England's Summer of Cricket 2023, Featuring The Ashes

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Wood's pace was not quite up there in that first over though he still was quick. The lengths weren't great. Fine half-century from Khawaja who is closing in on regaining the top-scorer position from Crawley for the series.

Back comes Broad after a special Woakes spell. Can he go out in style

Soul Requiem wrote:I get on the train and Australia are three down, get off and immediately check the score and they're now eight down.

Had something similar happen once. England were about 145/4 against Pakistan. When I got off they were 184ao.

Get back on!

GSC wrote:Back comes Broad after a special Woakes spell. Can he go out in style

Let's hope so, this is done now bar making Murphy look like Bradman again

No disrespect to Hazlewood but I think this is the partnership. And I'd definitely place a third man for the pace bowlers.

Come on Moeen...Murphy is a decent number ten but you fancy this , don't you ?

Have to say both these batsmen are playing quite calmly and sensibly. Could easily be excused for being a bit rattled ; but they're not showing any nerves at all. This isn't done yet.

Another cracker of a Test Match , eh ?

This is only his 20th FC innings, but Murphy looks better than someone who averages under 15 with the bat. Mind you, a lot of players look better when they come up against England!

This series won't die quietly

Soul Requiem wrote:I get on the train and Australia are three down, get off and immediately check the score and they're now eight down.

I started answering emails just after the Head wicket. A colleague popped their head round the corner to ask if I'd checked the score. "Nope". "They're six down, mate". I opened a tab to check and Starc had just fallen as the seventh!

Duty281 wrote:This is only his 20th FC innings, but Murphy looks better than someone who averages under 15 with the bat. Mind you, a lot of players look better when they come up against England!

Yep, Spud Murphy putting up some decent resistance.

Maybe time to get Wood revved up

Duty281 wrote:This is only his 20th FC innings, but Murphy looks better than someone who averages under 15 with the bat. Mind you, a lot of players look better when they come up against England!

Often with tailenders in that 'much better than a rabbit but not good enough to bat 8' bracket they have a glaring weakness that it takes sides time to figure out but once they do it gets targeted mercilessly. Whether that be a type of bowling or just bowling in a certain area. Murphy might be like that or maybe he'll prove a decent lower order bat with time. As you say, 20 FC innings is too small a sample size to tell much.

alfie wrote:No disrespect to Hazlewood but I think this is the partnership.  And I'd definitely place a third man for the pace bowlers.

Come on Moeen...Murphy is a decent number ten but you fancy this , don't you ?

Yep again, this is the sort of partnership I was suggesting Cummins - batting at 8 - play with Carey but that boat has sailed.

Many apologies if this is the most awful of jinxes but with 8 down I don't see Australia putting on another 70 or lasting 24 more overs.

Murphy indeed playing very solidly . For a new lad , he seems nerveless with the bat. Probably the wickets he took - and that frisky first innings - have helped his confidence.

Don't think they will be playing anything outlandish so Moeen has to make one spit and leap ...though we've just seen one lofted shot so who knows ?

25 overs left. 71 to win. Clearly they are still going for it . Suppose they have to : a long time to try and block.

Seven overs these two have held out ; and twenty added. Chipping away. Can see why Broad is bowling but is it perhaps time for a bit of Wood ?

Sorry to say, but they need to replace Broad... not threatening enough this spell

We really shouldn't be panicking but clearly are going to start fairly soon, given the recent history of letting utterly rancid players complete run chases

Careful , Guildford ! Risking a jinx , against Australia , in a crucial Test Match ? You are really tempting fate

Nice six from Carey. Down to 61 and a few nerves starting, I think.

England not investing a lot in getting Carey out. He's happy to take the singles and trust Murphy.

Change needed, forget the sentimental idea of Braod getting a final wicket or two

Please take the new ball - for the turn it’ll get and for the seamers

Is Mo tiring ? Not sure he's getting the revs on the ball any more...they seem to be meeting his stuff with the full face of the bat now. He's had a long spell...

Really think a couple of Wood overs are called for about now. Can't let them play as comfortably as they seem to be at present. Still over fifty to get and only takes two balls but I am getting unashamedly nervous again ! Murphy gunning for Hero of the Oval status...

Sure... let's keep trying to bounce Murphy out

Claiming that

alfie wrote:Careful , Guildford !  Risking a jinx , against Australia , in a crucial Test Match ?  You are really tempting fate

Never in doubt.

Three glorious balls from Broad. The third gets the wicket.

But don't celebrate too hard. Still need one more. Starting to get a bit murky. England need to sort this before the light closes in.

Finally Broad... 3 good balls in a row and finds the edge

Broadyyyyy!

As if the bails thing worked again hahhahaha

Got him !!!!

Broad finds the Murphy edge...Bairstow no mistake

Brilliant stuff . Surely I hear a Large Lady Vocalist clearing her throat ?

That was the bail switch trick again , was it not ?

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:As if the bails thing worked again hahhahaha

Classic Broad. Absolute pantomime stuff. 

"Bail Mary from Broad" on the cricinfo commentary.

Come on lads ...finish it now , please. Any more Scotch and I'll be hungover tomorrow...

54 to get. Or one wicket. Too much to ask for Broad to do the job ?

If Broad's cricket career with the bat ends with a six, and with the ball ends with a wicket to win an Ashes test, then we should accept that we're living in Broad's world.

Fairytale ending maybe for Broad?

It suddenly feels very odd knowing that any delivery could be Broad's final as a cricketer.

Definitely time for Wood at Hazlewood I think

Yes! So pleased the series is over really, nerves are shot

Thanks for the memories Broady

OK : arise sir Stuat Broad

Stunning afternoon session. 264-3 to 334 ao. Woakes bowled a stunning spell, Mo more than held up an end with 3 of his own and the storybook finish for Broad.

Just a shame we didn't get the decider here.

That will do nicely, Broad finishes with a six and a wicket.

Emotional.

Soul Requiem wrote:That will do nicely, Broad finishes with a six and a wicket.

Some way to finish. Think Cook made a hundred in his final match, remember Nasser Hussain doing it as well (and scoring the winning runs?). Can't think of too many other endings like that

Sorry for the misspelling

But he really has to be knighted ...appropriate finish indeed .

I am going to miss him like crazy.

What a Test Match. What a Series . What an irony that the only match in which one side truly dominated ended in a draw ...

I'd have loved to win The Ashes back. But to be quite honest , I don't think 2-2 is unfair. Has been a terrific contest from start to finish

Good kNight Hoods for Broad, Moeen, Bairstow, Stokes ...

Broad gets the fairytale end!

Superb comeback from England today. Woakes with two world-class spells before and after the rain. Moeen very good tonight. And Broad mopping up for the dream finish. Wood, also, nowhere near 100%, but got the key wicket of Labuschagne earlier.

That was another thrilling test in a great series. I'm disappointed that's it for England for the year in this format, but the World Cup will be fun. And there's the Hundred tomorrow.

But my biggest disappointment is the weather at Old Trafford. How much greater this would have been for a 3-2 win. Woakes and Wood turned the series in the third test. Oh well.

The end for Broad. I'm actually quite emotional about it. One of my favourite cricketers to watch. I love Anderson to bits, but Broad had an unrivaled ability to get you out of your seat with an amazing spell. Especially against Australia. And Broad being in the England test team has been a constant through over half my life.

Broad ends with 604 wickets @ 27.68. Stupendous. Possibly the last bowler to get 600 test wickets.

Can we have a 6th test? No? Shame. Woakes gets overall player of the series for me after today's effort. Sensational.

Ah, Stuart Broad. What a cricketer he has been. Simply magnificent to watch.

What a great series with a definite feeling of "what could have been" for both sides. Every single Test was full of intrigue in one way or another. Even T4 with the tenterhooks over whether England would have time to finish it off.

I can't remember a series that seemed to swing one way then the other on such small margins. I adore Test cricket but even I can admit that in many series you can see sessions drift by that don't really feel like the match, let alone the series, is on the line in that session. That hasn't been the case in this Ashes.

As an England fan I have an odd sense of relief rather than elation with them having won that fifth Test and squared the series.

That hug between Broad and Anderson.

Soul Requiem wrote:That will do nicely, Broad finishes with a six and a wicket.

Indeed he does but, despite any campaigning on Olly's behalf for him, my MotM goes to Chris Woakes. A threefer and today a fourfer plus valuable runs first dig.

Certainly a very fine team effort though. Pleased that Moeen finished - assuming today is his Test ending - with a lot better than Duty's anticipated 1/65 or similar! Moeen deserved today's success.

Won't be getting to sleep any time soon . Talk about emotional finish ! Guess I should regret that this wasn't the decider ; but for now I'm just basking in the bliss of that last day...

Whatever else we take from this , it has to go down as one of the best Ashes Series ever . I can't actually recall a previous series in which four out of five matches went to the wire like that - and I can remember a LOT of Ashes Series