Though the scorecard was 3-0 in the ongoing Ashes Test series and Australia was in a quite comfortable position, the fourth Test match was no less than a thriller drama. Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson’s never-give-up attitude helped England pull off a draw in the 4th Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. From a point where it appeared that England have set themselves for a whitewash, to keeping their nerves under control down during the last 10 overs of Day 5 – England’s tenth wicket partnership saved the day for the visitors.
With 10 overs to go and two wickets in hand, at first, England looked on course to save the match. However, when Australian skipper Pat Cummins picked Steve Smith to bowl, in tandem with Nathan Lyon, it was a wake-up call to the England batters. Off the last delivery of his first over, Smith managed to get Leach to touch the edge of the ball with his willow, leaving his team just a wicket away from victory. Notably, it was Smith’s first wicket since 2016. Fortunately for England, Broad and Anderson kept their nerves in control and played out an over each, making the match end in a draw.
Former Australia batter Mike Hussey said that Smith’s dismissal of Leach reminded him of the match, in which Michael Clarke took three wickets in an over against India, to secure a late win at the same venue. The former cricketer thought that Smith was also going to spin his magic and guide his team to a famous victory.
For the unversed, back in 2011, Anil Kumble had batted out over 100 deliveries and had placed India an inch away from drawing. However, when Clarke was given the ball off late, he dismissed Harbhajan Singh, RP Singh, and Ishant Sharma in his very second over, which guided Australia to a thumping victory. Unfortunately, Smith was not able to create the magic to go past James Anderson, who played out the final over from the part-time leggie.
Get all the IPL news and Cricket Score here
.