THE DRAMA COMES TO AN END

 

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

Venue- The Oval, London [July 2023]. 

After a draw at Manchester the Aussies were successful in retaining the Ashes. However still there was a lot to play at the Oval. The English wanted to win this test and level the series 2-2. On the other hand, the Aussies were eying for a series win in England, something which they have failed to achieve since 2001. Australian Captain Pat Cummins won the first toss of the series and decided to field first. On a wicket which had something for both bowlers and batsmen, England posted a fighting total of 283 in their first innings. Harry Brook was the leading run scorer for the hosts as he scored a quick-fire 85 of 91 deliveries. Whereas for the visitors, Mitchell Starc picked up 4 wickets for 82 runs.

In response the Aussies were bowled out for 295 in their first innings. Steve Smith scored a gritty 71 as no other Aussie batsman managed to reach the 50 runs mark. The Australians would have even failed to take the lead, but Captain Cummins and Todd Murphy had a partnership of 51 runs which took the visitors beyond the host total. 

The opening ball of the second innings was knocked for four by Crawley, and the following two balls of the first over were also struck for four by Duckett, giving England the advantage after the first six deliveries of the game. In just 8.4 overs, the two openers stitched together a fifty-run partnership. In the 17th over, Starc caught Duckett for 42 to end the opening stand. Australia reviewed the decision after the on-field umpire had initially declared a not out, and DRS found an edge. Crawley reached another half-century off 61 balls four overs later. With a run rate of 5.20, England's strong batting brought them to lunch on 130/1 off 25 overs. 

Zak Crawley was eventually dismissed for 73 as England proceeded to establish a lead thanks to Stokes and Root, who reached their fifty-run partnership just before the drinks break. After drinks, Root reached his half-century, and then Stokes holed out for 42 off spinner Murphy at mid-on. After hitting a six, the new hitter Brook was caught behind for seven by Hazlewood and was out after one over. England reached tea on 265/4, with a lead of 253, thanks to Root and Bairstow.

Root and Bairstow added another fifty-run partnership to England's batting innings three overs into the evening session. Later, with a cover drive off Hazlewood, Bairstow reached his half-century. Before the partnership was ultimately broken by a delivery from Murphy that kept very low and grabbed Root's inside edge, dismissing him for 91, the two batters increased England's lead above 300. The next over, Starc caught Bairstow behind for 78, and two overs later, Woakes did the same by driving directly to mid-off for 1 off Starc. In the span of three deliveries, England lost their eighth and ninth wickets, with Ali (29) trying to ramp Starc but only holing out to Hazlewood at fine leg and Wood (9) slogging straight to Marsh.

With a lead of 377 runs, England reached stumps on 389/9 thanks to Anderson and Broad. Stuart Broad revealed in a post-game interview that he would retire from all forms of cricket following the conclusion of this Test. Australia presented Broad with a guard of honor as he entered the field because Broad had declared his retirement from cricket following this game. After resuming on 389/9, England only added six runs in 11 balls, including a six from Broad off the last delivery he ever faced in a Test match. Anderson was eventually dismissed for 8 by Murphy. With a score of 395, England set Australia a 384-run goal to win the Test and Series. 

The Aussies had a great start to the run-chase as both their openers stitched an opening partnership of 140 runs. However, then England made a comeback as they picked up 3 wickets and reduced Australia to 169/3. Steve Smith was joined by Travis Head in the middle. The duo batted for around 25 overs and stitched a partnership of 95 runs. It appeared that they would win the match and series for their side. But this is Ashes Cricket. The momentum can tilt anywhere anytime. 

  The last session's eighth over saw Ali get Head to edge to Root at slip for 43. Following his half-century in the previous over, Smith (54) came next, again edging to slip, this time off Woakes. One more wicket was taken by Ali after Marsh gave him an inside edge, and he was acrobatically caught behind by Bairstow for just six runs. When Woakes dismissed Starc with the second delivery of the next over for zero, it brought an end to Australia's batting collapse of four wickets for 11 runs. This was Woakes' fourth and last wicket of the innings. For a brief period, Cummins and Carey stopped the loss of wickets and brought the target below 100 runs.

With Australia needing 90 runs and England needing 3 wickets to win the Test, Cummins attempted to pull Ali but instead deflected the ball onto his pad and looped up a catch for Stokes at leg slip. Carey and Murphy both continued striking boundaries which brought down the target to 55 until Murphy was caught behind of Broad for 18. Broad eventually dismissed Carey in the final ball of his career as the Aussies were bowled out for 334 runs in their second innings. The English won the game by 49 runs and levelled the series 2-2. It was indeed a perfect end to the remarkable Ashes Series. 

At a period when Test cricket's continued relevance was being questioned in light of smaller versions of the game, the series was fiercely and occasionally acrimoniously contested. The introduction of the aggressive Bazball style of play by the England team is credited with helping them bounce back after two close losses.

To watch the highlights of this test, click on the URLs below-

Day 1.

Day 2.

Day 3.

Day 4.

Day 5. 

IT ENDS IN A DRAW

 

Image Credit- Telegraph India. 

Venue- Old Trafford, Manchester [July 2023].

After winning the must win game at Leeds, the action now shifted to Manchester. The Aussies were still leading the series 2-1, but the English had the momentum on their side. On a batting friendly wicket English Captain Ben Stokes won the toss and decided to field first. The pitch was a batting paradise, but still the Aussies failed to capitalize the same. Each of their players got a start but could not get a big total. The English kept on chipping wickets at regular intervals as the Aussies were ultimately bowled out for 317 in their first innings. 

In response the English just slaughtered the Aussie bowling attack. Not only they posted a mammoth total of 592 in their first innings, but they did the same at a very quick run-rate. It is interesting to note that the English scored 592 runs in just 107.4 overs. Zak Crawley scored a magnificent 189 of just 182 deliveries. His innings comprised of 21 boundaries and 3 sixes. Furthermore, this knock of his was not just about power hitting, but also had timing and placement.  Apart from Crawley, Moeen Ali, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow scored sparkling half-centuries. Joe Root and Bairstow were unlucky that they did not reach the 3-figure mark. Root was bowled out on 84 from a stunning delivery from Josh Hazlewood. On the other hand, Bairstow remained not out on 99 as he ran out of batting partners.

In the eleventh over of their second innings, Australia lost their first wicket when Wood hit Khawaja's bat's edge.  After 12 overs, Australia was 39/1 and slightly behind schedule for tea with 236 runs still behind. After tea, Woakes bowled Warner for 28. Prior to Smith being caught behind for 17 by Wood, Labuschagne and Smith had put up a 43-run partnership. Four overs later, Duckett caught Head for one off the bowl of Wood, who had taken the previous wicket. The Aussies ended 3rd day at a score of 113/4; still trailing by 162 runs. 

Poor weather prevented play in the morning session of day 4, but following an earlier pitch inspection and with the rain beginning to stop in the early afternoon, play was slated to begin at 2:45. Labuschagne and Marsh persisted; the former soon reached his second half-century of the game before turning it into his first century of the series. The light was ruled insufficient by the umpires halfway through the session; therefore, England was forced to introduce Ali and Root into the attack. Labuschagne was eventually dismissed for 111 as the Aussie scorecard read 211/5. The Australians were still 74 runs behind the English total. However, in the evening session, play was completely halted by the return of the rain, which caused stumps to be called at 6:26 p.m. with no chance of continuing before the 7 p.m. cutoff time.

There was hope for a delayed start to the game as the morning rain stopped. Rain during the lunch break stopped the play from starting at 1 pm, thus an early lunch break was taken at 12:20. Throughout the afternoon, the rain occasionally turned torrential, prohibiting any play. Shortly after 5.20 p.m., the umpires made the official decision to call off play for the day without a ball being balled. As a result, the game was ruled a draw, and Australia retained the Ashes. Furthermore, this was the first time in BazBall Era wherein England played a draw. 

 

To watch the knock of Zak Crawley, Click Here. 

To watch the knock of Jonny Bairstow, Click Here.

To watch the spell of Chris Woakes, Click Here. 

THE RING OF FIRE

 

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

Venue- Headingley Cricket Ground, Leeds [July 2023].

After losing the second test of the series at Lords, England were now in a precarious situation. They were 0-2 down in a 5-match series. One more defeat would have costed them the Ashes. In a do or die game at Headingley, English Captain Ben Stokes won the toss and decided to field first. The decision turned out to be a good one because the Aussies did not get the best of starts as they were reduced to 85/4 in 24.2 overs. It appeared that the English would crush the Aussies in no time. However, in the second session of the day's play, Mitchell Marsh launched a counterattack which no one could have ever imagined. He scored a quickfire 118 and took his team to a fighting total of 263. It appeared that he was playing on a different wicket and his teammates were playing on a different wicket. At one stage it even looked that the Aussies would cross 300, but Mark Wood with his sheer pace help England reduce Australia at a modest score of 263. Wood ended up the first innings with an impressive figure of 5-34.  

In response the English were bowled out for just 237 runs. It could have been even worse for the hosts if their Captain Ben Stokes would not have scored a gritty 80 of 108 deliveries. Stokes played a crucial knock in one of his favorite stadiums and kept his team in the tie. On the other hand, Australian Skipper Pat Cummins smoked the English batting line-up and ended up with figures of 6-91.  Both the Captains gave their best, but it was the Aussies who had a slim lead of 26 runs. 

Unfortunately, the Aussies did not get a great start in the second innings as well as Stuart Broad dismissed Warner for just 1 run. This was the 17th time in Test Cricket that Broad dismissed Warner. However, after the fall of first wicket, Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne stitched a 57 runs stand and brought Aussies back into the game. But, after the tea interval Moeen Ali immediately dismissed the two dangerous players, Labuschagne (33) and Smith (2), with the latter being his 200th Test wicket. Following the drinks break, Woakes removed Khawaja for 43 as Head and Marsh formed a partnership, helping Australia to close on 116/4 and a 142-runs lead at the eve of second day. 

Due to the weather, day three's play was postponed until the evening session. Only one over was bowled before play was again halted. However, the delay was just for 20 minutes, and when the meeting resumed, Woakes was able to dismiss Marsh and Carey. After Starc and Cummins were removed by Wood, Head launched an assault on England and reached his half-century with a boundary. Before falling to Broad for 77, Head hit back-to-back sixes to increase Australia's lead after Murphy was lbw for 11. Australia was eventually all out for 224, giving England a target of 251. Australia failed to take a wicket in its final five overs as England reached a score of 27/0 on the stumps of day 3. The English needed 224 runs to win, whereas the Aussies needed 10 wickets. The game can go anywhere.

Five overs into the morning, England lost their first wicket when Duckett was out caught by Starc for 23. Moeen Ali unexpectedly came out to bat at number 3 after the Brook experiment in the first innings failed. This was unsuccessful as well since Ali was bowled by Starc for only 5. After Moeen Ali's wicket, Joe Root came out to bat. The English needed a strong partnership between Root and Crawley, but the opener was soon dismissed for 44 after being caught behind by Marsh, leaving England 93/3. When Brook came out to bat at his usual position, he played himself in before increasing his score with boundaries off Boland and Starc. Root attempted to score a boundary down the leg side but gloved the ball to Carey for just 21 runs. 

Captain Stokes started from where he left. He hit boundary of the first ball and then stitched a partnership with Brook. The English Scorecard read 153/4 as the players went for lunch. The Hosts needed 98 runs, whereas the visitors needed 6 wickets. After lunch, Stokes was dismissed similarly to Root when he edged down the leg side to Carey of Starc for 13. Two overs later, Bairstow was clean bowled by Starc for 5. Woakes joined Brook at the crease as Brook reached his 50 of 67 balls. However, after the drinks break, Brook was out, top edging a catch to Cummins of Starc for 75, as the fielder and bowler almost collided while attempting to make the catch. England still needed 21 when the last recognized batsman was out.

Mark Wood joined his bowling partner Woakes in the middle and, replicating his first innings strategy, scored a quickfire 16* runs in 8 balls. Whereas Woakes finished with a score of 32* and secured a 3-wicket victory for England, bringing the series score to 2-1 heading to Old Trafford. For his all-round performance, Mark Wood was awarded the Man of the Match Award.  

To watch the highlights of this test, click on the URLs below-

Day 1.

Day 2.

Day 3.

Day 4.

THE LORD OF LORDS

 

Image Credit- India Today.

Venue- Lord's Cricket Ground, London [June- July 2023].

In the previous post we discussed about the first test of the highly anticipated 2023 Ashes Series. In this post we will be talking about the second test which took place in the Home of Cricket- Lords. On a gloomy day, English Captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to field first.  After a brief rain delay, Australia made a strong start to the morning session. David Warner was looking in good form as he hit a six in the 22nd over to reach his half-century. Usman Khawaja was bowled for 17 by Tongue two overs later, giving him his maiden Ashes wicket. At the end of first session the Aussie scorecard read 73/1. Rain halted play after lunch, but it didn't last long this time, and Tongue soon claimed a second wicket, dismissing Warner for 66. Steve Smith was ruled to have been caught behind by Stuart Broad, but the call was reversed after video replays revealed a clear separation between the bat and ball. 

After lunch, Marnus Labuschagne was given out on the bowling of Broad, but once more the decision was reversed upon review because ball tracking indicated that the ball would continue to miss the stumps. After Kumar Sangakkara, Smith became the second-fastest player to amass 9,000 Test runs. At the end of second session the Australian scorecard read 190/2. Soon after tea, Ollie Robinson dismissed Labuschagne for 47 runs, whereas Smith reached his half-century in the 61st over. Travis Head then scored a quickfire 77 before being dismissed by Joe Root. At the end of day 1, the Australian Scorecard read 339/5. 

 Alex Carey was removed by Broad for 22 in the second over of the morning, and the initial not out decision was later reversed on review. Three overs later, Starc was dismissed after being caught behind by James Anderson for 6. In the 92nd over, Smith hit a cover drive for four to reach his 32nd Test century. Eventually Tongue was successful in dismissing Smith for a gutsy knock of 110 runs. After taking out Nathan Lyon for 7 in the 99th over, Robinson then bowled out Australia for 416 by taking out Josh Hazlewood for 4. Before lunch, England's response saw them go through four overs and end up 13/0. Midway through the afternoon session, Carey's fourth stumping of the series off the bowling of Nathon Lyon dismissed Crawley for 48. Ben Duckett reached his half-century in the 29th over, and in the next over, he and Ollie Pope added 50 runs together as England reached tea on 145/1.

In the final session of day 2, Lyon developed a calf injury that ultimately prevented him from playing the rest of the series. Australia then successfully switched back to short-pitched bowling. First, Pope, who was also injured, was dismissed by Green for 42. After three balls, Root gloved a catch off Green to Carey, but the ball was ruled a no-ball. Ben Duckett was unlucky as he was dismissed on 98 by Hazlewood. Root was removed soon, but Harry Brook and Ben Stokes had a strong partnership as the English ended at 278/4 on the eve of day's play. 

However, the Hosts committed a hara-kiri on the morning session of day 3. They lost 6 wickets in no time and were bowled out for 325 runs in their first innings. The Aussies had a good lead of 91 runs, and they knew what they are supposed to do now. Bat sensibly and give England a huge target. And this is what they actually did. The visitors batted sensibly and posted a total of 279 in their second innings. Usman Khawaja scored a gritty 77 of 187 deliveries. For England, Stuart Broad picked up 4 wickets. 

The Hosts now needed 371 runs to win the second test. It was never going to be easy task in front of the mighty Aussie bowling line-up. To make matters worse, they had the worst possible start as they were reduced to 46/4. However, Duckett and Stokes had a solid partnership which brought some hopes in the Host Camp. Ben Duckett [83] was unlucky as he again missed his century. Hazlewood dismissed him again as the English Scorecard read 177/5.  

However, a few moments later we had the most controversial moment of the test match. In the 52nd over, Bairstow dodged a bouncer from Cameron Green and left his crease to speak with Stokes at the non-striker's end. In the meantime, Australian wicketkeeper Carey threw down the stumps and the Aussies appealed for a run-out. The appeal was referred to third umpire Erasmus, who ruled that Bairstow was out because the ball was not dead at the time the bails were removed. 

Post Bairstow's dismissal, Captain Ben Stokes stepped up his counterattack and hit three consecutive sixes to reach his 13th Test and fourth Ashes century. On the cusp of lunch, Stokes and Broad also reached a 50-run partnership. As a result, England was left on 243/6 and still needed 128 runs to win. The Aussies were still favorites, but Ben Stokes lighted up a fire of hope among the hosts. 

Unsavory incidents occurred during the lunch break in the Lord's Long Room, and three MCC members were suspended for their involvement in the incident that involved several Australian players. After lunch, Stokes resumed his explosive batting and reached 150 in the 69th over before being dismissed for 155 by Hazlewood. His innings consisted of 9 boundaries and 9 sixes. It was indeed of the greatest knocks played in the history of Ashes Cricket. When he was dismissed every Aussie player rushed to congratulate him for the knock he played. The crowd were up and cheering their Captain, even though Stokes was walking dejected to the dressing room because he failed to take his side home. 

After Stokes wicket, Aussies blew the English tailenders in no time. The English were eventually bowled out for 327 runs in their second innings. The Aussies won the game by 43 runs and were now 2-0 up in the 5-match series. 

To watch the highlights of this test, click on the URLs below-

Day 1.

Day 2.

Day 3.

Day 4.

Day 5. 

To watch the knock of Ben Stokes, Click Here.  

THIS IS ASHES CRICKET

 

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

Venue - Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Birmingham [June 2023].

In the summer of 2023, Australian Cricket Team toured England to defend their Ashes title. Prior to this Series, Australia defeated India to lift their maiden ICC Test Championship Mace, whereas the English thrashed their neighbor Ireland at Lords. Furthermore over the last one year, England have been blowing away every cricket team coming their way. The credit for the same goes to their dynamic Captain Ben Stokes and Coach Brendon McCullum. Their Baz Ball style of play has taken the cricketing world by storm. On the other hand, the Aussie Bowlers have slayed every batting line-up of the world.  As a result everyone was expecting a strong contest between the two arch rivals and powerhouses of the game. 

On a batting friendly wicket, English Captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bat first. And Boy! What a start we had to the game. Opener Zak Crawley smashed the first ball of the game for a boundary. Pat Cummins was shocked to see that. The crowd was up and roaring. The momentum was set. The Ashes had begun. It is interesting to note that the Hosts continued their attack throughout the day, whereas the Aussies too kept on picking up wickets at regular interval. It was a classic encounter between the bat and the ball. Riding upon Joe Root's brilliant 118*, England declared at a score of 393/8. In response the Aussies scored 386 in their first innings. Usman Khwaja scored a solid 141 from 321 deliveries and took his team closer to the English total. Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson were the leading wicket takers for the English as both of them picked up 3 wickets each. 

England started their second innings seeking to increase their slim lead and got as far as 26/0 in 6.5 overs before play was interrupted by rain. However post rain, the Aussies started strong as both the English openers, Duckett and Crawley, fell to Cummins and Boland, in the space of just four deliveries. The visitors were on a roll, but the English were lucky as the rain stopped the play again. 

On Day 4, England started their innings at 28/2, however in the 17th over, Cummins dismissed Pope for 14. It was indeed one of the finest deliveries of the game. Four runs shy of a half-century, Root (46) was stumped by Carey off Lyon as Harry Brook turned the attack to Australia. In the 34th over, Brook too was dismissed for 46, once more off the bowling of spinner Lyon. Bairstow was called out LBW by umpire Erasmus in the final over before the lunch break, but the call was reversed after a review because the ball missed the leg stump. England led by 162 runs at lunch of Day 4. 

After lunch, Bairstow (20) was dismissed cheaply by Lyon, and three over later, Stokes too was dismissed by Cummins for 43. In the 55th over, England lost their eighth wicket when Ali (19) gloved to Carey off Hazlewood. Robinson was then dismissed by Lyon for 27 and the very next ball, James Anderson reverse-swept Lyon for four. Baz Ball Cricket at its very best. However the last wicket fell soon as Anderson was taken by Cummins for a score of 12, leaving England 273 all out and giving Australia a 281-runs target to win the first Test. 

Khawaja hit two straight fours to start Australia's chase in the first over. The first victim, Warner (36), was caught behind by Robinson in the 18th over. Four overs later, Labuschagne was out for 13, capping an underwhelming Test by his standards. After another four overs, Smith was caught behind by Broad for just six runs, sending nightwatchman Scott Boland to the crease. With three more cricket sessions to go and Australia needing 174 runs to win, Boland and Khawaja managed to survive till the end of play.

Due to bad weather, the play on last day did not start until 2:15pm. In the eighth over of the day, Australia lost their fourth wicket when Boland (20) was caught behind by Broad. After Ali had Head caught by Root in the 45th over, Australia had just five wickets left and were still 138 runs behind the target. Khawaja and Cameron Green led Australian attack to tea on 183/5, needing 98 more runs to win the test.

Following tea, Robinson struck out Green for 28, and then Stokes removed Khawaja for 65, bringing Captain Cummins to the crease. When the new ball was available, England opted not to use it, and they were rewarded as Alex Carey was caught and bowled by Root. With only two wickets left, Australia still needed 54 runs to win. It seamed England had the game. But, this is when Captain Cummins stepped up. He along with Nathan Lyon batted sensibly and took their team to a famous test win at the English Fortress of Birmingham. No one expected that Aussies can win the game after Carey's dismissal. But, this is Ashes Cricket. An arena wherein the impossible happens. It is where the players become legend and a game of cricket turns into a folklore. 

To watch the highlights of this test, click on the URLs below-

Day 1.

Day 2.

Day 3.

Day 4.

Day 5.