If England can still pull off a miracle to win the fourth Test against Australia, it will be without their vice-captain and miracle-maker, Ben Stokes, who was dismissed for one run off 17 balls on a Cummins delivery.
At lunch break on Day 5 of the fourth Test of the Ashes, England were 87/4 chasing a target of 383, with Jonny Bairstow and Joe Denly on strike. Denly’s 48 off 106 deliveries is what has kept England in the game, but whether his resolve can survive the Australian bowling onslaught is the question.
While Stokes had pulled off two miraculous turn-arounds in recent memory—the 2019 World Cup final and, more recently, the third Test against Australia—it was the consistency of Australian bowling that finally ended his spell. P.J. Cummins took three wickets in England’s first innings and took four more in their second. He removed Stokes with a delivery that cut back off the seam to a catch by Paine.
The innings started catastrophically for England with Burns going for a duck and Root going for a golden duck, both against Cummins. Roy held on for 67 balls but fell at 31 to the same bowler.
For the away team, a stellar performance by Steve Smith and Cummins has placed them with a good chance of winning this match and retaining the Ashes. When Australia were on strike, Steve Smith hit his ninth consecutive Ashes half-century, scoring 82 off 92 balls—which was still his lowest score of this series. Out of Australia’s score of 383, partnerships with Smith have netted 293 runs.