“Thrilling Ashes Finale England Sparks Australia Collapse, Series Ends Square”
LONDON: England secured a thrilling victory over Australia by 49 runs to draw the Ashes series level at 2-2 in the fifth Test at The Oval on Monday. Australia, chasing a challenging target of 384 to win, suffered a dramatic collapse from 264-3 to 334 all out, with England’s retiring paceman Stuart Broad taking the final wicket.
After a rain break of over two hours, England made a significant breakthrough, taking four wickets for just 11 runs in 19 balls. Off-spinner Moeen Ali (3-76) and all-rounder Chris Woakes (4-50) were instrumental in the damage, followed by Broad, England’s leading Ashes bowler, finishing off the Australian tail.
Speaking about the victory, Broad expressed his delight, saying, “It was absolutely wonderful. I thought Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali set the tone absolutely unbelievably. Woakesy picked up a couple of wickets, particularly Steve Smith, who has just been a wonderful player to play against all these years. 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. To contribute to the team with two wickets is very special. 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.”
Despite Australia having already retained the Ashes as the holders, they have failed to secure an Ashes series win in England since 2001.
After a rain delay, Australia resumed at 238-3, requiring 146 runs for victory. Steve Smith (54) and Travis Head (31) extended their partnership to 95 runs before Moeen triggered the collapse, dismissing Head and Smith in quick succession. Australia’s batting order crumbled further, and they found themselves struggling at 329-9, with England on the brink of victory. In a fairytale ending to his career, Broad claimed the last wicket to lead England to a remarkable win.
Earlier in the match, all-rounder Woakes made a significant impact by removing David Warner (60) and Usman Khawaja (72) in quick succession, reducing Australia to 141-2.
The drawn series sets up the stage for an exciting future encounter between the two teams, with both England and Australia looking to claim Ashes glory in the upcoming contests.
