Ashes 2023: England Beat Australia By 3 Wickets At Leeds To Remain Alive In Series

Ashes 2023: For his all-round performance, Mark Wood was adjudged the Player of the Match in the third Test.

Chris Woakes of England celebrates with teammate Mark Wood after hitting the winning runs to win the LV= Insurance Ashes 3rd Test Match between England and Australia at Headingley on July 09, 2023 in Leeds, England.

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England are alive in Ashes 2023. The hosts, who were 0-2 down before the start of the third Test match at Headingley, Leeds, beat Australia by 3 wickets in a thriller of match to win their first fixture of the series and reduce the deficit to 1-2 with two Test matches to go. The Three Lions won the toss and elected to field first in this game. It was Mark Wood (5/34) who made his impact felt very early in the contest and was the pick of the bowlers in the first innings as the English side bowled Australia out for 263 runs in the first innings despite Mitchell Marsh's counter-attacking hundred (118). Chris Woakes (3/73) and Stuart Broad (2/58) were the the wicket-takers for England in the first innings.

In response though, the English batters failed to get past the Australian total and were bowled out for 237, handing a narrow advantage to the Aussies. Captain Ben Stokes top-scored with the bat for England with his 80 and for the vistors too it was their skipper Pat Cummins who was their best performer in this innings finishing with figures of 6 for 91. The English bowlers put up an even better show in the second innings bowling out Australia for 224. Wood (3/45) and Broad (3/68) picked 3 wickets apiece. Travis Head (77) was the most significant contribution by an Aussie batter which helped them set England a target of 251 to win.

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In the final innings, both the teams tried hard and the match came close but eventually it was the hosts who managed to remain in contention of winning the series. Harry Brook scored 75 but Chris Woakes (32) and Wood (16*) remained unbeaten in the end to ensure that England cross the winning line. Woakes had also shared a 59-run stand with Brook which was the highest partnership in the innings, coming for the seventh wicket. Mitchell Starc did take a fifer to threaten England but it wasn't enough this time around.

For his all-round performance Wood (5/78) was adjudged the Player of the Match as he scalped 8 wickets and scored 24 off 8 in the first innings while 16* in the second.