NATURAL DRAWN THRILLER
A summer to remember ends with a fitting finale
JOE ROOT finished it off in style yesterday – with the catch that sealed a 2-2 Ashes series draw and made 2019 an unforgettable summer.
England captain Root dived one-handed at mid-wicket to remove Josh Hazlewood, taking a second catch in as many balls to complete the 135-run win that denied Australia outright victory and secured the first Ashes draw since 1972.
It meant that while the Ashes might have gone, England coach Trevor Bayliss leaves his role in charge of the side having never lost a Test series at home.
At the end of the longest summer, the most emotional summer and the most thrilling summer’s cricket, there were England players queuing up to be heroes.
Stuart Broad was at the front having been here before, in 2009, when his 5-37 set up an Ashes win and made his name.
And after clubbing a couple of sixes with the bat he took three of the first four wickets to fall with the ball to set England on their way to defending 399.
Inevitably David Warner was one of the scalps as Broad sent him back for the seventh time to complete a truly miserable series for the Aussie opener.
When Rory Burns held on to a smart catch in the gully it meant Warner had scored a total of just 95 runs, beating an unwanted record for the fewest runs scored by an opener in 10 innings.
If Warner’s wicket was expected, Broad’s next certainly was not as Steve Smith fell for 23.
Bowling short and at the hip with a man stationed around the corner at leg slip, it was almost bodylineesque. Smith failed to keep on top of the ball and could only guide it into
Ben Stokes’ hands. There was still plenty to do but the sight of Smith returning to the dressing room for the final time with a tally of 774 runs to his name felt like a seismic moment in the game.
If Broad was an early favourite to be England’s match-winner, do not forget Jack Leach, England’s firstchoice spinner, who had Marnus Labuschagne brilliantly stumped for just 14.
Leach became a cult hero for his batting in the series but here was a chance for him to make his name with his main role with ball in hand.
Root brought himself on to spin the ball away from left-hander Matthew Wade but ended up taking the wicket of the right-handed Mitch Marsh to make up for Chris Woakes having had the all-rounder caught off a no-ball.
With Tim Paine now taking the attack to England, they needed someone to strike and Leach did just that in trapping the Aussie skipper lbw, and yet the drama lay elsewhere.
Jofra Archer had already done enough this summer to be hailed a star, but his fiery bowling at Wade added to the England fans’ affections.
In an eight-over spell that topped 95.6mph, Archer and Wade enjoyed a colossal tussle that had the crowd mesmerised by its intensity and skill.
Wade survived to score his second ton of the series but when Root had him stumped for 117 England’s road to victory was assured.