Stuart Broad’s farewell act is ‘obscene’ on controversial final day of Ashes series

You cannot make this stuff up. Stuart Broad farewelled cricket in ridiculous scenes after an “obscene” moment on the final day of the Fifth Test.

Stuart Broad enjoyed the dream ending to his Test career as England secured a 49-run win in the Fifth Test and extended Australia’s search for an away Ashes series win by another four years.

Broad entered the final day as the central figure after announcing his retirement at the end of day three and finished the job with the last two wickets — and an “obscene” farewell act.

The England bowling great had been enduring the most frustrating of final days as he continually beat the outside edge and went wicketless in his first 18 overs.

So in a desperate act of superstition, Broad again changed the bails over - this time at the non-strikers end - ahead of the final ball of his 19th over.

And it worked. Broad immediately drew a nick from Todd Murphy that was pocketed by Jonny Bairstow and The Oval exploded.

“You all saw Broad swap the bails at the nonstriker’s end before that delivery, right? Obscene,” cricket journalist Vithushan Ehantharajah tweeted.

Stuart Broad farewelled cricket with an "obscene" act. Pictures: Getty

Broad had famously used the same trick to end Marnus Labuschagne’s patient stand in the first innings. After doing it again, he said: “If I’d learned that 10 years ago I would have been all right, wouldn’t I?”

Having hit the last ball he faced in Test cricket for six, Broad then completed a fairytale ending by dismissing Alex Carey with his final delivery to secure England’s win.

The light-hearted and touching scenes were in complete contrast to a controversial opening to the day.

Australia had dared to dream after a sensational opening stand by Usman Khawaja and David Warner reached 140 runs in the morning.

But a disgraceful” decision made late on day four stalled Australia’s run chase and left Ricky Ponting calling for an official investigation.

England was allowed to change the ball 36 overs into the innings after complaints from Jimmy Anderson.

But the Poms appeared to be handed a replacement Dukes that was significantly newer than the one they’d been using and it had a devastating impact early on day five.

England was handed a shiny new replacement ball. Pictures: Channel 9

Man of the series Chris Woakes enjoyed all sorts of movement through the air and off the pitch as Khawaja (72), Warner and Marnus Labuschagne (13) all fell in the first hour to leave Australia in big trouble at 3/175 at drinks.

And Aussies everywhere were fuming. “It certainly looks a lot newer than the one they changed from,” Ponting said.

“Look at how much writing is on the side of that ball … that is a huge contrast to the conditions to the two Dukes balls.”

“I cannot fathom how two international umpires that have done this so many times before, have got this so wrong,” Ponting added. “That is a huge moment in this game, potentially a huge moment in the Test match, and something I think has to be investigated.”

Woakes, who finished with figures of 4/50 to be the final day hero, smiled when asked about the ball change after the match.

“We were happy with that, I’m not sure the Aussies were,” Woakes said.

More drama was to come just before lunch after Steve Smith (54) and Travis Head (43) had launched a counterattack.

Smith was handed the most critical of reprieves when Ben Stokes pulled off an incredible Herschelle Gibbs impression.

Moeen Ali got a ball to turn and bounce and clip Smith’s glove - and the ball popped up to Stokes at leg slip.

The English skipper jumped high to snare a clean one-handed catch over his head, but as he brought it down to begin to celebrate his hand clipped his right leg and the ball was spilled.

Ben Stokes drops Steve Smith during the fifth Test.

Stokes knew he’d blown it but was still talked in to calling for a review by his teammates in a moment that saw him criticised for abandoning the “spirit of cricket”.

He then complained animatedly to the umpires for the lost review as the players left the field for lunch in another poor look.

Like it had on day four, rain again interrupted proceedings during a period where Australia was dominating with the bat - and the game flipped on its head when play resumed in the evening session.

Australia lost 4/11 in a disastrous 19-ball stretch as Woakes and Moeen Ali (3/76) ripped through the middle order.

The visitors went from 3/264 — 120 runs short of victory - to 7/275 and there was no real hope of a recovery from that point.

It left series villain Piers Morgan crowing “the Moral Ashes are coming home!” on Twitter and created a relatively pressure-free finish where Stokes could afford to let Broad bowl an extended spell and secure a send-off he couldn’t have scripted better.

There were raucous celebrations by the home crowd as Australia fell short of its mission to become the first team to win on English soil since 2001.

“It will be a slightly hollow feeling,” Ponting said after play finished. “For some of those Australian players it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win an Ashes series ... and they let it slip.”

3.10am - Stuart Broad’s final act is ‘obscene’

You seriously cannot make this stuff up.

Stuart Broad was enduring the most frustrating of final days as he continually beat the outside edge and went wicketless in 18 overs.

So in a desperate act of superstition, the England quick again changed the bails over - this time at the non-strikers end - ahead of the final ball of his 19th over.

And it worked.

Broad immediately drew a nick from Todd Murphy that was pocketed by Jonny Bairstow and The Oval exploded.

“You all saw Broad swap the bails at the nonstriker’s end before that delivery, right? Obscene,” cricket journalist Vithushan Ehantharajah tweeted.

Stuart Broad farewelled cricket with an "obscene" act. Pictures: Getty

Broad had famously used the same trick to end Marnus Labuschagne’s patient stand in the first innings.

After doing it again, he said: “If I’d learned that 10 years ago I would have been all right, wouldn’t I?”

It ended another commendable contribution with the bat from the Aussie offspinner as he made 18 runs in a 35-run stand with Alex Carey.

Broad had one last moment of joy as he then grabbed Carey’s wicket for 28 runs to give England a 49-run win and finish his career in perfect fashion.

2.30am - Cummins can’t save Australia

Australia’s luck has completely run out at The Oval.

Pat Cummins was looking to launch another rearguard rescue mission like he did in the First Test when he attempted to hit Moeen Ali hard to the leg side.

But he didn’t middle it and the ball careened on to his pad before ballooning up to Ben Stokes for a catch at leg slip.

Cummins was gone for nine and Australia was 8/294, still 90 runs from a win.

2.10am - End coming quickly as Starc nicks off

What a disaster for Australia. 3/264 has become 7/275 after Mitchell Starc came and went for a second ball duck.

Chris Woakes versus the Aussie tail isn’t a fair fight and Starc quickly nicked off to Zak Crawley at second slip.

“Absolute scenes at The Oval,” a commentator said. “Starc goes for a duck.”

The end looks like coming quickly now.

2.05am - Bairstow takes a screamer as Marsh fails

It’s become a full-blown collapse after Mitch Marsh was caught one-handed by a diving Jonny Bairstow.

The situation Australia would have feared all day - exposing two new batsmen at the same time - is playing out as the visitors lose 3/10 from 15 balls.

Marsh made just six before getting an inside edge on to his pad against Moeen Ali. The ball bounced wide of Bairstow - and would have fallen well short of first slip - but the keeper reacted instantly to pouch a spectacular catch.

You know it's your day when:pic.twitter.com/yyVgfO31Pp

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) July 31, 2023

2am - Disaster for Australia as Smith goes

England is back in charge of this Test match after Travis Head and Steve Smith departed in consecutive overs.

Chris Woakes has been superb for the hosts all day and got one to nip away off the seam to catch the edge of Smith’s bat.

Zak Crawley did the rest in the slips and Smith was gone for 54.

Australia still needs 110 runs to win with its top five batsmen all back in the sheds.

1.50am - Head goes with 120 runs left to get

A potentially match-turning partnership between Travis Head and Steve Smith fell five runs short of a century as Moeen Ali struck for England.

Moeen drew Head into a drive and found an edge that flew to Joe Root at first slip.

Head was out for 43 to make Australia 4/264, needing 120 runs to win. Steve Smith is 50 not out.

1.45am - Aussies robbed by umpire ‘miscalculation’

There’s been relentless drama on the final day of the Fifth Test and now the umpires have admitted to a “miscalcuation” in comical scenes.

As Steve Smith and Travis Head survived a testing opening to the final session, word came out to the middle that there were actually five less overs in the day then what the players had initially been told when play resumed.

“Umpires have just informed players that their calculation of 52 overs was incorrect,” AAP sports reporter Scott Bailey tweeted. “And there were actually 47 overs available when they resumed play (as simple math could have told them). Seriously, what on earth is happening?”

1.05am - Terms of thrilling finale set

Play will resume at 1.20am with 52 overs left in the day for England to take seven wickets or Australia to make 146 runs.

We might not get the full allotment of overs in if it gets dark, but the teams will keep going at it for as long as the conditions permit.

Win predictor has it England 48 per cent, Australia 34 per cent and a draw 18 per cent.

12.20am - Early tea taken as rain clears

The tea break has been moved forward after the rain stopped and the ground staff begins the clear-up job.

There will be a pitch inspection at 1am and hopefully one long session to finish the series with everything in play.

11.40pm - Players off the field as rain falls

You have to love cricket. A 40-minute lunch break where the weather was fine has been followed by an immediate rain delay.

The players were back on the field ready to start the second session when rain started to fall and the covers were brought out.

There’s been predictions it will last about 90 minutes but it’s a serious blow to both sides’ hopes of chasing a win.

England has no option but to keep chasing wickets but Australia is a different story. Do the Aussies keep going hard in limited overs to get the 146 runs needed for victory? Or just try to play out the day knowing a draw gives them a series win?

10.25pm - ‘Moment of madness’ as Stokes ‘drops Ashes’

Steve Smith and Australia have been handed the most critical of reprieves just before lunch after Ben Stokes pulled off an incredible Herschelle Gibbs impression in what’s been described as a “moment of madness”.

Moeen Ali got a ball to turn and bounce and clip Smith’s glove - and the ball popped up to Stokes at leg slip.

The English skipper jumped high to snare a clean one-handed catch over his head, but as he brought it down to begin to celebrate his hand clipped his right leg and the ball was spilled.

Stokes knew he’d blown it but was still talked in to calling for a review by his teammates.

Cheers rang out around The Oval as the replay showed the ball clipping the glove, but then vision of Stokes’ blunder was shown and there was heartbreak for England.

Everyone immediately thought of Gibbs’ famous drop in the 1999 World Cup, when he dropped Steve Waugh while throwing the ball away early.

“I don’t think Steve Smith has just turned to him and said you’ve just dropped the Ashes, though,” Mel Jones said in commentary.

“No, those are gone already,” Nasser Hussain laughed.

It allowed Smith to reach lunch 40 not out. Travis Head is 31 not out and Australia is 3/238, needing 146 runs to win.

Ben Stokes jumps to take the catch. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP)

The ball spills loose as Stokes celebrates. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

10.20pm - Aussies land a couple of Head shots

Momentum is beginning to swing back to the visitors as Travis Head settles alongside Steve Smith.

Head looked odds-on to send a nick to the slips cordon early but clubbed Jimmy Anderson to the boundary on consecutive balls to find his groove as Australia passed 200.

With predictions a couple of hours in the second and third sessions could be lost to rain, Australia was scoring at a brisk rate as the fourth-wicket partnership reached 50 in just over 10 overs.

Stuart Broad has been desperately unlucky in his final Test appearance, consistently beating the outside edge because the ball is swinging too much.

9.10pm - Poms laughing as ‘conspiracy’ rocks final day

When you have English commentators laughing in the box you know it’s an absolute joke.

A ball change “conspiracy” has rocked the final day of the Ashes and left Aussie fans fuming at home.

The furore started when images were shown of England being handed a shiny new cherry late on day four, when they’d been using one that looked quite worn.

The new Dukes ball is having a match and series-defining impact on the morning of day five as the likes of Chris Woakes and Mark Wood enjoy all sorts of movement through the air and off the pitch.

Openers Usman Khawaja (72) and David Warner (60) both fell quickly to Woakes, who according to CricViz delivered the “most threatening” spell by any bowler in the entire series.

After Wood claimed Marnus Labuschagne for 13, Australia was in big trouble at 3/175 at drinks.

And everyone was talking about the ball. “It certainly looks a lot newer than the one they changed from,” Australian cricket legend Ricky Ponting remarked.

“Look at how much writing is on the side of that ball … that is a huge contrast to the conditions to the two Dukes balls.”

🙃 #Ashespic.twitter.com/KiU0TRSsHk

— Trent Copeland (@copes9) July 31, 2023

“This is a complete contrast to what we saw bowling conditions-wise yesterday,” Ponting added.

“It has got to be this change of ball. There was absolutely nothing happening. Australia dominated. Totally different this morning, that’s for sure.”

Former Test opener Mark Taylor continued: “It really pinged off the bat. It even sounds harder.”

Former Australian international Callum Ferguson continued on Channel 9: “I think it is actually disgraceful they have allowed a ball this new into the game at the stage they did. It made it very difficult.”

And the England commentators, while seeing the funny side, agreed.

“The ball did nothing yesterday,” former England spinner Phil Tufnell said on BBC Test Match Special. It was gun barrel straight.”

Former Test captain Nasser Hussain called it “very odd”, declaring the ball change was “madness”.

“This ball change has made an enormous difference,” former England batter Mark Butcher laughed.

“The (new ball) looked brand-spanking new. The conspiracy theorists will be out.”

“I’ll be honest with you, if the boot was on the other foot we might be (complaining too),” Butcher said. “They have a point.”

Gold stamp still visible but 40 overs old they reckon 🤥🤪

— Ben Cameron (@BenCameron23) July 31, 2023

9.05pm - Aussies wobbling as Marnus goes

Australia’s top three is back in the sheds after Marnus Labuschagne nicked Mark Wood to Zak Crawley at second slip for 13. Australia is 3/169, still 215 runs from victory.

8.40pm - Khawaja departs, England fight back

Usman Khawaja has been trapped LBW by Chris Woakes, having struggled against the inswinging ball early today from both Woakes and Stuart Broad.

He departs for 72, leaving Steve Smith to join the fresh Marnus Labuschagne at the crease.

Australia have lost two wickets for just six runs from the first six overs of day five.

8.25pm - Warner gone early

David Warner has been dismissed early, nicking behind off Chris Woakes after a difficult early period of bowling that saw Stuart Broad rap Usman Khawaja on the pads twice.

Warner goes for 60 off 143 deliveries, missing out on a final opportunity to impress on the Australian public his abilities away from home.

He is given a standing ovation from the Oval crowd in acknowledgement of an extraordinary career as one of the greatest openers Australia has ever produced, having scored 2173 runs against England including three centuries.

Marnus Labuschagne comes to the crease with the score 1/140.

8.00pm - Australians optimistic of history

There is mild rain about in London, as is the standard in an English summer, but the covers are coming off and we appear to be starting the day’s play on time.

Usman Khawaja the man holding court in the final huddle of the tour for Australia & it’s a long speech too #Ashespic.twitter.com/iWbzuKBJSj

— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) July 31, 2023

There is expected to be possible rain around today, in news that will delight Australian fans.

Usman Khawaja has delivered a rousing pre-play address to the Australian group, as the nation braces for one of the biggest single nights of sport in recent memory, with the Matildas in a do-or-die clash against Canada in their final group game of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Despite Australia having retained the Ashes with a rained-out draw at Old Trafford, the English will be desperate to avoid series loss on home soil.

A loss would mark a generational defeat despite their swashbuckling new style of play, dubbed ‘Bazball’, lauded as the answer to dwindling interest in the game in England.