A swashbuckling six from Stuart Broad in his final batting innings set Australia 384 to win the fifth Ashes Test, but England were unable to make any inroads on the fourth morning at the Kia Oval.
Broad’s shock announcement on Saturday night that he would retire after this series ensured all eyes were on him as England resumed on 389 for nine.
Following a guard of honour, Broad pulled the last delivery of Mitchell Starc’s opening over into the stands and it was his final flay of the bat.
Todd Murphy trapped James Anderson lbw five balls later to dismiss England for 395 with Broad unbeaten on eight.
There would be no early heroics with the ball for Broad though, with David Warner and Usman Khawaja able to enjoy their best opening stand of the series to guide Australia to lunch on 75 without loss before rain arrived.
Broad lapped up the benefits of making his retirement plans public when he walked out to bat for one final time on day four.
A sold-out Kia Oval crowed greeted his emergence from the pavilion with a standing ovation before old rivals Australia gave the veteran a guard of honour.
England’s innings would last a further 11 balls, but it was enough time for Broad to deliver one last time with the bat.
After singles were turned down from the first five balls of Starc’s over, the sixth was smashed over square leg for six by Broad.
It would prove the final ball of Broad’s batting career with Anderson out lbw in Murphy’s next over to set Australia 384 to win the series.
Broad sprinted off to get ready for his bowling stint and despite enticing an inside edge first up from Warner, it landed safely and Ben Stokes had replaced both his new ball bowlers by the ninth over.
Moeen Ali got the call after recovering sufficiently from his groin strain on Thursday but leaked runs initially and Australia’s openers brought up their fourth fifty stand of the series in the 14th over.
Further changes by Stokes saw Broad and Anderson brought back after spells from Chris Woakes and Joe Root, but quick Mark Wood was conspicuous by his absence.
Australia’s scoring rate did slow and yet Khawaja and Warner nudged their way past the 73-run partnership they put on at Lord’s with the former surviving an lbw appeal by Root before light rain arrived as the players walked off.
McKenzie hits two fifties to lead Kingston CC to first JCA Senior Cup title since 2001
West Indies batsman Kirk McKenzie was the catalyst as Kingston Cricket Club won their first Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) Senior Cup title since 2001 at Sabina Park over the weekend.
Kingston took first strike after opponents, the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), won the toss and elected to field first on day one on Saturday.
McKenzie led the way with a 127-ball 83 including 10 fours and five sixes as Kingston were bowled out for 251 in their first innings.
He was well supported by Jamaica Scorpions players Brad Barnes and Romaine Morris who made 57 and 44, respectively.
Tevin Gilzene, who represented the Jamaica Scorpions in the 2023 West Indies Championship, led the way for the soldiers with 5-60 from 18.5 overs while Andrae Dennis, who made his first-class debut in the final round of the recently concluded West Indies Championship, took 3-33 off nine overs in support.
Pacers Andre Bailey and Odean Smith then combined for six wickets to help reduce JDF to 185 all out in their first innings.
Bailey took 3-41from 11 overs while Smith took 3-43 from 12.
Andre Fowler led the way for JDF with a patient 108-ball 43 at the top of the order.
Kingston were 219-8 in their second innings on day two when play was called to an end.
McKenzie followed up his first innings exploits with 84 off 114 balls including 10 fours and four sixes while Smith made 45 off 27 balls including seven fours and two sixes.
Scorpions pacer Gordon Bryan took 5-28 for JDF in the second innings.
With the win, Kingston CC took home a prize of $750,00 while JDF pocketed $500,000. Patrick Harty Jr was named tournament MVP and was also the leading wicket-taker while Melbourne Cricket Club’s Javelle Glenn was the tournament’s top run scorer.
Full scores: Kingston CC 251 (Kirk McKenzie 83, Brad Barnes 57, Romaine Morris 44, Tevin Gilzene 5-60, Andrae Dennis 3-33) & 219-8 (Kirk McKenzie 84, Odean Smith 45, Gordon Bryan 5-28)
JDF 185 (Andre Fowler 43, Andre Bailey 3-41, Odean Smith 3-43)
Windies to test T20 World Cup readiness against South Africa, Australia in Jamaica and T&T; final squad to be named this week
With the ICC Men’s Twenty 20 World Cup now just about a month away, Darren Sammy and his West Indies team will up the tempo on preparations, before testing their readiness for the June 1-29 global showpiece, with a final warm-up match against Australia in Trinidad and Tobago.
Sammy’s final squad, which is expected to be named sometime this week, will be one of nine teams to travel to the Trinidad and Tobago in May for eight warm-up matches, four of which will take place at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, while the other four is scheduled for the historic Queen’s Park Oval. The teams will arrive in twin island republic on May 21.
The revelation came from Cricket West Indies’s (CWI) CEO Johnny Grave during the recently-concluded CARICOM conference on West Indies cricket themed ‘Reinvigorating West Indies Cricket’, in Port of Spain.
Grave explained that the final West Indies squad will not convene in full until they travel to Jamaica at the end of May to engage South Africa in three warm-up contests. However, he pointed out that there will be a camp in Antigua prior, which will involve members of the final squad, who are not plying their trade in the Indian Premier League.
From Jamaica, the Rovman Powell-captained squad will then travel to Trinidad and Tobago for the clash against 50-over World Cup winners Australia, ahead of the tournament to be hosted in the Caribbean and United States.
West Indies, the 2012 and 2016 champions, are hunting a third T20 World Cup title.
“We’re going to have a week-long preparation camp in Antigua from May 12, before heading to Jamaica. We’re then going to leave Jamaica and come here to Trinidad and Tobago for a week’s preparation, including playing at the historic Queen’s Park Oval on May 30, in an evening fixture against one of the tournament favourites Australia,” Grave shared.
“That will probably be one of the only games in the warm-up schedule that will be ticketed, and we certainly hope that the fans here in Trinidad, and particularly those in Port of Spain, will come out and rally behind the West Indies in that warm-up match, which is the final game we’ll play before we head to Guyana for the opening game on June 2,” he added.
West Indies, who are drawn in Group C alongside New Zealand, Afghanistan, Uganda and Papua New Guinea, will open against the latter at the Guyana National Stadium on June 2.
Grave urged fans to come out and rally behind the West Indies outfit in their push to start the tournament on a high.
“Making sure we have a huge party in Georgetown, and we get off to a winning start (will be crucial). We all know in these global tournaments, confidence and momentum are important and we can think of nothing better than starting with a victory in Guyana and ending it in Barbados on June 29 with a similar victory,” Grave said.
Archer included in England's T20 World Cup squad
Jofra Archer has been recalled to England’s provisional squad for the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and United States this June.
The 29-year-old, who has not played competitive cricket since May due to a long-term elbow injury, could make his first appearance for the international team since a tour of Bangladesh in March 2023.
Archer has been limited to just 15 T20Is since his England debut in 2019 and missed their 2022 World Cup success in Australia due to the same injury.
There is a recall for fellow fast-bowler Chris Jordan, who last played for England against New Zealand in September 2023, at the expense of Chris Woakes.
Uncapped Lancashire left-arm spinner, Tom Hartley, is also named in Jos Buttler’s 15-man squad, which includes nine players from the 2022 World Cup.
England will play a four-match T20 series against Pakistan at Headingley in May before they begin their T20 World Cup title defence against Scotland in Barbados on 4 June.
England’s provisional squad:
Jos Buttler (captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, To Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingston, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.
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