The Ashes: Australia in England 16th Jun - 31 July

[Arthur Crabtree]

Carey and Cummins together. Since the Jonny Blameless incident at Lord's, their returns have flatlined, whereas Bairstow has done quite well.

Obviously, I don't believe in Karma, but maybe the two tourists are starting to....

[Arthur Crabtree]

Just kidding. Obviously this partnership will take the Aussies over the line.

[Arthur Crabtree]

No! Cummins has gone...

...crucial wicket for MO.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Murphy looked like he could bat, in the first innings.

Still an opening for the Aussies to bat for a draw.

[Arthur Crabtree]

It's Broad!

Don't think Haze can bat...

[Arthur Crabtree]

Crawley seems to be catching better in this series.

Drops Carey off Broad.

To win the game.

[Arthur Crabtree]

England win. Good effort by the Aussies in the fourth innings. But England's day today.

Congratulations to the tourists for retaining the Ashes.

And the hosts for levelling the series.

And Broad for the past 17 years.

[andy]

Had to be broad!! So happy he was the one to finish it off! Amazing scenes and sad to see him go to be honest.....thanks for everything broady!

[Durhamfootman]

Does that mean the moral series victory is back on?

[Arthur Crabtree]

See what the Daily Mail says.

[Durhamfootman]

Glad the series wasn’t settled by a last day washout. I’m not sure I could have coped with all the bollox spouted in the press and by the media on both sides of planet

This was an enthralling series, as it was in 2005, but that’s where the similarity ends. 2005 was fought by 2 terrific sides battering each other with high quality cricket. This was fought by 2 decent enough sides, even allowing for key injuries, playing well below the levels they are capable of. This was the series shaped by extraordinarily poor fielding from both sides

Let’s hope for something more assured in 2 and a half years time

[Durhamfootman]

just spotted that Broad did the bails things again and struck next ball

with a 2 from 2 next ball dismissal success rate, does that mean that everyone will start doing it to break the batters concentration? Will it become frowned upon like the Mankad or the Blameless stumping?

Maybe this is Broad's revenge for the Blameless stumping. He was really rather animated when that happened

I have to say I enjoyed the bail swap

[Arthur Crabtree]

Maybe I'm overreacting, but it (Broad+bails) feels a bit off to me. If you want to get inside the batters head, do it with the ball.

Woakes is a good pick for England POTS, especially as he was prominent in the the last three games when England did well.

And I'm glad that Starc was the Aussie POTS, as he's been magnificent without being an arse about it. He went for too many runs, but his SR is superb, and he hit some runs.

But he played well mostly in games the Aussies didn't win. Khawaja did the most to get them 2-0 up and I'd give it to him.

Surprised Woakes is overall POTS. This is mainly about the Ashes, and the Aussies had more or less retained them before Woakes (or Wood) was even picked. I'd have given it to an Aussie.

[alfie]

Wow. Just wow. What a finish ...what a series...

4.38 am here and I can't sleep despite a good deal of Scotch imbibed . Although the rain in Manchester deprived us of the real grandstand finish , this was a fitting end to one of the most closely contested Ashes Series I have ever seen - and I go back a long way !

2-2 was the right result , in my book. Aussies deserved their early lead - especially through that brave ninth wicket stand by Cummins and Lyon at Edgbaston ; and they didn't fold up quickly when totally outplayed at Old Trafford so were able to take advantage of the unpatriotic British weather. But England really didn't deserve to lose either so fitting that they pulled off the win today.

As DFM points out , maybe neither side is going to be remembered as one of the "greats" of the game. But greats are called that because they don't come around every week : these two went head to head for five matches and neither gave an inch . Four games decided by two or three wickets or less than fifty runs is unprecedented , I think. Ironic that the one game dominated by one team produced the only draw ! One of the most exciting Test series - Ashes or otherwise - I have ever witnessed. Nothing but praise for all of the combatants

Fitting farewell for Broad and Moeen too. Warner (love or hate him : I'm a bit of both !) lives to - maybe - fight on to Sydney ? Few others won't see another Ashes Series. Bet they'll remember this one though. I know I will .

[Durhamfootman]

I'm with Arthur, I'd have given it to Starc. He was magnificent in this series and I wouldn't have predicted that before it began. I rather thought that he was a bowler on the wane, but not a bit of it. It seemed that every time he came on to bowl something happened that made life a lot harder for England batters. He appeared to be Cummins' go to guy throughout the series. I lost count of the number of chances that he created that were put down.....no luck at all for someone who didn't even have YJBlameless to drop them. I thought he was outstanding

Chris Woakes was sensational today, and in the last 3 tests did the job that Jimmy the saint was unable to do all series.

My favourite bit of bowling throughout the series, though, was the Wood spell in the first innings at Headingley. Top notch! Even I was gasping at the speed that the ball flew past the helpless batsmen..... poor beggars didn't have a hope in that spell. It was extraordinary..... so extraordinary that even Wood himself never quite matched it again in the series

It did rather have the feel of a bowlers ashes series to me, so it's right that a bowler got POTS