The Ashes series is alive as Old Trafford looms after England hunted down 251 runs on day four of the third Test, Chris Woakes completing the chase when he slashed a Mitchell Starc delivery for four through the off side.
England lost its two most valuable batsmen in cheap fashion at Headingley, Joe Root and Ben Stokes both falling to balls spearing down the leg side, but young gun Harry Brook grinded out 75 runs in a tremendous anchor role before Woakes and Mark Wood combined to steer the hosts home by three wickets.
The result means the English have closed the series deficit to 2-1, denying the Australians an unassailable 3-0 lead after their dramatic win at Edgbaston and controversial victory at Lord’s.
AS IT HAPPENED: Third Ashes Test, day four
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The two men who guided England home, Woakes and Wood, played critical roles after being recalled to the XI for the Leeds Test.
Woakes took 3-73 and 3-68 and struck 32 runs in England’s chase, while Wood captured 5-34 and 2-66 and played a couple of crucial roles with the bat, smashing 24 in the hosts’ first dig and peeling off 16 in the fourth innings.
Wood iced his comeback Test with man-of-the-match honours.
The right-arm speed demon bowled so fast on day one that comparisons were being drawn between him and some of England’s quickest bowlers in history, including Harold Larwood, Frank Tyson and Devon Malcolm.
The right-arm speed demon averaged 145.64km/h and peaked at 155.30km/h.
Captain Ben Stokes spoke highly of Woakes and Wood at stumps.
“I didn’t even look at the fact that it’s been so long since he’s played a red-ball game for England,” Stokes said of Woakes, who hadn’t played a Test since March 2022.
“He’s a quality performer and every time he puts the shirt on he gets the job done. He’s sort of Mr Consistent. Having someone who can bat like him down at No.8 is obviously a massive help for us, and when the ball’s doing a little bit in the air or off the wicket you know he’s going to be massive in the game. Really pleased for Woakesy and hopefully if he gets another opportunity later in the series he can do something similar.
“He’s unbelievable,” Stokes said of Wood.
“When you’ve got someone who can run in and bowl at 95m/h and then when he’s a bit stiff can bowl at 90, it’s obviously a massive help. He is someone who is always going to impact the game. Whether he’s not taking wickets at one end, you generally see some wickets going at the other end because of the way that he bowls. It’s great to see him go out there with a smile on his face, enjoying himself, running in, bowling rockets as he says. And obviously with the bat he just goes out there with a free spirit.”
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After withstanding a tricky five-over period before stumps on day three, England resumed on 0-27.
The hosts found themselves in a precarious position at lunch, having lost four wickets in the first session.
Root fell for 21 just before lunch when he tried to pull a Cummins delivery angling down leg, only to glove the ball through to Alex Carey.
And England suffered another huge blow when Stokes departed for 13 shortly after lunch, getting a tickle on a leg-side Starc delivery.
Cummins clinches wicket of Root
Wickets tumbled around Brook, who brought up his first half-century of the series, before the right-hander found support in Woakes, the pair stalling Australia’s charge with a 59-run partnership.
Brook departed for 75 when he got caught in two minds and played a weird shot, skying a ball from Starc.
When Wood joined Woakes in the middle, the English needed 21 runs and the Australians needed three wickets.
When England required four runs for victory, Wood top-edged a Starc delivery and Carey grassed a difficult chance.
It could have been an opportunity for Scott Boland at third man, but Carey sprinted a long way and dived, only to drop the ball and let off Wood as the tailender scurried through for a single.
Three balls later, Woakes stepped away and belted Starc through point to seal victory.
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