was pouched safely by Bairstow behind the stumps.

England ended Day 3 on a strong note as Mark Wood dominated the entire final session to take the hosts one step closer to levelling the series on Friday.

The fifth and final match will start on July 27 at the Oval in London.

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The post Australia retains Ashes after rain played it for them on Day 5 washout  first appeared on The Australia Today.

England’s chances to keep the Ashes alive took a hit as during a rain-affected day four, not only did the hosts miss out on a lot of precious game time, but a century by Labuschagne also reduced England’s lead to just 61 runs. The hosts need to take five wickets to win the match by an innings.

If they win, they will keep the Ashes alive at 2-2, setting up an exciting decider or else, the best they can do is win the fifth Test and draw the series 2-2. But still, the Aussies will retain the Ashes in case of a series draw.

In this situation, Labuschagne said that his team was aware of the fact that day four was not going to be long and they had to “stay on” for as much as two hours. Now, their chances of winning their first Ashes series away from home since 2001 look strong.

“As players you have to be prepared to play, and think we saw we took the game on,”

said Labuschagne as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

“We knew the task we had. We knew it was not going to be a massively long day, but we had to be on for that two-hour stint. For us now, it is about retaining the Ashes, this is what it comes down to, whatever time we have left tomorrow, there is only one option which is bat out the day. The rain will play its part but I certainly think there will be some play,” he added.

Labuschagne was not at all enthusiastic about taking a lead and giving England a chance to chase.
“No, no chance, zero. As in get ahead? We are sixty behind!” he said.

“I mean if Mitch gets going maybe if Mitch and Green put on an absolutely unbelievable partnership, but I think we are just going to let it play out, get bowled out when we do. I do not think we are going to give England a sniff, I think that is exactly what they would like,”

he concluded.

Australia ended the fourth day at 214/5, with Cameron Green (3*) and Mitchell Marsh (31*) unbeaten. Labuschagne smashed his second century away from home, scoring 111 in 173 balls with 10 fours and two sixes. With this, England’s lead is just 61 runs for now.

Earlier, in reply to Australia’s 317 in the first innings, England had scored 592 runs in their first innings. They had gained a lead of 275 runs.

Australia became a victim of some heavy hitting from the host’s top seven batters. Zak Crawley (189 in 182 balls, with 21 fours and three sixes) led the attack with his maiden Ashes ton.

Moeen Ali (54 in 82 balls, with seven fours), Joe Root (84 in 95 balls with eight fours and a six), Harry Brook (61 in 100 balls, with five fours), skipper Ben Stokes (51 in 74 balls with five fours) and Jonny Bairstow (99* in 81 balls with 10 fours and four sixes) played impactful knocks.

Besides Josh Hazlewood’s five-wicket haul, Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green took two wickets each while Pat Cummins got one.

After opting to field first, England bundled out Australia for 317 in the first innings.

Marnus Labuschagne (51), Mitchell Marsh (51), Steve Smith (41), Travis Head (48) and Mitchell Starc (36) played some vital knocks for the Aussies.

Chris Woakes (5/62), Stuart Broad (2/68) and James Anderson (1/51) impressed with the ball for England.

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The post Australia focused on batting the entire day five, says Labuschagne as chances of Ashes series win look bright first appeared on The Australia Today.

Five years ago Ben Stokes scripted history by pulling off one of the most remarkable victories in the history of Test cricket against Australia. Now, five years later the result still favoured England, Australia was once again on the receiving end but the only difference was Woakes and Stokes switching their roles.

England resumed the session with a score of 154/4 with Harry Brook batting (40*) and Ben Stokes (7*) on the crease.

Australia tipped the balance of scale as Mitchell Starc dismissed Stokes and Bairstow in quick succession.

Starc with his experience ensured Stokes didn’t pull off another Headingler miracle on them. The ball glanced off his bat and went straight into the hands of Alex Carey.
Bairstow was next to follow as he tried to go for a bid drive, found an inside edge and the ball crashed into the stumps.

Brook held England’s innings together after facing an unprecedented setback. Chris Woakes joined hands with him and they pushed England close to victory with a half-century stand.

With the game slipping away from their hands, Starc was called back into the thick of the action as Harry Brook continued to carry the hosts towards the finish line successfully.

He sent back the young England batter with the hosts needing just over 20 runs to win and leaving Australia just three wickets away from victory.

But, Mark Wood hit a crucial six off Pat Cummins next over and then smashed a Starc half-volley for four in the next over to put all fears of an Australian comeback back to their place.
Woakes finished off the game by finding the fence and the crowd let out a nostalgic roar that echoed the feeling of 2019.

Earlier in the match, England ended day three at 27/0, with Ben Duckett (18*) and Zak Crawley (9*) unbeaten. They are chasing 251 runs to keep the Ashes alive.

On Day 3, Australia was bundled out for 224 in their second innings. Important knocks came from Head (77), Usman Khawaja (43) and Marnus Labuschagne (33). Australia was once reduced to 90/4, but a 41-run stand between Head and Mitchell Marsh (28) and another 41-run stand between Head and Todd Murphy (11) took Aussies lead to 250 runs.

Stuart Broad (3/45), Chris Woakes (3/68), Mark Wood (2/66) were the best bowlers for England. The pace trio helped England get a tight grip on the game. Moeen Ali also took two wickets.

Also, England was in huge trouble in their first innings and was at 87/5 at one point with Zak Crawley (33) being a key contributor at the top. Another Headingley masterclass from Stokes (80 in 108 balls with six fours and five sixes) and important knocks from Moeen Ali (21) and Mark Wood (24 in eight balls, with one four and three sixes) took England to 237.

England were trailing Australia by 26 runs.

Pat Cummins, the skipper was the best bowler for Aussies, taking 6/91. Mitchell Starc took two wickets. Mitchell Marsh and Todd Murphy got one each.

England put Australia to bat first and the visitors were bundled out for 263 runs in 60.4 overs.

Australia slipped to 85/4, but with a 155-run stand for the fifth wicket between Mitchell Marsh (118 in 118 balls, 17 fours and four sixes) and Travis Head (39 in 74 balls), the Aussies were back on track. But after the dismissal of these two batters, Australia experienced another collapse and was bundled out for 263 runs.

Wood (5/34) was the pick of the bowlers for England. Chris Woakes (3/73) and Stuart Broad (2/58) also bowled really well.

Brief Score: AUS 263 & 224 (Travis head 77, Usman Khawaja 43; Stuart Broad 3-45) vs England 237 & 254/7 (Harry Brrok 75, Zack Crawley 44; Mitchell Starc 5/

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At the time of stumps, Australia’s score read 116/4 with Mitchell Marsh (17) and Travis Head (18) unbeaten at the crease. The guests took a first-innings lead of 26 runs after bowling out England for 237 on Friday.

England resumed their dominant show against Australia as they kept visitors on their toes for runs. Australia lost star batter Marnus Labuschagne in the 25th over as the latter handed an easy catch to Harry Brook on Moeen’s delivery.

Moeen struck in the 27th over again as he removed Steve Smith for mere 2 runs. In the 34th over of the game, Usman Khawaja was removed by Chris Woakes for 43 runs. Australia en

Mitchell Marsh (17) and Travis Head (18) carried Australia to stumps with 142 runs lead.

Earlier, Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne made steady progress, extending their team’s lead On Day 2 of the third Test of the Ashes 2023 series at the Headingley Stadium. Despite an early setback caused by Stuart Broad, the Australian batter remained resilient and focused on building their advantage.

At the end of the second session, Australia managed to put up a score of 29/1 in 12 overs with Khawaja and Labuschagne unbeaten at the crease with scores of 20(34)* and 7(33)* respectively.
Australia looked to begin the second innings with positive intent as Khawaja and David Warner looked to gather runs at a brisk pace. However, Broad came up to dismiss Warner (1) for the 17th time and put England in control.

But, Labushagne and Khawaja restricted the damage by holding on to their wickets and keeping the scoreboard ticking. Australia managed to take a lead of 55 runs after suffering a massacre earlier in the innings.

Ben Stokes and Mark Wood began the second session in pure ‘Bazball’ style with Wood smashing two fours and one maximum on the first three balls of Mitchell Starc’s over.
However, he failed to keep up the momentum as Pat Cummins claimed his wicket to bring an end to his T20-style knock of 24(8). Stuart Broad stepped in and Stokes began his onslaught on the Australia bowlers.

Starc once again was on the receiving end with Stokes smashing him for three boundaries in a row. Cummins once again stepped in to restrict the damage by sending Broad back to the pavilion.
Stokes passed the 50 run-mark and continued to score boundaries for fun with just a wicket in hand. As he closed on to score his second consecutive Test century, Todd Murphy took matters into his own hand and claimed the wicket of the dangerous skipper for a score of 80(108). This wicket marked the end of England’s innings for a score of 237.

Earlier in the first session, England lost wickets quickly, which made the situation worse for them. Australian bowlers gave no chance for a comeback to England’s batters. In the 19.2 over, Pat Cummins took the wicket of Joe Root. A slight edge carried the ball into the safe hand of David Warner who was at first slip.

In the 24.3 over, Mitchell Starc got the wicket of Jonny Bairstow. He poor shot by Bairstow led the ball into the hands of Steve Smith who took a brilliant catch at second slip. Jonny Bairstow made 12 runs off 37 balls while hitting two boundaries. In the 39.4 over, Pat Cummins struck again this time he took the wicket of Moeen Ali. A top-edge led the ball high into the air only to fall into the hands of Steve Smith.

Moeen Ali scored 21 runs off 46 balls while hitting two boundaries. In the 42.1 over, Mitchell Starc took the wicket of Chris Woakes. He swing his bat but the ball knicked the edge and went into the gloves of wicketkeeper Alex Carey. Chris Woakes made 10 runs off 10 balls and hit one maximum.

Brief Score: Australia 263 & 116/4 (Travis Head 18*, Mitchell Marsh 17*; Moeen Ali 2-34) vs England 237 (Ben Stokes 80(108), Mark Wood 24(8) and Pat Cummins 6-91)

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Day 1 at Headingley didn’t disappoint as thirteen wickets fell on the opening day of the third Ashes Test between England and Australia. At the time of stumps, England’s score read 68/3 with Joe Root (19) and Jonny Bairstow (1) unbeaten on the crease.

On a thrilling day of Ashes cricket, two stunning comebacks dominated the headlines. Mitchell Marsh hit his third Test century to help Australia recover from a shaky start in his first Test match since 2019. Cameron Green was out with an injury.

However, Mark Wood’s blistering pace proved too much for Australia’s lower order, as the visitors lost six wickets in 8.3 overs and were bowled out for 263.

Pat Cummins responded by recalling Ben Duckett, who had scored two half-centuries at Lord’s, and Harry Brook early. From 22/2, England’s batting was bolstered by Zak Crawley and Joe Root, but Marsh’s good day continued as the medium pacer found Crawley’s edge.

Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow carried England to stumps, but the hosts are still trailing by 195 runs and will want to take a lead in the first innings with the series on the line.

Earlier, star batters Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh did the repair works with a firm 155-run stand after England pacers Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes rattled Australia with four quick scalps early into the Day 1.

At the time of Tea Australia’s score read 240/5 with Travis Head (39) unbeaten at the crease.
After Lunch resuming their innings at 191/4 the duo of Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh steadied Australia’s innings after they suffered early hiccups.

Mitchell Marsh came out all guns blazing as he slammed English bowlers all around the ground while keeping a fine partnership with Travis Head.

In the 48th over of the innings, Marsh slammed a stunning century in 102 balls. However, Marsh fell for a brilliant 118 on the stroke of tea as Chris Woakes gave his team a much-needed breakthrough.
Earlier, England bowlers dominated the first session in the 3rd Ashes Test at Headingley on Thursday as they took four wickets and kept Australia at a score of 91-4.

Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne were the only Australian batter to cross the 20-run mark. England’s Stuart Broad took two wickets and gave away just 20 runs in five overs. England’s skipper Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to field first.

In the 1st over, with the new ball, Stuart Broad took the wicket of David Warner. A big edge led the ball into the safe hands of Zak Crawley in the slip. David Warner scored four runs off five balls. In the 12.6 over, Mark Wood cleaned all ends up of Usman Khawaja’s wicket. Wood bowled a blistering ball with a pace of 95mph, knocking the leg stump off the ground.

In the 24.2 over, Stuart Broad struck again this time he took the wicket of Steve Smith. A little inside edge on the bat led the ball to fall into the hands of the wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow. Steve Smith made 22 runs off 31 balls while smashing one boundary and one maximum.

Brief Score: Australia 263 ( Mitchell Marsh 118, Travis Head 39; Stuart Broad 2-58) vs England 68/3 (Joe Root 19*, Jonny Bairstow 1*; Pat Cummins 2-28). 

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With this win, Australia is 2-0 up in the five-match series.
At the beginning of the second session, England need 128 runs to win. The second session resumed as England was 250/6 after 58 overs. Ben Stokes was batting on 114* and on comes Stuart Broad on 2*.

Ben Stokes played a captain’s knock of 155 runs off 213 balls. He gave the Australian bowlers a tough time as his explosive batting style was hard to deal with.

Eventually, the Aussies fought their way back in the came as Josh Hazelwood took the wicket of Ben Stokes. After which, England’s wickets kept falling one after the other.
After 68.2 overs, Ben Stokes scored 151* runs off 197 balls. He smashed nine boundaries and nine maximums.

Also after the 68th over, 100 run partnership was done between Ben Stokes and Stuart Broad.
300 run mark came up for England in 71.4 over. Ben Stokes was batting on 155* and Stuart Broad on 11*.

In the 72.1 over, Josh Hazelwood took the big wickets of Ben Stokes who was looking to take away the game from Australia’s hand.

A miss hit shot led to the dismissal of Ben Stokes, as Alex Carey comfortably took the catch. Ben Stokes made 155 runs off 213 balls. He smashed nine boundaries and nine maximums.
In the 73.1 over, Pat Cummins took the wicket of Ollie Robinson, thanks to an outstanding catch by Steve Smith. Ollie Robinson scored one run off six balls.

In the 74.1 over, Josh Hazelwood took the wicket of Stuart Broad, the catch was taken by Cameroon Green. Stuart Broad scored 11 runs off 36 balls, he hit two boundaries.
In the 81.3 over, England were all out at the score of 327.

Mitchell Starc took the last wicket of Josh Tongue. He scored 19 runs off 26 balls.
Cummins (3/69), Starc (3/79) and Josh Hazlewood (3/80) did the most damage to England batters.
After Lunch, England managed to put up a score of 243/6 with skipper Stokes and Stuart Broad unbeaten with scores of 108(147)* and 1(10)* respectively.

The dramatic session started with England batters losing their nerves against Australia’s bouncer ploy and ended with Stokes receiving thunderous applause from the crowd while climbing the stairs and the crowd booing Australian players as they made their way back to the dressing room.
England started the session on a positive note with Ben Duckett and Stokes keeping the scoreboard ticking and picking up boundaries on possible occasions.

The momentum started to shift in Australia’s favour as Starc and Hazlewood started to produce precise bodyline bouncers. Duckett was the first batter who lost his cool and decided to go after the bowler. He tried to play a pull shot off Hazlewood but failed to time his shot. A top edge carried straight into the hands of Alex Carey behind the stumps. Duckett departed for a score of 83(112).
Jonny Barstow stepped on the crease to carry England’s hope of clinching victory alive. He was mindful of the short balls, left them on occasion and focused more on strike rotation.

The nerves started to settle down once again as the Three Lions looked to take control of the chase. But once again Australia managed to make a comeback with a touch of cunningness.

Jonny Bairstow’s debatable run-out 

In the 52nd over Bairstow ducked following a bouncer from Cameron Green, and the ball went straight into the hands of Carey. Bairstow casually walked off the crease thinking that the ball was dead. Carey saw the opportunity and took it. His direct hit clipped the bails off the stumps and gave Bairstow a moment that he won’t forget for the rest of the series. Bairstow departed for a score of 10(22).

Things started to heat up as once again the spirit of cricket was questioned. Stokes saw everything and decided to turn the Test match into a T20I game as he switched through gears with each ball.
The crowd continued to boo Australia bowlers on every bouncer, while Stokes continued to smash the ball for fun. Green became his target as he struck 24 runs in a single over.

Stuart Broad on the other end held on to his wicket and barely took a run. Australia tried to put pressure on Broad with their bouncer plan, and the veteran pacer survived all of them. He even went on to take a dig at Carey by saying ‘Is the ball dead?’

Stokes raised his bat in the 56th over by sending the balls flying into the stands. England ended the session with a score of 243/6 in 57 overs and is still in need of 128 runs.

England had started the day at 112/4, with Stokes (29*) and Duckett (50*) unbeaten.
Australia had got a 370-run lead over England after they scored 279 in their second innings. Usman Khawaja (77), Steve Smith (34) and Marnus Labuschagne played crucial knocks for the Aussies.

England bowled well, with Broad taking 4/65. On the other hand, Tongue, and Robinson got two wickets while Stokes and Anderson got one.

MCC apologises to the Australian team after Members verbally abused players in Long Room

Australia’s opening duo Usman Khawaja and David Warner were confronted by spectators in Lord’s Long Room after the end of the first session of Day 5.

“It is alleged that players and staff from the Australian team were verbally abused, with some being physically contacted, as they made their way to lunch through the members’ area,”

Cricket Australia said in a statement.

Initially, it was Khawaja who was seen talking to a spectator as the crowd continued to “boo” the entire Australian team. David Warner was behind the line witnessing the heated conversation between Khawaja and the spectator.

Warner then stepped in to have a chat with that spectator. Umpires and security staff intervened to separate Warner and he ended up leaving the scene.

The video footage surfaced on social media emerged which revealed more patrons yelling abuses and calling Australian players ‘cheats’.

“The Long Room is unique in world cricket and the great privilege of players passing through the Pavilion is very special,” an MCC spokesperson said as quoted by cricket.com.au.

“After this morning’s play, emotions were running high, and words were unfortunately exchanged with some of the Australian team, by a small number of Members. We have unreservedly apologised to the Australian Team and will deal with any Member who has not maintained the standard we expect through our disciplinary processes. It was not necessary to eject anyone from the ground and I am pleased to say that there was no repeat of this as the players resumed the field for this afternoon’s session,” the MCC spokesperson concluded.

In their first innings, England was bundled out for 325 runs and they trailed by 91 runs against Australia.

Ben Duckett (98) and Harry Brook (50) scored vital half-centuries for England.
Mitchell Starc (3/88) took three scalps while Josh Hazlewood and Travis Head got two.

Australia in the 1st innings made 416 runs. Steve Smith topped the scoring charts with 110 in 184 balls, with Travis Head (77) and David Warner also making attacking fifties.
Tongue (3/98) and Robinson (3/100) took crucial wickets for England.

Brief Scores: England: 325 and 327 (Ben Stokes 155, Ben Duckett 83, Pat Cummins 3/69) lost to Australia: 416 and 279 (Usman Khawaja 77, Steve Smith 34, Mitchell Starc 3/88).

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At the end of the fourth day’s play, England were 114/4, with Duckett (50*) and Stokes (29*) unbeaten at the crease. England started their chase of 371 runs in the final session.

Australia was off to a start to remember as pacer Mitchell Starc dismissed Zak Crawley (3) and Ollie Pope (3) in less than five overs. England were 13/2.

Ben Duckett and Joe Root attempted to rebuild the innings. However, Pat Cummins cut their rebuilding efforts as Root gloved the ball to David Warner in slips for 18, continuing his disappointing run in the Test. England was 41/3. In the same over, Cummins clean-bowled the danger man Harry Brook for just four runs.

England sunk to 45/4 and needed a long partnership to get back into the game. They touched the 50-run mark in 15.3 overs.

Stokes-Duckett continued to stitch a partnership to bring back England’s innings in order. The duo brought up their 50-run partnership in 69 balls with a mix of strike rotation and some calculated aggression. England reached the 100-run mark in 25.1 overs.

Duckett reached his fifty in 62 balls which consisted of six fours. This was his seventh fifty in Test cricket.

Starc took the catch as Duckett struck but it was deemed not out by the third umpire as the catch was not clean.

The duo took England through the remainder of the session without any loss of wicket.
Fiery bowling spells from Josh Tongue, Stuart Broad, and Ollie Robinson helped England bundle out Australia for 279 in their second innings with the visitors setting the hosts a target of 371.
England pacers came roaring back with quick wickets to keep alive hopes of the hosts squaring the five-match series.

Australia started the second session at 222/4, with Cameron Green (15*) and Alex Carey (10*) unbeaten. They led by 313 runs.

In the 88th over, Ollie Robinson got the wicket of Cameron Green, courtesy of a brilliant catch by Ben Duckett. Cameroon Green made 18 runs off 66 balls with three hits to the fence. Australia was 239/6 at that point.

Ollie Robinson struck again in the 90th over, getting the wicket of wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey. Joe Root took an outstanding catch to send Carey back for 21 runs off 72 balls. His innings was studded with three boundaries. Australia was 242/7 at the fall of Carey’s wicket.
Australia reached the 250-run mark in the 91st over.

Soon after, Stuart Broad took the wicket of Pat Cummins, with Ben Duckett accepting a regulation offering from the Aussie skipper. Pat Cummins scored 11 runs off 29 balls, hitting two boundaries. Australia was 261/8 at the fall of Cummins.

In the 97th over, Ben Stokes took the wicket of Josh Hazelwood. The speedster, who is known to hang around with the bat, fell for 1 off just 3 balls, reducing Australia to 264/9.
Stuart Broad took the last wicket of Nathan Lyon, who hobbled to the crease and batted on one leg after sustaining a calf injury. He scored 4 off 13 balls, with one boundary. Australia was bundled out for 279 runs.

Probing spells by pacers Josh Tongue and Stuart Broad helped England push back Australia by delivering some crucial blows, but the advantage was still with the visitors as they went into Lunch leading by over 300 runs on Day 4 of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s on Saturday.
At the end of session one, Australia was at 222/4, with Cameron Green (15*) and Alex Carey (10*) unbeaten. They lead by 313 runs.

Australia started the first session of Day 4 at 130/2, with Usman Khawaja (58*) and Steve Smith (6*) unbeaten.

In a statement of intent, Smith started the proceedings by flicking Ollie Robinson to the fence on the very first ball of the day.

In the 51st over, Smith upped the ante by smashing James Anderson for three boundaries.
Australia brought up the 150-run mark in 50.5 overs.

With Smith going great guns at one end, Khawaja relied mainly on strike rotation and his solid defence while also smashing two boundaries in the opening session.
Smith-Khawaja brought up their 50-run stand in the 58th over.

Broad struck gold for England as Khawaja hit a mistimed pull to Matthew Potts, on the field as a substitute, at fine leg. Khawaja scored 77 in 187 balls, consisting of 12 fours. Australia was 187/3 at that point and the 64-run stand between Smith-Khawaja was over.

Smith was dismissed in the next over by Josh Tongue as Smith hit a mistimed shot that went straight into the hands of Zak Crawley at fine leg. England got their big fish Smith for 34, his knock consisted of five fours. Australia was 190/4.

Broad infused more life into the match, getting the important wicket of Travis Head for just 7. Joe Root pouched him safely at short-leg, reducing Australia to 197/5.

With a boundary of the bat of Alex Carey, Australia reached the 200-run mark in 69 overs.
A boundary by Cameron Green took Australia’s lead beyond 300 runs. Carey-Green ended the first session without any further loss.

Brief Scores: England: 325 and 114/4 (Ben Duckett 50*, Ben Stokes 29, Mitchell Starc 2/40) trail Australia: 416 and 222/5 (Usman Khawaja 77, Steve Smith 34, Josh Tongue 2/43) by 257 runs. 

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Australia ended the day with a score of 107/3 with Usman Khawaja and night watchman Scott Boland unbeaten on the crease with scores of 34(81)* and 13(19)* respectively. Australia started the session aggressively as David Warner and Khawaja looked to gather runs quickly. They neutralised the threat of the new ball with their precision and flawless batting technique.

Warner looked in his best shape with a couple of shots he played to find boundaries. It looked as if both batters would do the majority of the work in the final session, but Robinson inspired his team to make a comeback as he dismissed Warner for a score of 34(81).

After that Stuart Broad joined the action and stole the entire limelight with his fierce bowling. He sent Marnus Labuschagne off with a beauty. Broad has been Marnus Labuschagne’s nightmare and the Australian has been doing his best to avoid this matchup. But once he came face to face with the English bowler the result was clear.

The ball swung away from Marnus, he ended up kicking the ball and it went straight into the hands of Jonny Bairstow.

Broad struck once again and this time he got the big fish – Steve Smith. He went for the shot but found a slight knick and Bairstow caught it quite comfortably.

Boland came in to see off the rest of the day and he managed to do so. Australia will be back to chase the remaining 174 runs on the final day.

Earlier in the day, Lyon and Cummins kept England on the edge for the majority of the session. With Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow on the pitch, England went on with their usual style of play.
But Lyon with his experience managed to halt their progress as he dismissed Bairstow following an LBW for a score of 20(39).

Stokes soon followed the footsteps of Bairstow two overs later as he ended up losing his wicket to Cummins. In the battle of skipper against skipper, Cummins emerged victorious as he trapped Stokes right in front of the wicket. The English skipper went for a review with height factor as the only thing that could have saved his wicket. But fortune favoured Australia and Stokes went back with a knock of 43(66).

Even after going down to 7 wickets, England didn’t succumb to the situation and went on with their style of play. Moeen Ali was next in line to lose his wicket. Josh Hazlewood came into the attack, he set up the field which indicated his thought process of bowling a short ball. His plan worked perfectly as Moeen tried to play a pull shot but the ball gently brushed off his glove and landed in the gloves of Carey.

Ollie Robinson and Stuart Broad showed some fight and managed to keep their partnership alive for seven overs. But they couldn’t survive Lyon’s fierce spin bowling attack, Robinson lost his wicket against the spinner for a score of 27(44).

Stuart Broad and James Anderson tried to stitch up a partnership for the final wicket stand. They survived for the next five overs but, Cummins came in to put an end to their partnership. He dismissed Andrson for a score of 12(14).

Before Lunch, England tried to bounce back with Joe Root taking charge with the bat. He opened his account with a beautiful flick towards the mid-wicket area to find the boundary for a four off Boland.
On the next delivery, he went for a reverse scoop to help the ball get past the fence for a six. Once again Root made his intentions clear as he executed a reverse scoop to find the third consecutive boundary in the second over of the day.

In the first 20 minutes of the day, both Root and Ollie Pope played Bazball in its purest form. But Cummins got Australia back into the match as he ripped Pope’s defence apart with an inswinging yorker and sent the bails flying off the stumps. Pope departed with a score of 14(16).

Even after Pope’s departure, Root went on with his aggressive approach to get runs on the board at a brisk pace. But Nathan Lyon’s arrival in the attack after drinks changed the complexion of the entire game. Root came out to play a big sweep but ended up missing the ball completely. Alex Carey had a simple task to take the bails off the stumps.

Root walked back to the pavilion for a score of 46(55). After this wicket, it was clear that this day will be fought between Lyon and the Bazball.

In the first session, the veteran Australian spinner emerged victorious as he dismissed Root’s partner in crime Harry Brook. There was a small buildup before Brook’s dismissal as a couple of dot balls added a certain amount of pressure on England’s batter. He tried to release the tension with an unexpected pull shot for a ball that was too low for such a shot. Still, he didn’t hold back and executed the shot but it went straight into the hands of Marnus Labuschagne. Lyon got the second wicket of the game for a score of 46(52).

Before the end of the first session, Jonny Bairstow had a moment of scare as Boland’s appeal for an LBW. The on-field umpire declared him out but he went on to challenge the decision with a review. In the DRS it became evident that the ball went missing the stumps.
England ended up with a score of 155/5 in 37 overs.

Brief Scores: England 393/8 d & 273 (Joe Root 46(55), Harry Brook 46(52) and Pat Cummins 4/63) vs Australia 386 & 107/3 (Usman Khawaja 34(81)*; David Warner 36; Stuart Broad 2-28). 

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