On a rain-affected day, Australian openers showed their skills on the most decisive day of this series. Usman Khawaja and David Warner went unbeaten on day 4 with a partnership of 135 runs. Australia needs 249 more runs to win as the onus will be on Usman Khawaja to play a significant knock for the team.
Australia survived the day without losing any wickets and sustained themselves against the spells of Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson. England set the target of 384 runs for Australia, and Australia is going all guns blazing for the chase.
Top Performer of the Day
Usman Khawaja, who is and will be the highest run-getter of this series, scored 69 runs off 130 balls with a strike rate of 53.1. He learned from his previous innings of this test where he scored just 47 runs in 157 balls. In his last innings of this series, he made sure to become the highest run-getter of this iconic Ashes series, scoring a total of 493 runs in 10 innings with an average of 54.7, which includes 3 fifties and 1 hundred.
We can expect Usman Khawaja to add more runs to his tally. He surpassed the record of Zak Crawley, who scored 480 runs in 9 innings with an average of 53.3, which includes 2 fifties and 1 hundred in Ashes 2023/24. Usman Khawaja also crossed his 5000-run milestone in Test cricket, becoming the 21st Australian batsman to reach this milestone.
Getting beautiful starts and throwing his wicket, that’s the story of David Warner, the co-opener of Usman Khawaja. Finally breaks the shackles and scored 58 runs in 99 balls with a strike rate of 58.5, notching his second fifty in this Ashes series. Also, David Warner (8) has now become the fourth batsman involved in the most 100-run opening partnerships in the Ashes after Jack Hobbs (16), Herbert Sutcliffe (15), and Mark Taylor (10).
All Results Are Possible on the Last Day of the Series: 2-1, 2-2, or 3-1
The famous Ashes series comes down to the wire with all four results possible. The happier side at the end of Day 4 would be the visitors as they go without gifting any wicket to England. England managed to add just 6 runs to their overnight score, which came in the form of a boundary from the bat of Stuart Broad, who hit the last boundary of his career. England got all out in the second over of Day 4, scoring 395 runs and giving Australia a massive target of 384 runs.
Day 5 will also mark the last time we witness the greatest bowling partners, Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, together as Stuart Broad announced his retirement at the age of 37. Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan, and Chaminda Vaas, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, and now James Anderson and Stuart Broad—England’s first-ever bowling pair who hunted in pairs—join the elite list of the most tests played together. They stand second on the list after Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, who played 146 test matches together during the period of 1996-2012, whereas Jimmy Anderson and Stuart played 138 test matches together during the period of 2008-2023.
What to Expect on Day 5
A very interesting day of test cricket is about to come as Australia will not lose hope to win the Ashes series in England after 2001. They are still 249 runs behind the target and have 10 wickets in hand. England missed the trick by not giving the ball to Mark Wood in the second innings until the 33rd over. Moeen Ali and Joe Root together conceded 58 runs in 14 overs.
Australia is slightly ahead in this game just because they went to the dressing room without losing any wickets. However, England just needs 10 good deliveries to wrap things up, and Australia needs 249 runs, that too on the last day. England is looking to finish the English summer on a high note, and Australia must have butterflies in their stomachs, thinking that they can create history on the turf of the Britishers.
Also Read: Ashes 2023: Joe Root And Jonny Bairstow Knock Australia Out Of The Game