ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA, fifth Ashes Test, The Oval, Day Four on Sunday.
SCORE: Australia (295 and 0-135) want 249 extra runs to beat England (283 and 395) with 10 wickets in hand.
SUMMARY: One day after seemingly being out of this contest, Australia are actually proper again in it. After the retiring Stuart Broad walked onto the sphere via an Australian guard of honour and hit Mitchell Starc for six within the first over, James Anderson was lbw within the subsequent to go away England all out for 395 of their second innings. Needing 384 for victory, Australia seemed as composed as they’ve all tour with the bat. Usman Khawaja nurdled singles, minimize large balls and flicked deliveries on his pads to be 69 not out, whereas David Warner by no means seemed notably threatened en path to an unbeaten 58. Helping Australia too was the actual fact England held again Mark Wood on a wicket providing little for the quicks. When the speedster did bowl, he hit Khawaja on the helmet, however did not look as harmful as in earlier Tests. Rain got here to halt Australia’s cost and wash out the remainder of day, but it surely has at the least introduced the draw into the equation if Australia discover themselves ready needing to save lots of the Test on Monday and declare the sequence 2-1.
PLAYER OF THE MOMENT: David Warner. Maligned for years over his lack of a Test century in England and beneath stress all through this tour, the left-hander could also be about to face up on the proper second. Balls did not all the time hit the center of his bat however he and Khawaja have now supplied hope of victory. If Australia pull off the chase and Warner scores huge, his dream farewell on the SCG in January will probably be locked in.
KEY MOMENT: Warner’s effort to outlive Stuart Broad’s opening spell. Broad has claimed Warner’s wicket 17 instances in Test cricket, and if he had made it 18 on Sunday, England would have been on the trail to victory. Instead, Warner drove Broad via the covers for 4 within the first over, and edged the retiring seamer solely as soon as in entrance of the slips. Other than that although, the opener was barely threatened.
STAT OF THE DAY: David Warner and Usman Khawaja’s unbroken 135-run opening stand marked the primary time Australia had handed 100 earlier than the lack of a wicket in England for the reason that 2015 sequence.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
