Australia has secured a memorable draw as the second Ashes Test came to a thrilling conclusion at Lord’s on Monday morning (AEST).
Under immense pressure, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne defied the English bowlers to rescue their side from a deep hole and ensure the Aussies head to the third Test in Leeds with a 1-0 advantage in the series.
Beginning the final day with a lead of 104, a Ben Stokes century and handy contributions from Jos Buttler (31) and Jonny Bairstow (30 not out) allowed England to declare at 5/258, setting the visitors 267 for victory inside 48 overs.
It was a target that looked well out of reach when Australia collapsed to 2/19 then 3/47 and it became a matter of survival as it tried desperately to avoid being bowled out.
The odds were against the Aussies but Labuschagne and Head put on a defiant 85-run partnership for the fourth wicket before drama struck. On 59, Labuschagne swept spinner Jack Leach into the thigh of Buttler at short leg and the ball deflected towards Joe Root at mid-wicket, who dived forward and claimed the catch.
Labuschagne started walking off but the on-field officials asked the third umpire to check the catch was clean. When he saw the first replay on the big screen, Labuschagne walked back to the wicket because he thought the ball bounced first.
But third umpire Joel Wilson disagreed and after numerous looks at a multitude of angles, he backed the umpires’ soft call of out and a disappointed Labuschagne was on his way, shaking his head as he started off towards the pavilion.
Slow-motion replays never tell the whole story with catches like these and Root was confident he caught it, but former England captain Michael Vaughan didn’t agree.
“That was NOT OUT!!” he tweeted.
But Root knew he caught it and had a message for any doubters.
"I said that I caught it. You could feel your fingers underneath the ball," he said. "You can look at slow-mos and they always look worse than they are.
"As a fielder you know if your fingers are underneath the ball, (I) clearly felt that was the case.
"I'm an honest guy, I'm not going to try and cheat the game regardless of the situation and it's quite disappointing when it's slowed down and people start questioning your integrity.
"We play the game in a certain way and that's the right way."
More nerves hit the Aussie camp soon after when Leach had Matthew Wade caught at short leg for one, bringing captain Tim Paine to the crease as Australia had 10 overs to survive with five wickets in hand.
Paine came and went, caught by a Joe Denly screamer at square leg for four as he tried to hook Archer. He didn’t middle it and Denly flew full stretch to his left, plucking the ball out of the air with an extended left hand as he flew horizontal to the ground.
The Lord’s crowd was urging the home side on but Pat Cummins and Head ensured English fans would go home disappointed, defending their way to stumps. Head finished unbeaten on 42 while Cummins was on one.
England could sniff a shock victory after a red-hot Archer took the early wickets of David Warner (5) and Usman Khawaja (2) but when Head joined Labuschagne at the crease following Cameron Bancroft’s departure, LBW to Leach for 16, the Aussie resistance kicked into gear.
That Labuschange was even batting is an amazing tale in itself as he became the first player in Test history to be parachuted into a match as a concussion substitute after Steve Smith was floored by a sickening blow to his neck on day four.
While he passed all his concussion tests immediately after the shocking incident, Smith woke up on the morning of day five feeling groggy and with a headache. He underwent further concussion testing and his results had deteriorated from the previous day so the Australian team doctor made the decision to withdraw him from the Test.
It meant Labuschagne went from drinks carrier to key player as he made the most of an unusual return to the Test team.
Before this Test, the Queenslander had played five matches for a modest average of 26.25 and you wouldn’t have been banking on him making that many when like Smith, he too was felled by a vicious Archer bouncer. Facing up to his second ball, the short delivery jagged back into him and smashed the grill of his helmet, sending him crashing to the ground.
The doctor was once again required in the middle as he made sure Labuschagne was OK and the 25-year-old was allowed to continue batting.
The rookie played his best Test innings to date, scoring just his second half century. He showed plenty of courage to withstand Archer’s aggression and no shortage of skill in dealing with the spin of Leach out of the rough.
The right-hander played and missed regularly against Archer after getting hit in the head but fought through the tough times to earn the respect of Australian cricket fans who had previously questioned why selectors were so keen to blood the man with a first class average of just 37.
"Marnus played superbly," Paine said after play. "He got hit hard in the face second ball and I thought he showed great character, great skill and technique.
"We know Marnus is a quality player and he’s getting better all the time. We’re happy with the way he played."
At the other end Head was just as gritty. He looked like a walking wicket early in his innings as he struggled to cope with the turn and variable bounce Leach was exploiting on the day-five surface but despite a number of close calls he didn’t budge.
There were some loose swishes outside off stump – as Head is prone to do – but England butchered a chance to get him out when Jason Roy dropped a sitter at second slip. He became more assured as his innings wore on and was always ready to pounce on anything loose as he kept the scoreboard ticking over.
It was mark of Head’s maturity he was there at the very end as the Aussies hung on in a cliffhanger.
After so much time in the Test was lost to rain it was incredible for a result to be on the cards.
Starting the day at 4/96 England had the better of the opening hour as Stokes and Buttler held the Aussies at bay. While the pair were shaky late on day four they were more assured on day five and held the ship steady before the momentum shifted after lunch.
Buttler was out hooking to fine leg but under instructions to chase quick runs so Root could declare, Stokes unleashed and found the boundary at will.
He took 106 balls to score his first 50 runs but his second 50 took just 54 deliveries. He clobbered Nathan Lyon for back-to-back sixes over mid-wicket and flat-batted Peter Siddle through the covers for four.
Stokes reached three figures with a single to deep square leg and let out a roar of emotion as he savoured the sensation of scoring Test ton No. 7.
He was undefeated on 115 when Root called his batsmen in.
