No doubt it was the dream for England to lift both the World Cup and the Ashes, but being crowned world champions for the first time and drawing with Australia will be regarded as a success. There was the theatre of Jofra Archer's duel with Wade, complete with crossed words and long stares, and one more magical moment when Root took his wonderful grab as the shadows lengthened.
#Ashes cricket 2019 series
If Broad removing David Warner for the seventh time in the series was expected, the scale of the celebration inside The Oval was only surpassed when Smith fell. They were helped by Australia's decision to field first, strange team selection and dropped catches, but also earned this win through the batting of Joe Denly and Jos Buttler, and a collectively incisive bowling attack.
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There was disbelief, then delight, when Smith turned Stuart Broad to a diving Ben Stokes at leg slip for 23 - his lowest score of the series by 57 runs.Įngland were still held up by Mathew Wade's combative century, but after he was stumped off Joe Root, the last three wickets fell for four runs, with victory completed by Root's stunning grab of Josh Hazlewood. In conditions that remained relatively good for batting, there was the slightest chance that Steve Smith could end his prolific summer with one more stroke of genius.
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Australia retain the urn they won in 2017-18 but miss out on a first series win in England since 2001, while an Ashes series is drawn for the first time in 47 years.įrom 313-8 overnight, England added 16 to be all out for 329 and leave Australia in need of pulling off the highest run-chase in an Ashes Test since 1948.