Stuart Broad’s hopes of retiring in a blaze of glory threatened to go awry as his old rival David Warner helped Australia puncture the party atmosphere on day four of the final Ashes Test.

The stage seemed set for Broad to bow out in style following his shock announcement on Saturday night, as he was awarded a guard of honour by the tourists and then smashed his final ball as a batter into the crowd for six.

That left Australia chasing a mammoth 384 to win at the Kia Oval, 121 more than the ground record, placing England as heavy favourites as Broad began the chase for wickets alongside 41-year-old birthday boy James Anderson.

But Australia spoiled the party as Warner (58no) and Usman Khawaja (69no) carried the score to 135 without loss. In all England sent down 38 overs without a single concrete chance before rain stopped play in the afternoon session.

Broad bowled six overs for 15 but was unable to give the crowd the moment they wanted – an 18th career dismissal of Warner.

Australia showed their respect for England’s most prolific Ashes wicket-taker by lining up at the boundary edge and clapping him through as he and Anderson emerged to complete their last-wicket stand. Anderson, who has vowed to carry on despite having four years on his partner, made a point of taking a different route.

The pair refused to take easy singles off the first five balls of Mitchell Starc’s first over, a seemingly curious ploy but one that cashed out when Broad stepped away and smashed the seamer over midwicket for six. That would be his final stroke as a professional cricketer, with Anderson lbw to Todd Murphy in the next over.

Both men dashed off as they rushed to get their hands on the new ball, with clouds rolling in on cue. Warner produced an uncertain jab off Broad’s first delivery, spraying it off the inside edge, but the Dukes was refusing to swing despite the overheads.

Broad’s first spell did not not create any real danger, though he managed a few theatrical reactions to suggest otherwise, but he was not alone. Anderson and Chris Woakes fared similarly, with the 10th over of the innings thrown to Moeen Ali. Mark Wood, meanwhile, saw his 90mph go surplus to requirements.

He had not been certain to bowl at all due to a groin injury, but worked through five gentle overs before giving way to Joe Root. Warner and Khawaja were focused on the task at hand, picking off a steady diet of loose deliveries and reaching 75 by lunch.

Warner hinted that he was ready to go through the gears at the start of the afternoon session, clattering Anderson high over mid-off with a clean swing of the bat that took the score to 92 – the highest opening stand of the series.

Anderson sent down a wild beamer at his next visit, with Warner flopping to the ground as he avoided injury and collected four deflected runs into the bargain. With Root beginning to leak boundaries at the Vauxhall Road End, Stokes finally sent for Wood after 33 overs.

The Durham quick rapped Khawaja on the helmet as he ducked into a skiddy bouncer, but England could not get prevent the game slipping away from them. Khawaja was first to 50 in 110 balls, with Warner a couple of minutes behind but 20 deliveries quicker.

The weather intervened midway through the session but, while rain ruined England’s victory charge at Old Trafford last week, this felt like a welcome break for a home side who were losing the initiative with every run scored.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced their new West Indies Women’s Academy programme with the first High Performance camp scheduled to take place from 30 July to 13 August at the West Indies High Performance Centre at Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) in Antigua.

The West Indies Women’s Academy will feature an intake of 16 Women’s Rising Stars.

According to a statement from CWI, this marks a pivotal moment in the development of West Indies Women’s cricket in the region and a key step in the professional journey of the 16 players aspiring to becoming part of the next generation of West Indies Women’s senior players.

The squad of 16 players includes Asabi Callender, Jahzara Claxton, NaiJanni Cumberbatch, Earnisha Fontaine, Jannillea Glasgow, Realeanna Grimmond, Trishan Holder, Zaida James, Djenaba Joseph, KDJazz Mitchell, Ashmini Munisar, Samara Ramnath, Shalini Samaroo, Steffi Soogrim, Abini St Jean, Kate Wilmott.

The West Indies Women's Academy programme will provide a long-term development and coaching plan for these emerging players with the opportunity to learn and train alongside some of the best coaches and mentors in women's cricket. This first West Indies Women’s Academy camp will focus on refining their skills, enhancing their tactical acumen, and nurturing their mental resilience to prepare them for the challenges of international cricket.

“I feel very proud that the inaugural West Indies Women’s Academy has been launched with this first two-week camp in place to start the programme. It’s taken a lot of planning over the last 18 months, so to see it coming to fruition is a major step forward for the development of the next generation of West Indies Women’s cricketers. This first Academy camp is going to be different to previous High Performance camps, as it will be more holistic in developing players all-round game,” said CWI’s Talent Pathway Manager Steve Liburd.

“Most of the Academy intake are continuing from the West Indies Rising Stars Under 19s team that participated in the inaugural ICC Women’s Under19 Cricket World Cup earlier this year. This is a major investment and development to support their careers with the aim of becoming senior international cricketers. Our mandate at the West Indies Women’s Academy is aid their progress into the senior West Indies Women’s team and to equip them to become top international cricketers.”

The West Indies Women’s Academy is part of CWI’s long term strategic plan to invest in and develop women’s cricket across the region and a key stage in the West Indies Player Pathway. By providing a nurturing environment and pathway in which these young players can grow and flourish, CWI aims to create a sustainable pipeline of talent for the West Indies Women’s team.

The West Indies Men’s Academy was launched in 2022 and will continue in 2023

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.

England great Stuart Broad could bring the curtain down on a stellar Test career on day four of the final Ashes Test at the Kia Oval.

Broad made the shock announcement regarding his decision to retire following this series at the close of a productive third day where England made 389 for nine, an overall lead of 377.

If Ben Stokes does not spring another declaration, Broad will walk out in a batting capacity for one last time at the Kia Oval alongside James Anderson, the other half of the memorable bowling duo, on Sunday.

No matter how long England’s second innings does last, Broad’s main task of the day will be to terrorise Australia for one final occasion with plenty on the line in south London.

View from the dressing room

Broad confirmed his retirement plans in a post-play interview with Sky Sports after England had smashed 389 in 80 overs. He made up his mind at 8.30pm on Friday and told captain Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum later that evening before he revealed the news to the rest of the team on Saturday morning.

Creepy crunches through cover again!

Before Broad’s retirement had been made public, all eyes were on how England would fare following nip-and-tuck first and second days where Australia manufactured a 12-run lead after both teams had their first go with the bat.

Zak Crawley set the tone with another first-ball special, crunching a wide Mitchell Starc delivery through cover for four to begin his final innings of the series in the same vein he started this Ashes at Edgbaston, where he smashed the opening ball in Birmingham past cover to the boundary off Pat Cummins.

Crawley and Ben Duckett shared a fifty stand for the first wicket with the Kent opener eventually falling for 73, enough to put him back on top of the run-scoring charts with an overall total of 480 runs, with nearest challenger Usman Khawaja the only player realistically able to knock him off first spot with 57 runs required to do so on Sunday.

Another ravenous Root ramp

After Crawley’s dismissal, Joe Root joined Stokes at the crease with the England captain in the unorthodox position of number three due to Moeen Ali’s time spent off the field on Friday.

Root initially struggled, wearing a delivery on the body and surviving a narrow lbw call against Josh Hazlewood, but the introduction of Mitch Marsh was greeted with a ramp shot for six and the former skipper never looked back.

Anything short was treated with disdain while Root milked the field for singles and twos before a flurry of boundaries off Starc took him into the nineties, but he could not bookend this Ashes with centuries after a Todd Murphy delivery kept low to bowl him for 91. Nevertheless, he walked off after a 60th Test half-century with England’s lead already beyond the 300-mark.

Here’s one for Jonny

It is no secret that Jonny Bairstow has endured a difficult series with the gloves, but he again highlighted the upside of his inclusion in the England XI with a sparkling 78 on day three.

Bairstow walked out with England on 222 for four and only a batting collapse away from throwing away a position of strength in their efforts to level the series at 2-2.

The response from Bairstow was to counter-punch, striking 34 runs off 35 balls before tea and upping the ante in the evening session until he edged behind to Alex Carey. His third fifty of the series brought his own tally of runs up to 322, the third most by an English wicketkeeper in an Ashes behind Alan Knott and Alec Stewart, who made 364 and 378 runs respectively in the 1974-75 and 1993 series which both contained six Test matches.

One Last Dance?

Spectators at the Kia Oval were none the wiser about Broad’s retirement intentions when last-man Anderson walked out to join his friend at the crease but it represented a special moment with the pair together with bats in hand for potentially the last time.

Applause greeted the arrival of Anderson, despite announcing before this match his desire to continue playing Test cricket, and he delighted the sell-out crowd with back-to-back boundaries against Murphy. He then successfully reviewed a lbw decision that was given out.

Broad and Anderson may get given another opportunity to bat on Sunday but if Stokes does decide to declare, that is the perfect way for Broad to bring his batting career in Test cricket to its conclusion.

The end of an era

There have been many times where Broad has written his own script and you would not bet against him doing the same on day four, especially with the threat of rain on Sunday and Monday.

Broad will be desperate to bowl England to a series-levelling victory and even though he has enjoyed an outstanding Ashes with 20 wickets at an average of 28.15, four more scalps will ensure he finishes top of the wicket-takers charts.

It will be a target for the seamer, who may not be the only Englishman to hang up the boots in Test cricket during the next two days with Moeen expected to go back into red-ball retirement. If he can bowl after Thursday’s groin twinge, it would be a major boost for the hosts.

The West Indies rebounded from an embarrassing defeat in the opening ODI against India on Thursday with a comfortable six-wicket win in the second ODI on Saturday at the Kensington Oval to tie the three-match series 1-1.

Despite things looking ominous with Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill putting on 90 for the first wicket, the hosts produced an excellent bowling display to restrict them to 181 all out in 40.5 overs after winning the toss and electing to field.

Kishan followed up his fifty in the first match with a run-a-ball 55 to top score while Shubman Gill (34) and Suryakumar Yadav (24) were the only other batsmen to make any meaningful contributions to the Indian total.

Romario Shepherd and Gudakesh Motie were the stars with the ball for the hosts. Shepherd took a career-best 3-37 off his eight overs while Motie bowled 9.5 overs for his 3-36. Alzarri Joseph chipped in with 2-35 off seven overs.

The Windies then needed just 36.4 overs to reach 182-4.

The successful chase was led by Captain, Shai Hope, who made an unbeaten 80-ball 63 including two fours and as many sixes. Keacy Carty provided good support for his skipper with 48* off 65 balls including four fours.

Shardul Thakur took 3-42 off eight overs for India.

The series decider is set for Tuesday at the Brian Lara Academy.

England bowler Stuart Broad has announced he will retire from Test cricket at the end of the Ashes series, bringing the curtain down on an illustrious – and at times electrifying – career.

Here, the PA news agency recalls some of Broad’s greatest displays in the longest format of the game.

Eight for 15, v Australia, Trent Bridge 2015

Undoubtedly Broad’s finest hour, this was perhaps among the most memorable feats in Ashes history. Bowling unchanged from the pavilion end on his home ground, Broad routed Australia almost single-handedly in the space of 57 deliveries. He had Chris Rogers caught by Alastair Cook at slip with his third ball, and doubled up when Steve Smith also fell in his first over. Broad finished with figures of 9.3-5-15-8, and Australia were blown away for 60 all out in 18.3 overs – en route to defeat by an innings and 78 runs in under three days, losing the Ashes in the process.

Hat-trick hero, 2011 and 2014

Broad is the only Englishman with two Test hat-tricks to his name. His first came against India, 12 years ago and again on his home ground in Nottingham. England were thoroughly dominant all summer, on their way to number one in the world under Andrew Strauss, and Broad did his bit when he had MS Dhoni flashing an attempted drive to second slip and Harbhajan Singh lbw despite an inside-edge in India’s pre-DRS days, before bowling Praveen Kumar. Broad repeated the dose three years later, this time against Sri Lanka at Headingley where the successive scalps of Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal and Shaminda Eranga were not enough to stop England losing the match and series.

Six for 17, v South Africa, Johannesburg 2016

This was another unstoppable Broad special. England had eked out a 10-run first-innings lead at the Wanderers, but South Africa’s openers Dean Elgar and Stiaan van Zyl appeared set to lay a decent foundation second time round – until Broad seized the moment again. In under 10 overs, he had the first five wickets. It was he too who completed the rout when he had Faf du Plessis last out, caught-and-bowled, as South Africa mustered just 83. England went on to win by seven wickets inside three days, wrapping up the series with a match to spare.

Five for 71 & six for 50, v Australia, Chester-le-Street 2013

The Ashes were again in Broad’s sights, and he once more made no mistake. His five first-innings wickets restricted Australia to a 32-run lead. In the second innings, the tourists appeared on track to halve the series deficit to 2-1 with one to play when they reached 168 for two in pursuit of 299. Broad had other ideas, though, finishing with six for 50 as Michael Clarke’s men lost their last eight wickets for 56 – and England clinched a series win.

Six for 31 & four for 36, v West Indies, Old Trafford 2020

A brilliant outing, which saw Broad seal player of the match, player of the series, take a 10-wicket match haul and become just the seventh bowler in history to claim 500 Test scalps. Broad’s name was all over this encounter, even chipping in 62 with the bat for good measure. After the match he made it clear the landmark was not a parting gift to English cricket and he has lived up to his word, going strong three years down the line.

Five for 37, v Australia, The Oval 2009

A young Broad’s calling card to the world game. With the Ashes on the line he elbowed aside more established names such as Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison to take matters into his hands. From 73 without loss, he ran a wrecking ball through the Australian batting order in a devastating session as they slipped to 160 all out. They never reclaimed the momentum and the urn came home.

England bowler Stuart Broad will retire from Test cricket following the Ashes.

The 37-year-old made the announcement at stumps on day three of the final Test against Australia at the Kia Oval.

Broad has taken 602 wickets in 167 Tests, making him the second most successful paceman in Test history behind team-mate James Anderson.

“Tomorrow or Monday will be my last game of cricket,” he told Sky Sports.

“It’s been a wonderful ride, a huge privilege to wear the Nottinghamshire and England badge as much as I have.

“It’s been a wonderful series to be part of and I’ve always wanted to finish at the top. This series just feels like it’s been one of the most enjoyable and entertaining that I’ve been part of.”

England put themselves in pole position for an Ashes-levelling win in the fifth and final Test, leaving Australia a record chase after another display of ‘Bazball’ bravado at the Kia Oval.

The hosts turned in a swaggering attacking performance on day three in south London, clattering their way to 389 for nine as they ushered an enthralling series towards its end game.

Joe Root cracked 91 before being undone by a shooter, Zak Crawley signed off a fine summer with a vibrant 73 and Jonny Bairstow clubbed 78 as the tourists chased leather for 80 overs.

It was a fitting way for England’s batting unit to bow out after six weeks of fearless – and often reckless – hitting with 48 boundaries and three sixes.

Australia have already retained the urn thanks to their 2-1 lead but face a mountainous battle if they are to land a first outright win on these shores in 22 years.

Stuart Broad, England’s second-highest Test wicket-taker of all time, announced after the match that he would be retiring from all cricket at the end of this match.

They are already 377 behind on a ground where the highest fourth-innings pursuit sits at 263, while Donald Bradman’s ‘Invincibles’ are the only Australian team to have chased more.

They established a slender lead of 12 before being bowled out in the final act of day two, an advantage that lasted precisely an over.

The first ball of the day was a wide half-volley from Mitchell Starc, practically begging to be crashed through the covers for four. Crawley had done exactly that to the opening ball of the series back at Edgbaston and needed no encouragement to repeat the stroke.

A single and two boundaries from Ben Duckett followed in quick succession, clearing the deficit in six balls. For an Australia side who had scraped just 13 runs off the bat in a soporific first hour on the second day, England’s self-assured start seemed disorientating.

Starc was hauled off after shipping 22 from two overs – a poor spell even by T20 standards, let alone an Ashes Test – with Australia unable to plug the scoring. England reached 50 in 8.4 overs, with Duckett collecting seven fours.

The touring attack were light on ideas but finally made a breakthrough with 79 on the board, when the returning Starc had Duckett (42) caught behind off a thin edge. England were not allowed to send out Moeen Ali due to time spent off the field with a groin injury, leaving Ben Stokes to become his side’s fourth number three of the series.

Any hopes of the wicket allowing Australia to reset crumbled upon contact as Crawley stepped out of Duckett’s shadow and began to dictate terms. He took a liking to Todd Murphy, easing through his arsenal of sweeps and off drives to leave the spinner unsure of what line to bowl.

With Starc continuing to be costly, England romped along to 130 for one at lunch with Stokes an unlikely anchor as Crawley freed his arms. The Durham man is nobody’s idea of a wallflower, though, and he shifted gears abruptly by hooking Josh Hazlewood’s third ball of the afternoon for six.

His immediate reaction suggested Stokes was worried, but Starc could do no more than paw it over the ropes at fine-leg. Crawley was in sight of reaching 500 runs for the series, a landmark few would have tipped him to get close to at the start, but fell 20 short when he drove slightly lazily at a Pat Cummins delivery that shaped away.

That was the first of three wickets in the session, though it would be hard to call it a comeback. Stokes made 42 before hacking Murphy to mid-on and Harry Brook hit one huge straight six before nicking Hazlewood behind, but this was Root’s time to take the spotlight.

After surviving a marginal lbw shout on four, he came to life. Mitch Marsh was reverse ramped for six over third man, a party trick that never loses its sparkle, and flicked fine to fine-leg when he straightened up in response.

Starc, meanwhile, coughed up three consecutive boundaries culminating in a loose-limbed uppercut. Root’s half-century took just 42 deliveries and by the time tea arrived, he and Bairstow had already pushed the lead past 250.

Bairstow seemed particularly hungry to hurry along, depositing Murphy through the covers and popping him back over his head, then tucking into his favourite cut shot to give Hazlewood a dose.

By the time his frenzy took the fifth-wicket stand to 100, he had scored 70 of them. Root was quietly making his way towards his own century, an apparent inevitability until he was cut off by a grubber from Murphy.

The bowler can take credit for generating some handy turn, but Root had no chance as the ball skidded into his stumps off the toe end. Bairstow followed with a flat-footed poke at Starc and the innings wound to an end in a flurry of activity.

The ailing Moeen made an enjoyable 29 in what is surely his final Test innings, but joined Chris Woakes and Mark Wood in donating his wicket chasing quick runs at the close.

Joe Root picked up the baton with an unbeaten fifty after Zak Crawley hit 73 to help England’s lead move beyond the 250 mark by tea on day three of the final Ashes Test.

Crawley had walked off at lunch on 71 not out but could only add two more runs to his total before he nicked off to Pat Cummins, bringing a stellar series to an end with a final total of 480 runs.

England captain Ben Stokes followed him back to the pavilion when he picked out Cummins off Todd Murphy to join Ben Duckett in departing for 42.

When Harry Brook edged Josh Hazlewood behind for seven at the Kia Oval, the hosts were on the verge of throwing away a strong morning session where 130 runs were scored for the loss of one wicket.

Root ensured that would not be the case and reached tea on 61 not out after receiving support from Jonny Bairstow, unbeaten on 34, to guide England to 265 for four, a lead of 253 at the end of another run-fuelled afternoon session.

After Australia were all out for 295 from the last ball of day two, Crawley and Duckett walked out to glorious sunshine in south London with a 12-run deficit to wipe out.

England took six balls to move into a lead with Crawley beginning his final innings of the series in the same vein he started this Ashes at Edgbaston, crunching his first delivery through cover for four.

Mitchell Starc was on the receiving end this time and his opening two overs went for 22 runs, more than the 21 Australia had ground out during a pedestrian first hour on Friday.

It continued the culture clash between the two teams as Duckett clipped and cut away for four with ease to put on a fifty stand with Crawley inside nine overs.

Australia did finally make the breakthrough after nearly 90 minutes of play with Starc striking in the first over of his second spell when Duckett’s booming drive got the faintest of edges and, despite an initial not out call, Cummins’ review showed a spike on UltraEdge and the England opener departed for 42.

Stokes entered the fray at three, after Moeen Ali was absent from the field on day two due to his groin injury, but it quickly turned into the Crawley show.

Three runs off a Cummins misfield at mid-off saw Crawley reach his half-century off 61 balls before he swept Murphy for consecutive fours to bring up the fifty partnership before lunch.

Crawley took guard at the start of the afternoon session on 71 but there would be no Ashes hundred on this occasion after he nicked off two runs later, but with his place at the top of the run-scoring charts established.

Root encountered trouble during the early stages of his innings, wearing one on his body before he survived a tight lbw appeal against Hazlewood, with an Australia review showing it was umpire’s call on impact.

It would prove decisive with Root’s trademark ramp shot brought out to hit Mitch Marsh for six and a pull for four off Starc brought up another fifty partnership for England.

At the other end, Stokes had mixed aggression with patience alongside a degree of luck with Starc only able to stumble over the boundary rope after taking a catch at fine leg straight after lunch.

Stokes’ next attempted big shot did prove his downfall though with Cummins picked out at mid-on to give Murphy his first wicket of the day.

Brook followed for seven, although only after smashing Murphy back over his head for six.

Root had already reached fifty by this point but dropped anchor after the arrival of Yorkshire team-mate Bairstow at the crease.

England wicketkeeper Bairstow was happy to adopt the role of counter-punching, smacking five fours to march off for tea on 34 not out with the hosts’ advantage now beyond the 250-mark.

MI New York will take on the Seattle Orcas in the first ever Major League Cricket final after securing a six wicket win over the Texas Super Kings in the Eliminator at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Friday.

The Super Kings, coming off a brutal loss to the Orcas in Qualifier 1, posted 158 all out in the r 20 overs after being put in to bat by MI New York.

Devon Conway hit 38 and Milind Kumar made 37 to lead the Super Kings. Trent Boult took his third consecutive four-wicket haul (4-24) to lead the MI New York bowling effort.

South African Dewald Brevis hit 41* while Shayan Jahangir hit 36 as MI New York reached 162-4 with six deliveries to spare. Tim David also played a big hand with a 20-ball 33.

The final between the Seattle Orcas and MI New York will take place on Sunday at the same venue.

Zak Crawley continued his excellent series with an unbeaten 50 on the third morning of the final Ashes Test to help England into a position of strength at the Kia Oval.

Crawley signalled his intentions from ball one on Saturday with another booming drive through cover and walked off at lunch on 71 not out with England on 130 for one, a lead of 118.

Ben Duckett had played his shots and hit seven boundaries on his way to 42 before Mitchell Starc claimed a semblance of revenge by snarling a faint edge, having seen his first two overs go for 22 runs.

It left England on 79 for one and Ben Stokes joined Crawley at the crease with Moeen Ali, the hosts’ emergency number three, consigned to the pavilion until 120 minutes of the innings had passed or the fall of the fifth wicket.

Stokes eased into his new role with largely a watching front while Crawley upped the ante down the other end, taking a liking to Todd Murphy to establish his place at the top of the run-scoring charts for this series on 478.

After Australia were all out for 295 from the last ball of day two, Crawley and Duckett walked out to glorious sunshine in south London with a 12-run deficit to wipe out.

England took six balls to move into a lead with Crawley beginning his final innings of the series in the same vein he started this Ashes at Edgbaston, crunching his first delivery through cover for four.

Starc was on the receiving end this time and his opening two overs went for 22 runs, more than the 21 Australia had ground out during an pedestrian first hour on Friday.

There was no chance of England adopting that type of approach with the culture clash between the two teams continuing as Duckett clipped and cut away for four with ease to put on a fifty stand with Crawley inside nine overs.

Baggy Green captain Pat Cummins had already brought himself on by this point but with plenty of men pushed back to the boundary rope, England’s openers now milked the singles on offer to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

Soft hands from Crawley allowed him to run the ball down to third man to end a sequence of five overs without a boundary, but Australia did finally make the breakthrough after nearly 90 minutes of play on day three.

It was Starc who struck in the first over of his second spell when Duckett’s booming drive got the faintest of edges and despite umpire Kumar Dharmasena saying not out, Cummins’ review showed a spike on UltraEdge and the England opener departed for 42.

Stokes entered the fray at three, but it quickly turned into the Crawley show with three runs off a Cummins misfield at mid-off bringing up his half-century off 61 balls.

Better was to follow with Starc pulled away for another boundary before Murphy was swept for four from consecutive balls to bring up the 50 partnership for the second wicket with Crawley unbeaten on 71 at lunch.

England will hope to set a match-winning total when they begin their second innings on day three of the fifth Ashes Test.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett will walk out at the Kia Oval with Australia holding a narrow 12-run lead after the tourists were all out for 295 from the last ball on Friday night.

Australia had gone along at a pedestrian rate in the morning before wickets tumbled regularly, but Steve Smith’s 71 and late blows from Pat Cummins and Todd Murphy saw the tourists go beyond England’s 283.

Smith received a lifeline on 44 after substitute fielder George Ealham came agonisingly close to his own Gary Pratt moment and now all eyes are on England’s batters as they look to level the series.

View from the dressing roomSuperstitious Stu!

Australia crawled along at a snail’s pace during the opening hour of day two and, whether by coincidence or chance, it took Stuart Broad witchcraft to inspire a change in fortunes.

Labuschagne had scored nine runs from 81 deliveries before Broad decided to rearrange the bails ahead of the fifth ball of the 43rd over. Seconds later and Mark Wood found the edge where Joe Root took a stunner at first slip.

Broad’s agent of chaos act worked a treat and he has not ruled out a repeat when Australia are chasing. “It was a pretty successful result wasn’t it? So, I think if the game gets tight I might wander up again,” the England seamer smirked.

Honours up for grabs

After Wood’s breakthrough, Broad got on a roll after lunch with Khawaja and Travis Head out in quick succession to move the veteran on to 20 scalps for the series and bring up the 150-mark for Test wickets against Australia.

Broad has plenty of Aussies for company at the top of the wicket-takers column in this series and Mitchell Starc (19), Pat Cummins (17) and Josh Hazlewood (15) will get one last opportunity to bump up their numbers when they try to bowl England out for an attainable target on day three.

Remarkably, Chris Woakes is now up to 15 dismissals despite featuring in only five innings. Before he gets the chance to improve his figures, he may bat at three with Moeen Ali only able to come in after 120 minutes of England’s innings on Saturday or after the fall of their fifth wicket.

Jimmy jumping for joy!

James Anderson has endured a tough series, claiming only four wickets in three Tests before this outing, but he was able to bring the Kia Oval crowd to their feet with the crucial scalp of Mitch Marsh.

Marsh dragged onto leg stump in the opening over of Anderson’s first spell from the Pavilion End during a purple patch for the hosts on Friday afternoon.

It helped cement England’s grip on the contest at this point, with five wickets falling in the middle session and Australia walking off on 186 for seven.

‘You cannot do that’

On a day where plenty of fielders took centre stage, Ben Stokes saved the best until last.

During the final over on Friday, Cummins tried to launch Root into the stands and almost succeeded, but Stokes leapt to take the catch at long on before he threw the ball up in the air as he was about to stumble over the boundary rope.

England’s captain was then able to step back onto the turf and collect the catch at the second time of asking to bring Australia’s first innings to an end on 295 and set up an exciting third day.

Boy George is that the difference?

While England’s energy is now firmly on batting, you have to wonder what might have been had substitute fielder Ealham written his name into Ashes folklore with the dismissal of Smith.

Smith looked to complete a risky two in Australia’s 78th over, but Ealham sprinted in from the boundary rope and hurled in a hard, flat throw that forced the Aussie batter to dive to make his ground.

It provoked memories of Pratt’s memorably ran out Ricky Ponting during the 2005 Ashes, but TV umpire Nitin Menon eventually ruled Smith not out.

Replays showed Jonny Bairstow may have nudged one of the bails out of its groove before taking the ball and further clips highlighted how both ends of the bail may not have left their grooves before Smith made it home.

Smith was on 44 and the scoreboard briefly showed Australia on 195 for eight. He would subsequently make 71. How crucial may they prove?

Stuart Broad was content to give Steve Smith “the benefit of the doubt” after his run-out reprieve left England and Australia neck and neck after day two of the fifth Ashes Test.

Substitute fielder George Ealham, the 21-year-old son of former England all-rounder Mark, came close to swinging things decisively in the home side’s favour when he produced a lightning fast gather and throw to leave Smith scrambling.

Memories of former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting having his stumps thrown down by Gary Pratt 18 years ago came flooding back, but Smith was spared that fate as replays cast doubt over the role of wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow.

He appeared to nudge a bail loose with his arm before gathering the ball and completing the run out, leading TV umpire Nitin Menon to spare Smith on 44. Australia added exactly 100 runs for three wickets after the incident, finishing 295 all out and 12 runs in front.

The decision did not go down well with the majority of the sold-out Kia Oval crowd, but Broad admitted his own grasp of the technicalities was imperfect and accepted the verdict.

“I don’t know the rules to be honest. I think there was enough grey area to give that not out,” he said.

“What are the rules? Was it the right decision? It looked like benefit of the doubt sort of stuff. The first angle I saw I thought ‘out’ and then with the side angle it looked like the bails probably dislodged.”

Broad’s bowling partner James Anderson also sought to take any heat out of the umpires’ call, telling BBC Sport: “It felt like one of those where Australia think it’s not out and we thought it was out.

“I’ve not had a proper look on the TV, but it felt like a very close decision. We have to trust that the third umpire knows what he’s doing and got the decision right.”

Smith, who top-scored with 71, accepted his near miss but doffed his cap in Ealham’s direction after admitting the Surrey second teamer had caught him unawares with his rapid response.

“It was pretty tight, but when I looked the second time it looked like Jonny might have knocked the bail before the ball came in,” he said.

“It looked a close one but it got given not out, didn’t it? He was quick! I know now he’s very quick.

“The next one we hit out there we kind of pushed and he was haring round the boundary, coming in at pace. Had I known that previously, I might have just stayed there for the single.”

England will begin their second innings on Saturday morning, with barely anything to separate the sides as an enthralling series enters its final chapter.

There have been two distinct styles on show, with England scoring at a rampant rate 5.17 across less than 55 overs and Australia taking almost twice as long to get their runs at 2.85.

The tourists have already retained the urn with a 2-1 lead, but both teams have a viable route to victory as they look to finish the series on a high.

“It’s going to be another cracker, I think. Both teams played pretty different on it but pretty successfully,” Broad said.

“At one stage when Smith was nearly run out we thought we could get a pretty decent lead, but the Aussies battled pretty hard there and I think it’s just set up to be a cracking game again. That is the way the Aussies play, they try to see off the new ball, grind you down, and see off a huge number of overs.”

Smith added: “It’s ebbed and flowed the whole way…a few of us got good starts but couldn’t go and get a big score.

“We’re 12 runs in front so it’s pretty much a one-innings game from here. One positive out of the game so far is we have put more overs into their bowlers than the 50-odd ours bowled.”

Kent dropped into the bottom two of LV= Insurance County Championship Division One as they crashed to a heavy defeat against Nottinghamshire on Friday.

Dane Patterson took five for 41 and Brett Hutton four for 44 as Kent, set a notional target of 407, were skittled for just 85 in their second innings at Trent Bridge.

The hosts had declared on 372 for six after Will Young and Ben Slater both scored 87 and Joe Clarke a blistering 73 from 40 balls.

Bottom side Northamptonshire batted out for a draw against Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford.

The Red Rose finally declared in their first innings with a lead of 202, having reached 544 for seven with overnight pair George Balderson and Tom Hartley unbeaten on 49 and 24 respectively.

Northamptonshire were 213 for five, with captain Luke Procter and James Sales having shared an unbroken stand of 51, when the players shook hands. Emilio Gay had top-scored with 61.

Derbyshire openers Luis Reece and Harry Came shared in a county record first-wicket stand to earn a remarkable draw against Glamorgan at Derby.

The pair put on 360 as they batted throughout the final day, with Reece hitting 201 and Came 141.

Glamorgan, who had begun the day 125 ahead and hoping to force victory, failed to take a single wicket despite trying nine bowlers.

Worcestershire are in a dominant position after three days of their game against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham.

Joe Leach, Dillon Pennington and Adam Finch all finished with three wickets apiece as the hosts were bowled out for 301 in their first innings, to concede a deficit of 105, despite 115 from Oliver Price.

Jake Libby then top-scored with 117 and Matthew Waite added 62 as Worcestershire built up a commanding lead of 421 by reaching 316 for eight before the close.

Yorkshire’s clash with Durham at Scarborough was abandoned as a draw as play was washed out for a second successive day.

England’s hopes of squaring the Ashes might have turned on the tiniest of margins at the Kia Oval as Australia’s Steve Smith came desperately close to being run out by substitute fielder George Ealham in a pivotal moment in the fifth Test.

Australia were 295 all out off the final ball of the second day, 12 runs ahead, as Smith rode his luck to top-score with 71 following a scare just after tea.

The 21-year-old son of former England all-rounder Mark Ealham looked to have replicated Ricky Ponting’s famous 2005 dismissal by the unknown Gary Pratt, combining with wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow to leave Smith diving for the line.

Smith initially looked bang to rights but, instead of departing for 44 and leaving his side 195 for eight, he was reprieved by TV umpire Nitin Menon.

Replays suggested Bairstow had begun to nudge one of the bails loose with his arm before collecting the ball cleanly and there was some debate over whether either bail was fully dislodged before Smith’s bat slid home.

What mattered most was the ‘not out’ decision that appeared on the big screen and the 100 runs which followed.

That was easily Australia’s most productive period of a day that had seen them embark on pedestrian go-slow in the morning session and a jittery collapse in the afternoon.

Having watched England blaze 283 in 54.5 overs, Australia crept just above that mark in 103.1, Ben Stokes taking an excellent two-stage boundary catch to end the innings in the closing moments.

England were one bowler down due to Moeen Ali’s groin strain, but Australia came out with nothing but survival on their mind, Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne scoring just 13 runs off the bat in a first hour that tested English patience in the field and in stands.

Labuschagne was completely bereft of intent, scratching out nine off 82 deliveries before Mark Wood finally drew the outside edge England had spent almost 90 minutes probing for.

It looked a regulation catch for Bairstow but he froze on the spot, leaving Joe Root to hurl himself into action at first slip and claim a brilliant one-handed grab. That was the height of the pre-lunch entertainment, with the scoreboard trudging to 115 for two by the break.

Australia had put miles in the English legs and taken time out of a game their rivals need to win, but they had barely moved the dial in real terms.

The limitations of that approach were exposed in the afternoon, with England taking five for 71 to take control of proceedings. Stuart Broad played the role of ringleader, dismissing Khawaja and Travis Head in successive overs to inject some electricity into a game that had gone to sleep.

Khawaja had spent more than four-and-a-half hours in defiance when Broad speared one in from round the wicket and trapped the left-hander in front of leg. Five balls later the seamer was celebrating again, challenging Head outside off stump and getting the nick.

England continued burrowing through the middle order as James Anderson belatedly opened his account for the match in the 16th over, bowling Mitch Marsh off a hefty inside edge and cracking a long overdue smile in the process.

The mistakes kept coming, Alex Carey chipping Root’s tempter to short cover and Mitchell Starc flapping Wood straight up in the air.

Smith was shaping up to be the key figure as he reached tea on 40, but he came desperately close to a self-inflicted dismissal.

Turning back for a second as Ealham sprinted in from the deep and flung a flat throw to the keeper, he looked to be struggling as he dived for his ground.

Replays initially seemed to seal his fate, with his bat short of the crease line as the stumps were broken. He was halfway to the pavilion when he sensed something might be amiss, with the slow-motion footage suggesting Bairstow had nudged one bail loose before gathering the ball in and parting the stumps.

The images were scrutinised for a couple of minutes, analysing when and where the bails left their grooves, before Menon ruled in Smith’s favour. His decision was met with frustration among the home supporters and a healthy dose of confusion elsewhere, as the assembled pundits tried in vain to bring some clarity.

Smith added another 44 before skying Chris Woakes over his shoulder to Bairstow, who did his work well this time.

England should still have taken a lead into day three but struggled to mop up the tail. Pat Cummins made an assured 36 and Todd Murphy landed three sixes on his way to 34.

Woakes had the skipper lbw late on and Root finished things off when Stokes affected a smart catch-and-release take on the boundary to dismiss Murphy.

England will bat again on day three, with barely an inch to separate the sides.