Australia win by three wickets in the third Test, England maintained their chances of winning the Ashes in yet another tense Headingley conclusion.
England beat Australia: Harry Brook scored a magnificent 75, but the hosts’ spinners Chris Woakes and Mark Wood had to push them over the line in order to reach the target of 251.
After lunch on day four, the team’s bulwark, Ben Stokes, was knocked out for 13, leaving 90 runs to be needed. Brook’s composed knock brought them within 21 runs of victory.
Before top-edging a cut from Mitchell Starc, who nearly claimed the series for Australia with a brutal 5-78, Brook put on 59 with Woakes.
Wood sparked excitement in the crowd when he struck Pat Cummins for six and then destroyed Starc for four after that wicket brought him to the crease amid intense anxiety.
Alex Carey, the wicketkeeper for Australia, dropped Wood with four needed, and Woakes, who finished undefeated on 32, scored the go-ahead runs.
With two Tests remaining, England’s victory puts the series 2-1 in Australia’s favour and sets up a thrilling finish that may even surpass the memorable encounter from 2005.
The fourth Test at Old Trafford begins on Wednesday, July 19, after a nine-day break.
England continues to dominate the stage.
2023 can now be added to the list of Headingley Ashes sagas after 1981 and 2019.
Even while it didn’t reach the same crescendo as Stokes and Jack Leach’s 10th-wicket partnership from four years ago, it was still a tense day.
The grandstand applauded every run and welcomed every wicket with quiet, except for the pockets of Australian green and gold fans.
Prior to lunch, Joe Root left and, more importantly, soon after, Stokes threatened to give Australia the victory that would secure their first Ashes series in England in 22 years.
However, Brook handled the scenario flawlessly while batting at home in his maiden Ashes series, only to falter with the goal in sight.
In Woakes, he found a tough partner who fought through the short-ball attack and provided Wood with the anchor at the finish.
The scenes of jubilation were similar to those from four years ago when England achieved its first victory following two close matches that could have gone either way.
After three thrilling Test matches, they have made sure the show goes on and the series gets the happy finish it deserves. They must achieve something they have never done before—come from 2-0 behind to win the Ashes.
deliverables Brook, Woakes & Wood
After the team replaced the injured Ollie Pope at number three in the first innings, they moved Brook back down to number five in the order before he made his run.
At 93-3, he made a shaky start in a 38-man stand with Root before sending Scott Boland thrice through the covers to set him off.
After losing Root, Stokes, and Jonny Bairstow, who was playing on from a reckless drive with the target 80 runs away and Australia the favourites at the time, Brook maintained his composure.
The 24-year-old Brook established himself as an aggressive batsman in his first 10 Test matches, becoming the fastest player to 1,000 Test runs in terms of balls faced. However, Brook displayed restraint while putting away bad deliveries with the field wide.
Woakes was more combative on the other end. Despite being fortunate to deflect the short ball three times into open areas, he was still able to slice the ball into the off side.
Australia still had a chance after Brook top-edged a bouncer, but Wood, who bowled with incredible velocity and claimed seven wickets in the game, hooked Cummins over fine leg on his way to staying unbeaten at 16.
But it was appropriate that Woakes, who also contributed a significant six wickets, scored the winning runs 15 months after leaving the team.
Starc nearly takes it home for Australia.
England had added 15 runs reasonably smoothly in the midst of the tense situation after starting on 27-0 before Starc’s left-arm pace caught Ben Duckett lbw for 23.
In Brook’s place, the hosts promoted Moeen Ali, but he only managed five before a Starc inswinger struck the stump of his leg.
In a dismissal that perfectly sums up his Test career, Zak Crawley batted effectively for 44 runs but edged a powerful drive to Mitchell Marsh through to the wicketkeeper one delivery after blasting the same shot through the covers.
Root gloved the leg side of a loose ball that Cummins was trying to pull.
However, Starc proved to be the biggest threat, resulting in the dismissal of Stokes on the leg side before Bairstow’s erratic swish.
After Nathan Lyon was forced to withdraw from the series last week due to a calf injury, Australia lost control. However, they had more than a week to recover before attempting to win the series once again.