England level the Ashes 23 series by 2-2
England win the last Ashes test by 49 runs, levelling the Ashes 23 by 2-2. Australia win the first two Ashes test and takes the lead of 2-0 in the series. After these two wins it looks that Australian team will easily win the Ashes 23 series but after second test England team come back strongly and win third test match by 3 wickets. Fourth test match was a draw and Australian team made splendid effort to draw that test match and the last match won by England.
In the final test England batted first and score 283 runs. In response to that Australia made 295 runs and takes the lead of 8 runs in the first inning. England score 395 runs in the second innings and set a target a 383 runs. Australian team was all out for 334 runs and England win the match by 49 runs.
Player of the last Ashes test was Chris Woakes, he score 36 runs and takes 3 wickets in the first inning and score 1 run and takes 4 wickets in the second inning. Player of the series from England side was also Chris Woakes and from Australian side Mitchell Starc won the player of the series award, he takes total 23 wickets in the Ashes 23 series.
Stuart Broad announced on the third day of the Ashes test he is retiring from the cricket, it was big news as he was playing from the last seventeen years for the England team.
What Stuart Broad said after the final test
Staurt Broad said after England’s win in the last test of Ashes 23, “It was absolutely wonderful, Woakes and Moeen set the tone unbelievably after the rain break. Once we got a couple we really began to believe. The crowd was so loud, we really jumped on the back of it. To take a couple of wickets to contribute to the team and win the Test match, it’s really special.
Question, “Six to finish with bat, wicket with final delivery” Answer, “It’s the only ball I’ve middled all year. Enjoyed bowling to left-handers, so for my last spell to be moving it away, the ball zipped through for us after rain. A word for Moeen as well, he’s not officially announced he’s moving on but to put in that performance and help England win will be a dream come true for him. I like data and facts, when I decided to come around the wicket in 2015, it was because my stats weren’t very good. I did a lot of research into bowling to David Warner. When you get to the top level it’s about knowing your weaknesses but also knowing your strengths and sticking to them.”
Question, “Bail switch”, Answer, “If I’d learnt that ten years ago I’d have been away. The Marnus one really made me smile. I had a couple of play and misses [this time], was get frustrating, so thought I’d change them, not the batter’s ones, and it worked.”
Question, “Regrets for series?”, Answer, “Probably wouldn’t have taken the second new ball at Edgbaston. Hard to bowl with all series. Once we took it, the ball skidded on and made it easier for them to find the boundary. When you lose to a great team like Australia, you hold your head up high. [Headbands] When I looked around I saw them in the crowd, it’s a nice gesture. It ended up being a superstition, I wore it in Covid and then took it off, then didn’t take a wicket. So stuck with it to the end, made me smile to see people wearing them.”
What the Australian Captain said after the match
Pat Cummins, the Australian captain said post match answering the question that “Fair result?” “Think so, two really high-quality teams, every session was shared so I think 2-2 was fair, wonderful series to be part of. Of course, it didn’t enter the conversation. We said we were over here to win the Ashes. Unfortunately not to be, but a great day.
Second question, “Sadness at not winning series”, “We can be hugely proud of retaining the Ashes, but of course we wanted to come over here and win. Similar group to 2019 and it felt a little bit more. Not to be but a great series.”
Third question, “Felt pressure as captain?”, “So many moments throughout this series, that’s what makes playing an away Ashes so difficult. The crowd, the media, you get everything thrown at you. Proud of how consistent we’ve been. There’s no point in looking back, 2-2 is the score.”
Fouth question, “Broad”, “Great competitor, always seemed to save his best for Australia. I’ve played a third of the amount of matches he’s played, can’t fathom it. Great player, competitor, wish him all the best.”
What England’s captain said after the match
Ben Stokes said “Actually really good, 2-2 I think it a fair reflection of two teams going toe to toe. Australia, WTC champions, quality team. But going 2-0 down, I don’t think many teams would have responded the way we did. Standing here pretty content with what we’ve achieved. Having played a lot of cricket, we know what it’s like in a fourth-innings chase. Usman and Warner, they played incredible well to walk off with the runs they did, but turning up with 250 needed, you should never underestimate how hard that is. Wickets came in clusters, it was do or die, but it’s been that way since the second Test.
Question, “Woakes and Wood impact”, “The way Woakesy has come in and operated and added runs down the order has been really good. Woody has been brilliant, but yesterday and today, he could hardly walk. Huge amount of effort to get out there. To have people like that, who run in and run in, it’s great to have.”
Question, “Broad and Moeen”, “I’ve played with Broady for a long, long time. He’s been unbelievable. To watch him come in and bowl the way he did, it was written in the stars that he would take the final wicket. Mo came in for Jack Leach, a few things were said about him. I chose him because I knew what he could do on his best days. To come out of retirement and perform, he’s a great servant for England.”
Question, “India tour?”, “We’ll let him reflect on the last six weeks and make that decision.”
Question, “Regrets?”, “Hindsight never loses, does it. Coming into this series, to bounce back from 2-0 down, it would have been tough for any team. I said to Pat, what a series to be a part of. I think it’s what Test cricket needed. We’ve been very vocal about our objectives, and I think this series has done that, it’s attracted a new audience. Test cricket is the purest form of the game.”
Question, “Ashes in 2025-26?”, “Hard to lose that appetite when you love it as much as I do.”
