London: The fifth and final Ashes Test between England and Australia witnessed a day of excitement and resilience before rain played spoilsport, washing away the third and final session. At the end of the day’s play, Australia displayed a rock-solid opening stand, reaching 135/0, with Usman Khawaja (69*) and David Warner (58*) unbeaten.
The match’s fourth day started with England resuming their innings at 389/9, with James Anderson (8*) and Stuart Broad (2*) at the crease. A jubilant crowd at the venue gave Broad a memorable farewell as he played his final international cricket match. In the very first over of the session, Broad thrilled the spectators with a massive six over deep mid-wicket off Mitchell Starc.
However, Todd Murphy struck back for Australia, dismissing Anderson for eight runs. With that wicket, England’s innings came to a close at 395 runs, setting a challenging target of 384 runs for Australia to win the Ashes series 3-1 or for England to level the series at 2-2.
In their pursuit of the target, Australian openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja put on an impressive display of batting, steadily accumulating runs and showing aggression when required. At the end of 20 overs, Australia reached 63/0, with Warner (28*) and Khawaja (29*) at the crease.
The partnership between Khawaja and Warner flourished as they continued to hammer England with timely boundaries and looked poised to build a substantial opening partnership. The 100-run mark was reached in the 32nd over, indicating Australia’s determination to chase down the target.
As the duo confidently approached their respective half-centuries, rain intervened during the 38th over, forcing an early tea break. When play was halted, Australia stood strong at 135/0, with Khawaja (69*) and Warner (58*) continuing their undefeated stand.
Both batsmen displayed impeccable form and focus throughout the innings, reaching their milestones with grace. Khawaja registered his third half-century of the series in 110 balls, while Warner recorded his second half-century in 90 balls.
Mitchell Starc and Todd Murphy were the standout bowlers for Australia, both claiming four wickets each, while Skipper Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood chipped in with a wicket apiece.
Despite the unfortunate rain interruption, cricket enthusiasts are eagerly anticipating the final session on the upcoming day, hoping to witness an enthralling conclusion to the match and the series.
Brief Scores: England: 283 and 395 (Joe Root 91, Jonny Bairstow 78, Mitchell Starc 4/100) vs. Australia: 295 and 135/0 (Usman Khawaja 69*, David Warner 58*).
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