The Test documentary: Australia’s darkest day since Cape Town caught on camera

Justin Langer kicked a bin over in anger, Nathan Lyon was too devastated to look at his teammates and the Aussies sat in wide-eyed disbelief.

What took place at Headingley on August 25th, 2019 was more enthralling and nerve-racking than any Hollywood blockbuster.

Amazon’s Australian docu-series takes viewers behind the scenes during one of the national cricket team’s darkest days since the Cape Town ball-tampering saga.

You couldn’t script what happened at Headingley on August 25, 2019. What took place in Leeds was more enthralling and nerve-racking than any Hollywood film, purely because the drama was real and the emotions were raw. Nobody in the crowd or on the pitch was acting. Nothing was fabricated.

And cameraman Andre Mauger captured every moment in The Test.

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Mauger’s incredible footage has provided cricket fans with a fresh glimpse into the Ashes’ most unforgettable day.

THE LEAD-UP

The Cape Town controversy rocked the Australian sporting landscape, and the national cricket team was in a period of recovery and revival. Leading into the 2019 Ashes, Australia suffered a historic home series loss to India and an early semi-final exit during the Cricket World Cup.

The team was desperate the win back the support of its fans, and bringing home the urn would undoubtedly help.

Australia held a 1-0 lead in the five-match series when the squad travelled to Leeds for the third Test, but were without Edgbaston hero Steve Smith after suffering a concussion at Lord’s.

Victory for the Australians in any of the last three matches would ensure they retained the Ashes, something not achieved in England for 18 years. Vice-captain Travis Head was seven-years-old the last time Australia won an away Ashes series.

England started the match horrifically, dismissed for 67 on day two, obliterated by Australia’s formidable seam attack. Newcomer Joe Denly was the only player capable of reaching double figures during the demolition.

After Australia’s second innings, Joe Root’s men needed 359 runs for victory, a monumental task considering the vulnerability of their batting line-up. England’s highest successful run chase in 130 years of Test cricket was 332, achieved at the MCG in 1928.

All-rounder Ben Stokes played patiently during the final session of day three — not out at stumps, he was two off 50 balls, but with plenty to do.

“There was no way Australia were not going to win that match,” broadcaster Jonathan Agnew said on The Test.

“England were going to lose, and the Ashes would be gone.”

The Australians slept soundly, knowing they only needed seven wickets to retain the coveted urn. England needed a miracle.

The moment Stokes became an English hero

THE FIRST ERROR

Australia’s bowlers slowly removed England’s batsmen one-by-one on day four. Strike spin bowler Nathan Lyon dismissed skipper Joe Root early, Marnus Labuschagne took a smart catch to remove Jonny Bairstow, and a moment of magic from Head in the field sent Jos Buttler back to the sheds.

But Stokes remained, defiant at the crease.

“We’ve got to get Stokes out,” coach Justin Langer muttered from the change rooms, as the left-hander started to discover his rhythm at the crease.

Eventually, England’s last remaining batsman made his way to the middle — spectacle-wearing tailender Jack Leach. Australia needed one wicket to retain the Ashes, England still required 73 runs, a near-impossible task.

Knowing Leach had little chance of surviving Australia’s bowlers, Stoked shifted gears, batting with aggression and counterattacking to score quick runs.

“Stokesy’s closer and closer to doing something stupid,” Smith told Langer. They knew only one mistake was needed to retain the urn.

Stokes managed singles off the final ball of overs, maintaining the strike and protecting his less capable partner. Aussie captain Tim Paine allowed this to happen by keeping fielders back on the boundary, much to Langer’s frustration.

“Is this the last ball? Bring them all in. Bring them all in,” Langer exclaimed.

“You’ve got to bring everyone in, surely. If it’s a four, so what?”

Tim Paine's first error was the fielding positioning to Ben Stokes

Venting his frustration, the Australian coach slapped the hand railing when Stokes inevitably rotated the strike once again.

“You want to bowl as many overs as you can to the No. 11,” Langer said on The Test. “I would have rather Ben Stokes hit that ball, we still get six balls at Leach.”

It was the first mistake of many from Paine and his teammates.

THE DROP

Stokes continued plundering boundaries, slowly reducing the target, which no longer looked an impossibility.

“The Aussie were gone; they were scrambled,” Agnew said. “Whereas Stokes was clinical.”

But then, with 17 runs required, he finally made an error. Facing paceman Pat Cummins, Stokes top-edged a length delivery towards third man.

Marcus Harris, playing in his seventh Test, steamed in from the boundary to claim the catch.

“Catch it, catch it,” yelled Smith, rising from his seat in the pavilion.

Harris lunged forward, the ball landing in his hands, but when his elbow struck the turf, it bobbled out and onto the grass. Stokes remained, and the match continued.

Spin coach Sridharan Sriram screamed in a fury from the change rooms. Langer simply buried his head in his hands.

“I’ve just dropped the Ashes,” Harris said on The Test. “That’s the worst feeling I’ve ever had.”

THE REVIEW

With only eight runs required, Cummins bowled a full delivery to Leach — who was still yet to score a run — striking the No. 11 on the pads.

The ball had pitched well outside leg stump, and the umpire ignored Cummins’ half-hearted appeal. But in a moment of pure desperation, Paine decided to go for the Hail Mary and use Australia’s last review.

“I knew that it pitched outside,” Cummins admitted on The Test.

Hawkeye confirmed Leach was not out, and the nailbiter resumed.

When Stokes thumped his eighth six of the innings, England only needed two runs to complete a phenomenal run chase. The end was neigh.

However, Langer knew there was more to come.

“It’s not over until it’s over,” Langer said. “The hardest thing in the world is hitting the winning run.”

And he was right.

THE FUMBLE

Stokes attempted a reverse sweep off Lyon, directed towards Cummins at short third man. Leach had run halfway down the pitch to back up his partner, but found himself stranded, gifting the Australians an opportunity to claim a one-run victory with a run out.

Cummins threw the ball to Lyon at the nonstriker’s end. All he had to do was retrieve the ball and take the bails off, and Australia would win the series.

But the pressure proved too much. Lyon fumbled the ball — which had bounced up at ideal chest height — and Leach survived.

Nathan Lyon’s heartbreaking fumble

In the Australian viewing area, coaching staff unanimously cried out in disbelief. Langer, with veins popping out of his forehead, frantically jumped out of his seat and kicked over a rubbish bin, which toppled down a set of stairs.

As the English crowd cheered from the stands, Lyon’s teammates dropped their heads in agony. As the coaching staff stared on in utter shock, Langer began cleaning up the mess he had created.

Like a punished schoolboy, the Australian coach started picking up dozens of water bottles and coffee cups off the floor, chucking them in the bin he had dented with his right shoe moments early.

“Pretty well sums us up boys,” Langer yells while picking coffee lids off the carpet.

However, one can only imagine what Lyon was feeling at that moment.

“I was absolutely gutted. You know, I’ve lost the Ashes,” Lyon said on The Test. “I knew I couldn’t dwell on it. I had to get up to bowl this last ball.”

THE APPEAL

One delivery remained in Lyon’s over, his last chance to snare a career-defining breakthrough. In yet another twist of fate, he delivered for Australia.

Full and at the stumps, Stokes attempted a slog sweep and was struck on the pad. Lyon quickly spun around and bellowed an appeal, as did his teammates, only needing umpire Joel Wilson to raise his index finger. The loudest “Howzat” came from Sriram in the changeroom.

However, Wilson was unmoved, adamant Stokes was not out.

Nathan Lyon’s desperate appeal

Lyon collapsed onto his backside, lying on the turf with his feet in the air. Australia had no reviews to overturn the decision, their last one wasted earlier on Leach.

“They needed that review, they needed that review,” cried commentator Nasser Hussain.

Paine promptly walked down the crease to question Wilson’s decision, knowing he was powerless to change the umpire’s mind.

Hawkeye certified Wilson’s decisive error. The ball would’ve crashed into leg stump, leaving Paine to wallow in regret.

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting summarised the moment succinctly from commentary. “There’s no way that Pat Cummins one could have possibly been out,” he said. “They burnt that one, and now it’s cost them the Test match.”

Four deliveries later, Stokes cut Cummins through point, and the New Zealand-born redhead raised his arms as England’s newest hero. The Leeds crowd roared, Leach embraced his partner, and the series was tied 1-1 with two matches to play.

Here it is. Ben Stokes' moment in Ben Stokes' summer.#Ashespic.twitter.com/K5sulZZrQe

— The Cricketer (@TheCricketerMag) August 25, 2019

Stokes finished 135 not out — it was arguably the greatest innings in Ashes history. The English players and support staff went wild from their viewing area, leaping around and embracing one other in pure ecstasy.

But in the Australian dugout, Langer sat still, biting his nails. After a few seconds, he composed himself, left the viewing area and prepared to confront his team.

THE AFTERMATH

Fatigued and crestfallen, the Australian side entered the changerooms.

The Leeds crowd could still be heard in the distance as Usman Khawaja slowly rubbed his forehead, unaware this would probably be his last Test match. Marnus Labuschagne sat motionless, open-mouthed in pure disbelief. Almost symmetrically, Head did the same, eyes wide and unmoving, processing what just took place.

However, none of Australia’s cricketers looked more heartbroken than Lyon.

The spin bowler sat in a separate room, head buried in a towel. Teammates occasionally went across and consoled him, unsure how to help, offering a pat on the back regardless.

Captain Paine was the first to speak.

“That is going to f***ing hurt a lot no doubt for the next couple of days,” he said.

“We’ve still got two Test matches. Let this f***ing sting, we had our chances to win this game and we f***ed it up. S**t happens. We can talk about that another time.

“Let’s take time, stick together. Keep knowing that the process we have got in place to beat these blokes is going to work. So it’s not game over, it’s not toys out of the cot, it’s a game of cricket. S**t f***ing happens.

“Yeah, it was f***ing important, and we wanted it, and we should have f***ing won it. Let’s move on and start getting our head around winning the next two f***ing Tests.”

Teammates comfort Nathan Lyon after the loss. Picture: Amazon

Paine spoke with tired eyes — you could see through the facade he was hurting, a lot.

But less than three weeks later, the Tasmanian would achieve something Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke never did during their stellar careers. He returned home from an Ashes tour with the urn tucked safely in his pocket.