The Ashes LIVE: Result and reaction from England vs Australia as Stuart Broad enjoys fairytale retirement
England win the final Test by 49 runs to draw the Ashes as Broad, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes take key wickets on day five at the Oval
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Your support makes all the difference.Stuart Broad produced a fairytale finish to his career as he took the final two wickets to give England cricket victory over Australia cricket by 49 runs in the fifth Test and snatch an Ashes series draw.
The 603rd and 604th scalps of Broad’s Test career ensured Ben Stokes’ side levelled the series at 2-2 with Australia all out for 334 to end a thrilling series in style.
Broad, who announced during the Test that he will retire from cricket after the series, left the field alongside Moeen Ali, who is also expected to retire from red-ball cricket following this match, to a standing ovation from the Oval crowd
Follow the result and reaction from a thrilling day five at the Oval below.
Rain stops play: Australia 238/3 (66) (target 384)
Hang on - the precipitation may have stopped. A few members of the groundstaff are making their way out to inspect the covers.
Rain stops play: Australia 238/3 (66) (target 384)
Still the rain falls. We don’t know have official clarity yet on when we can play until tonight - it may depend on what time cricket resumes.
Rain stops play: Australia 238/3 (66) (target 384)
We have now started losing overs, with the covers still very much on.
Ashes weather forecast as rain threatens England hopes in London
England have been left frustrated once again by the weather as rain impacts the fifth Ashes Test at the Kia Oval.
David Warner and Usman Khawaja batted magnificently to guide the tourists to 140 for the first wicket. And Australia were given a boost before lunch on day five when Ben Stokes dropped Steve Smith due to a premature celebration.
Australia are chasing 384 to secure a 3-1 series win, while rain interrupted play once again after lunch in a dramatic Test that has seen Stuart Broad confirm he will retire from cricket at the end of the Test.
Ashes weather forecast as rain threatens England hopes in London
Ben Stokes’ side are chasing 10 wickets on day five at the Kia Oval in London to secure a draw in the Ashes
Rain stops play: Australia 238/3 (66) (target 384)
It’s coming down pretty steadily at the Oval, but not with the sort of intensity that ended any prospect of play yesterday. The indications are that this may continue until around four, but the evening forecast is more promising.
Ricky Ponting describes ball change as a ‘huge blunder'
While we wait for the rain to relent, a bit more on the ball change that worked to England’s benefit, with an old, soft ball swapped for what looked a considerably newer, harder Dukes after it had been damaged by Usman Khawaja’s helmet yesterday afternoon. Having found little through the air or off the pitch yesterday, England’s bowlers produced a much more testing spell of swing and seam this morning - and Ricky Ponting believes Joel Wilson and Kumar Dharmasena made an error when retrieving a replacement from the box of spares yesterday.
“There’s, there’s no way in the world you can even look at those two balls there and say in any way they are comparable,” said Ponting on Sky Sports at lunch. “At the end of the day, if you are gonna change the ball, you want to make sure you get it as close as you possibly can to the one that you’re changing it from.
“Now if you have a look in that box, there weren’t too many older condition balls in there. But if you have a look at that, there were some older ones that were picked up. The umpires looked at them and threw them back. I just cannot fathom how two international umpires that have done that a lot of times can actually get that so wrong.
“That is a huge moment in this game, potentially a huge moment in the Test match and something that I think actually has to be investigated, whether there was the right condition balls in the box or the umpires have just blaze, picked one out of there that they thought would be ok to use. But there’s a perfect storm with it as well… Double the amount of movement this morning from yesterday afternoon, seam movement and swing. I think it’s a huge blunder that, as I said, needs to be investigated.”
Rain stops play: Australia 238/3 (66) (target 384)
Ben Stokes drops Steve Smith as Australia edge towards target in Ashes finale
Australia reached lunch on 238 for three, needing 384 to seal a 3-1 series win.
Rain stops play: Australia 238/3 (66) (target 384)
Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root, two hardy Yorkshire types, stay out there with the fourth umpire for a while, but make their way back to the dressing rooms. The covers are on.
RAIN STOPS PLAY! Australia 238/3 (66) (target 384)
Ah. There’s not even time for one ball before the spits and spots start to tumble again. Off they go...
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