Stuart Broad signed off from a remarkable Test career in remarkable fashion, his 604th and final wicket sealing victory for England, a two-all Ashes draw, and ensuring Australia’s wait for a first series win on these shores since 2001 must wait another four years.
The tourists will have to be content with their lot which, in fairness, is none too shabby. Pat Cummins and his side won the World Test Championship final and have retained the Ashes until 2025/26. But a two-month tour will make it a bittersweet flight home following a fifth day collapse to 334 all out that saw England win by 49 runs.
Australia had appeared well placed to pull off what would have been a record fourth innings run chase at the Oval, reaching 264 for three and thus 120 runs from a target of 384. Rain had wiped out two hours of play after lunch but Steve Smith and Travis Head put on 95 for the fourth wicket either side, a stand which was threatening to see Broad’s final day as a Test cricketer end on a bum note.
But once play resumed at 4.20pm with 47 overs scheduled, England went on the charge and the ground became a cauldron of noise. The boys from Birmingham got to work, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes sharing four wickets in 19 balls to wipe out both set men, gut the Australian middle order and leave the tail too much to do.
After Woakes removed the set David Warner and UsmanKhawaja in the morning – plus one for Mark Wood, wiping out MarnusLabuschagne – it was Moeen who started the surge. Head was caught at slip on 43 when attempting to drive a lovely drifting, dipping, turning delivery from out of the footmarks.
Woakes, the go-to seamer for Ben Stokes by this stage with Jimmy Anderson off the boil and Broad lined up for the second new ball, then claimed the big one: Smith edging to Crawley at second slip on 54. With Jonny Bairstow holding a sublime reflex catch off Mitch Marsh to hand Moeen a second, and Mitchell Starc edging Woakes into the cordon for a duck, Australia were 257 for seven and floundering.
While Cummins was unable to repeat his heroics at Edgbaston, falling to Moeen for nine when a pull shot cannoned into his pad and looped up to Stokes, a further fightback did follow. Alex Carey and Todd Murphy put on 35 to get Australia within 55 of the target and see tension descend on the ground once more.
But when Broad replaced Woakes and nicked off Murphy for 18 it set him for a fairytale finish that saw Carey edge behind and the Oval erupt. Woakes had claimed four for 50, Moeen three for 76, and yet that man Broad had, for one last time, barged his way to centre stage. It has been some career.—Agencies
