Stuart Broad on Monday enjoyed a fairy-tale finish as England beat Australia by 49 runs to win the fifth Test at The Oval and end the Ashes series all square at 2-2.
Australia, chasing a mammoth 384 to win, slumped from 264-3 to 334 all out, with retiring paceman Broad wrapping up the match with the final two wickets.
England did the bulk of the damage when, after a rain break of more than two hours, they took four Australia wickets for 11 runs in 19 balls.
Photo: AFP
Off-spinner Moeen Ali (3-76) and all-rounder Chris Woakes (4-50) led the way before Broad, England’s all-time leading Ashes bowler, polished off the tail.
“I thought Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali set the tone absolutely unbelievably,” Broad, who on Saturday announced he would be retiring after this match, told Sky Sports.
“Once we got a couple we really started to believe. The crowd were unbelievable. It was so loud and we just jumped on the back of that,” he said. “When you make that decision you wonder what your last ball will be so to take a wicket to win an Ashes Test match is pretty cool.”
England captain Ben Stokes added: “I think 2-2 is a fair reflection of the teams literally going toe to toe. Australia are world Test champions, they are a quality team.”
“I don’t think many teams would have been able to respond from 2-0 down,” he said.
Australia captain Pat Cummins agreed a drawn series was fair.
“We can be hugely proud of retaining The Ashes. It is no easy feat against a high-quality side in English conditions,” he said.
Cummins’ side, as the holders, had already retained the urn, but the defeat means Australia remain without an Ashes series win in England since 2001.
“We were over here to win the Ashes,” Cummins said. “Unfortunately it was not to be.”
Moeen also said he would not be coming out of retirement after the Test.
Moeen, 36, quit Test cricket two years ago, but was recalled to the squad in June after Jack Leach was injured following a text from captain Ben Stokes, playing four of the five matches in the series.
He moved up the order to bat at No. 3 following an injury to Ollie Pope, and despite a groin injury, took three wickets on the final day.
“That’s me done,” Moeen told Sky Sports. “If Ben Stokes texts me I’ll delete it.”
Moeen has played 68 Tests, scoring more than 3,000 runs and taking more than 200 wickets, as well as appearing in 129 one-day and 74 T20 internationals.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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