England defeat Australia despite fighting Matthew Wade century to draw Ashes
Australia retained the Ashes but failed to secure a first series win on English soil for 18 years, losing at The Oval by 135 runs in four days, despite a gritty Matt Wade century, after Steve Smith fell for his lowest score of the series.
Australia own the Ashes but a last-Test loss closed out a series defined by individual brilliance and loaded with twists and turns all square at 2-2.
The final defeat couldn’t, however, dampen Aussie celebrations for a mission accomplished by captain Tim Paine and his men in a series to remember.
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No Australian leader in 18 years has been able to hold the treasured urn aloft in England and despite going down by 135 runs at The Oval the achievement after an epic series couldn’t be denied.
The unlikely last run chase, for 399, looked lost when man-of-the series Steve Smith was out for just 23, his lowest score in a series he dominated, recording the best single run-haul of any player since 1994.
But Matthew Wade filled-in as Australia’s best batsman scoring an emphatic, fighting hundred which included fending off eight sizzling overs from Jofra Archer, topped out with a 154kmh thunderbolt in an exchange which typified the competitive spirit of a hard fought series.
When Wade was stumped just after 6pm for a gallant 117, off the bowling of England captain Joe Root, with shadows reaching across the ground and the Aussies still needing 139 to win, all real hope ended.
Two diving catches ended the match in successive balls from Jack Leach and two tired teams shook hands after five Tests of tension and toil marked the end of a series well done by both.
Australia had to be satisfied with wins at Edgbaston then last week at Old Trafford, a victory which ensured the most important trophy in Test cricket would remain theirs.
A series victory was only denied by Ben Stokes’ one man show at Headingley where he lit up a stunning Sunday afternoon in Leeds to steal a match his team had no real right to win.
But it was that sort of series, won by men more than teams, like Smith’s twin hundreds in Birmingham, and Nathan Lyon’s six wickets, then 211 more from Smith in Manchester, another effort which set him apart from every other batsman, and put him in a realm only history will truly judge.
Smith had to get off the canvass too, knocked out by Archer at Lord’s, the English fast bowler another who did more than his fair share to turn things his team’s way.
Archer took six wickets in an innings twice, including on day two at The Oval where he razed the Australian batting-order, ruining their hopes of a last Test success.
Between them Smith and Archer were series standouts, like Pat Cummins and Stuart Broad, who made their opposition batting line-ups crumble too often than they should at Test level.
It was only the second Ashes series ever in which five different bowlers took more than 20 wickets, a statistic to state the obvious given how much the ball, for the most part, dominated the bat.
Smith and Wade were Australia’s only centurions, Stokes and Rory Burns the only men to get three figures for their team.
Two men per team, in a series which finished two wins apiece, but achieved through five memorable games each littered with moments of equal madness and magic which were as captivating as cricket could get.
Originally published as England defeat Australia despite fighting Matthew Wade century to draw Ashes