England hold on for miracle SCG draw to end Australia’s Ashes whitewash dream
A battered England dug deep to save some pride and a dramatic draw at the SCG, where the tourists' last-wicket pair languished for two overs to deny Australia in the fourth Test.
Stumps were drawn in Sydney at 6.50 pm AEDT after England, aiming for 388 late on the fourth day, finished 9-270 after surviving 102 overs.
The result ended Pat Cummins' captaincy hopes in what would have been just the fourth 5–0 Ashes sweep in Test cricket's 145-year history.
Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow pushed through the painkillers to provide the most significant resistance as they faced a combined 228 balls on Sunday.
Stuart Broad and Jack Leach then lined up in a nail-biting finish under the lights, chewing up 8.4 overs in their ninth-wicket stand.
Whitewash ❌
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 9, 2022
England survive the entire last day, finish nine down, and the SCG Test is a draw!#Ashes pic.twitter.com/udZpXzLXm0
But Steve Smith's introduction of legspin, with the umpires telling Cummins that the light was too bad for anything but three overs to spare, added another dramatic twist to the spin.
Smith grabbed the wicket of Leach with his sixth delivery, a well-flying beast who took the edge, removed from the glove of Alex Carey and went to David Warner.
Broad negotiated Nathan Lyon's final over before Jimmy Anderson stood in the shadows, ruining Smith's hopes of an angelic SCG finish in 2008 to rival Michael Clarke's magical moment.
"Can he just get something to explode out of the footmark? That's what he's trying to do, he's getting it wide outside the off stump, catch a footmark...
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 9, 2022
"About there! ABOUT THERE!" - Ricky Ponting
STEVE SMITH WICKET #Ashes pic.twitter.com/5w5ZjZE58J
The timing of Cummins' announcement was the subject of discussion during a tense Sunday, when seven overs of play were lost due to a rain delay after lunch.
Cummins' call is sure to be heavily scrutinized, as various bowling changes and fields are set in an entertaining finish.
The captain was also wearing a helmet as Australia gathered a crowd at the bat in the final few overs of Lyon, who were trying their best to score a breakthrough.
Cummins took matters into his own hands with the second new ball, creating incredible swing to dismiss Jos Buttler and Mark Wood in three balls.
Australia, who retained the urn with crushing victories in Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne, will regret several factors that helped England flee after Usman Khawaja's twin ton.
The hosts lacked a clinical edge in the field, losing chances to dismiss the flexible and tenacious pair of Stokes and Bairstow proved costly.
A 🍑 from Cummins!
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 9, 2022
HUGE inswinger to trap Wood plumb in front #Ashes pic.twitter.com/B1NrfJHzXF
Scott Boland! Because of course!
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 9, 2022
Bairstow's inside edge pops up to Labuschagne, and Australia are two wickets away #Ashes pic.twitter.com/v23sEhnVMe
Marcus Harris took a catch in the shadow of lunch when Stokes was on 16 and took the ball to the under-pressure opener at short leg.
Bairstow was on three when Scott Boland removed Joe Root when he was called in when Lyon missed his chance to run out a first-innings century with a straight hit.
Smith took a tough slip catch when Bairstow was on 28.
Stokes was troubled by a side injury that continued to trouble him, while Bairstow batted with a thumb injury that could see him ruled out of the fifth Test starting in Hobart on Friday.
