Harry Brook took advantage of Australia’s sloppy catching, lifting England to 131 for three after a mini-collapse on the first morning of the Ashes finale at the Kia Oval.
The momentum swung back and forth on several occasions in an opening session that exemplified the blockbuster entertainment the series has thrived on, with Brook’s fearless strokeplay edging it for the hosts at lunch.
He was 48 not out from 41 balls at the interval, with seven fours and two audacious sixes under his belt, leaving wicketkeeper Alex Carey ruing every run.
Carey put down a low chance from Brook on just five, getting his glove to the ball but failing to hang on in what could prove a costly moment.
Australia’s handling had already let them down earlier, with both England openers given a life.
Pat Cummins sent the hosts in under cloudy skies but found Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett in resistant mood, posting a lively stand of 62 in just 12 overs.
Both men were dropped at slip, David Warner shelling a regulation chance from Duckett and Steve Smith failing to pull off a one-handed dive off Crawley, but got the scoreboard moving with some dashing shots.
With plenty of seam movement on offer, Australia stuck at their task and finally asserted themselves in helpful conditions as they picked up three for 11 to halt the home side’s charge.
The initial breakthrough was a soft one, Duckett strangled down the leg side as Mitch Marsh brushed a glove on the way through to Carey.
It had been an exciting knock from the Nottinghamshire man, who made 41 at exactly a run a ball and got the crowd on their feet when he advanced down the pitch at Josh Hazlewood and clubbed him for a rollicking four.
Cummins, comfortably the pick of the attack, doubled down when he squared up Crawley and saw a thick edge sprayed to Smith, who made no mistake this time.
England’s sticky period took a turn for the worse when Joe Root dragged a Hazlewood delivery into his own stumps for just five, with Australia now ahead of the game at 73 for three.
But Moeen Ali bolted the door at number three, making a quiet 10 not out, and Brook flourished after his edge off Cummins failed to stick with Carey.
He enjoyed a couple of streaky fours through the cordon but soon began imposing himself with booming drives and an outrageous blow over midwicket that would have dented Marsh’s pride.
His second six was just as brash, stepping inside the line against Mitchell Starc to flash him up and over fine-leg with the lunch break in sight.
Pooran's blistering 61 not enough as Shai Hope's Capitals edge LSG by 19 runs to keep slim play-off hopes alive
Delhi Capitals defeated Lucknow Super Giants to boost their hopes of making the Indian Premier League play-offs.
The Capitals claimed a 19-run victory on Tuesday, with Abishek Porel (58) and Tristan Stubbs (57 not out) starring.
Their efforts propelled Delhi to 208-4 from their 20 overs, with Shai Hope (38) and Rishabh Pant (33) chipping in with useful contributions as LSG's bowling attack struggled badly. Hope faced 27 balls and had three fours and two sixes in his knock.
Nicholas Pooran top-scored with a 27-ball 61 in Lucknow's chase, while Arshad Khan plundered an unbeaten 58, yet it was not enough, with the Super Giants only able to reach 189-9 in response. Pooran's knock included six fours and four maximums, while Khan had three fours and five sixes in his 33-ball knock.
Shai Hope found his range after a quiet start.
Ishant Sharma, with 3-34, was the pick of the Capitals' bowlers, as they must now wait and see if Chennai Super Kings or Sunrisers Hyderabad slip up enough to send Delhi into the top four.
LSG are down in seventh, and they must beat Mumbai Indians heavily in their last match to stand any chance of making the play-offs.
Data Debrief: Ishant hits double figures... again
Introduced as the impact player, Ishant fulfilled his duty with three swift wickets inside his first three overs, with Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul and Deepak Hood all taken out.
Ishant has now taken 10 wickets this season, and is onto 93 across his entire IPL career. It is the sixth season Ishant has reached double figures for wickets, and his second in a row.
Afridi lauds 'world class' Babar and Rizwan as Pakistan win Ireland series
Shaheen Afridi lauded Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan as "world class" after the pair guided Pakistan to a T20I series victory over Ireland on Tuesday.
Babar's side were defeated in the first meeting with Ireland last week but responded with two convincing chases to secure a 2-1 triumph.
Ireland captain Lorcan Tucker's 73 helped his side to set a target of 179 in the winner-takes-all-decider, but Pakistan had little trouble in easing to a six-wicket victory with 18 balls to spare.
Rizwan, who managed an unbeaten 75 in the second meeting, crafted a well-made 56, while Babar carried Pakistan to within touching distance after his 42-ball 75.
Big-hitter Azam Khan blasted 18 off just six deliveries to see the visitors over the line, though Afridi was quick to credit the work of the two experienced Pakistan campaigners.
"For us, before the World Cup, it's important to have these games to ready ourselves and there are a few areas to improve," said Afridi, who impressed with 3-14 in the first innings.
"They're both world-class players [Babar and Rizwan]; they know how to play their role and they have done really well on this pitch."
Babar bludgeoned four of his five sixes off Ben White's bowling in the 14th over, while sharing 139 runs with the in-form Rizwan for the second wicket.
"We had good communication in the middle because we have played a lot of cricket together; we were trying to play on our strengths and the aim was to match with the run rate," Babar added.
"Lots of positives for us to take and we were able to execute our plans.
"We have a big tournament coming up and this is good practice; we are now looking forward to the England series."
Mark Adair was the only Ireland bowler to impress with his economical 3-28, though Tucker was still satisfied with his side's efforts.
"It was brilliant and a great privilege to captain," Tucker said at the post-match presentation. "It would have been nice to start with a win.
"We set up a platform nicely but unfortunately, we couldn't finish well. We gave everyone a go with the ball. Credit to the lads, they bowled well in tough conditions.
"Maybe it was a bit disappointing with the result but we had positives from the series."
IPL: KKR ensured top-two spot after washout
The first abandoned game of the Indian Premier League ensures Kolkata Knight Riders will finish in the top two and Gujarat Titans’ elimination from playoff contention.
A combination of lightning and rain meant there was not even a toss, with the intense storm ripping banners from the stands, which later wrapped around the floodlights.
KKR had all but ensured a place in the top two due to their dominating net run-rate, but a 19th point of the season confirmed it, leaving them with one game to try and clinch top spot for the first time.
The Titans needed to win their final two games to give themselves any hope of reaching the playoffs, though it would have proven tough for the side with the lowest net run-rate in the league.
It is the first time GT have failed to make the playoffs since they joined the competition before the 2022 season.
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