England defeated Australia by 49 runs in the fifth and final Test match of Ashes 2023 at the Oval on Monday with the series ending in a 2-2 draw. The visitors needed 384 runs to win in the final innings and at one stage found themselves at 264/3, looking well on their way to register a memorable win and clinch the series but the Kangaroos suffered a dramatic batting collapse in the final session on Day 5 and ended up getting bowled out for 334.
After the end of Day 3's play, veteran England speedster Stuart Broad had announced that this was going to be his final appearance in international cricket and in a fitting tribute to his career, the right-arm speedster picked the last Australian wicket to held England draw the series. Needing 384, Australia were 334/9 on the final day. Broad was on the top of his bowling mark with the last-wicket partnership of Josh Hazlewood and Alex Carey out there in the middle.
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In the 95th over of the innings, Broad found himself bowling to Carey. While the veteran of 167 Test matches managed to bowl three successive dot balls to Carey, the last of which was a bouncer on the fourth ball, he delivered a ball which produced the edge from Carey and went to the wicketkeeper's gloves in a fairytale end to his career. The dismissal marked his 604th and final Test wicket as the entire Oval celebrated England's win and the career of one of Three Lions' biggest match-winners.
The video of Broad's final wicket has surfaced on social media.
After the match, England captain Ben Stokes said that the series scoreline of 2-2 reflects how closely the series was contested. "Actually [feeling] 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," he said.
Meanwhile, Moeen Ali also played his last Test apart from Broad, after having come back from Test retirement especially for this series on insistence of Stokes.
"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," he added.