Ben Stokes let a crucial catch slip through his fingers as England and Australia moved towards a nail-biting conclusion in the final Ashes Test of the summer.
Chasing a massive 384 to win the series 3-1, Australia reached lunch on day five at the Kia Oval on 238 for three, just seconds after a pivotal moment that reprieved Steve Smith on 39.
Smith had just gloved Moeen Ali to leg-slip, where Stokes leapt up and grabbed the ball one-handed only for it to tumble to the ground before he had full control.
A moment of confusion followed as Stokes called for DRS to force through the wicket, suggesting he was claiming a clean take, but the TV umpire concurred with the not out verdict and struck down the review.
There were plenty of discussions between the players, officials and batters as they walked off for the break, but the incident underlined the impression that things were moving in Australia’s favour after a bad start.
Resuming in a strong position at 135 without loss, they lost three for 29 as a Chris Woakes double strike and one from Mark Wood raised the home side’s hopes. With two sessions remaining, England need seven more wickets with just 146 runs to play with.
Play began 10 minutes late after a morning shower, but England seized the initiative as soon the covers came off taking their first two wickets for six runs.
On his last day as a professional cricketer the retiring Stuart Broad beat the outside edge with a couple of beauties, but it was Woakes who did the damage.
He had David Warner (60) caught behind with a ball that angled away from a tight line, drawing the curtain on the left-hander’s final Ashes innings, and then turned that long-awaited breakthrough into a double.
Usman Khawaja has been the most durable and productive batter in the series but fell four short of the 500-run mark when he stayed back to his 1,263rd delivery in the past seven weeks. Woakes dragged the ball back in from middle to leg and pinned the batter on the knee-roll to send him back for 72.
England had successfully reclaimed some of the lost ground and clawed back even more when Marnus Labuschagne’s unfulfilled summer continued with a low edge that settled in the safe hands of Zak Crawley at second slip.
Wood was not at his top speed, said to be struggling with a heel problem, but was bounding in with his usual heart.
At 169 for three the winning line suddenly seemed a long way in the distance, but Australia were in no mood to lie down. Smith and Head threw off the shackles, seeking out the boundaries they needed to ease the pressure.
James Anderson, a day on from his 41st birthday, over-pitched too often and saw his first three overs milked for 22 while Broad was luckless from the Pavilion End.
The fourth-wicket pair took just 61 balls to post a fifty stand but the introduction of Moeen almost stopped their charge in the final over before the break.
It remains to be seen how Stokes’ recollection of the incident will unfold, but had he held on just a few seconds longer Smith’s role in the conclusion would already be over.
Babar relieved after Fakhar and Rizwan guide Pakistan past Ireland
Babar Azam was left relieved after Pakistan made light work of chasing 194 to keep their T20I series with Ireland alive and take it to a winner-takes-all-decider.
Andy Balbirnie's 77 helped Ireland to their first victory over Pakistan in this format on Friday, but Babar's side responded in style on Sunday with their own seven-wicket triumph.
Lorcan Tucker's 51 powered Ireland to an impressive 193-7 in Dublin as Shaheen Shah Afridi registered figures of 3-49 and Abbas Afridi managed 2-33.
Yet that total was far from imposing as Pakistan chased the target down with 19 balls to spare thanks to a remarkable partnership between Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman.
The pair combined for a 140-run stand off only 78 balls for the third wicket as Fakhar smashed 78 from 40, while Rizwan was unbeaten on 75 after facing just 46.
"I'm relieved, credit to all batters," Babar said after the win. "We lost a few wickets early on but we kept the momentum going.
"Fakhar is very experienced and played according to situation which demanded positive intent. It's a good side, we got positives in this match and will look to give 100 per cent in the next match."
Rizwan added: "They played really well against us. It was not an easy chase because the Ireland bowlers knew their conditions better.
"They gave us a difficult time early on, but we decided that chasing 194, we have to attack. You're always under pressure when you lose especially with World Cup around the corner."
The two sides will meet again in Dublin on Tuesday to settle the three-match T20I series.
IPL: RCB keep playoff hopes alive after dominating Capitals
Royal Challengers Bengaluru kept their unlikely Indian Premier League playoff hopes alive after a fifth straight win as they defeated Delhi Capitals by 47 runs on Sunday.
Faf du Plessis' side leapfrogged the Capitals with this victory, moving into fifth in the standings and just two points behind fourth-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of RCB's final game with Chennai Super Kings.
Rajat Patidar set the tone with a 32-ball 52, alongside Will Jacks' rapid 41 runs from 29 deliveries, before Cameron Green added an unbeaten 32 to guide RCB to 187-9.
Impact substitute David Warner mustered only one in response, with number three Abishek Porel also out for just two runs, as Delhi limped to 30-4 inside four overs of the second innings.
Yash Dayal managed to run out opener Jake Fraser-McGurk on 21 before Axar Patel – in as captain for the suspended Rishabh Pant – offered resistance with 57 from 39 balls in the middle order.
Yet Dayal dismissed the Capitals captain to claim an impressive 3-20, assisted by Lockie Ferguson's 2-23, as RCB wrapped up a convincing victory in bowling Delhi out for 140.
Data debrief: Capitals contained
Kuldeep's last over went for 22 as the Capitals leg-spinner finished with 1 for 52 off his four overs, the second time he has gone for over fifty runs after the four for 55 versus Sunrisers.
That dismal showing with the ball was in stark contrast to the RCB bowlers, with Green also chipping in with an economical 1-19 and Mohammed Siraj's 1-33.
Despite victory, Dinesh Karthik claimed an unwanted piece of history for the most ducks in IPL history, moving onto 18 and past Glenn Maxwell after falling to Khaleel Ahmed (2-31) in the first innings.
Broad fears for inexperienced England bowling attack after Anderson retirement
Stuart Broad fears an inexperienced England bowling attack could be exposed to problems after James Anderson announced his Test retirement decision on Saturday.
England's all-time leading wicket-taker Anderson will end his remarkable red-ball career after the first Test against West Indies on July 10.
Anderson has taken 700 wickets in 187 Tests, the most by any pace bowler in history, but the 41-year-old will play for a final time after Brendon McCullum signalled a change of plans for the future.
Matthew Potts, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson are all potential replacements, though Broad remains concerned for Ben Stokes' bowling options going forward.
"England could easily go into a Test match this summer with a very, very inexperienced bowling group," Broad told Sky Sports Cricket podcast.
"If you don't play a [Chris] Woakes, Mark Wood has a rest and there's no Jimmy Anderson, you could have three seamers and a spinner out there potentially with 20 caps between them.
"That's quite scary as a Test captain I would have thought. We don't know how much [Ben] Stokesy's going to bowl – we hope he does.
"But that could leave you a bit exposed. There's only one way to find out with bowlers, and that's to give them a go."
Anderson's opening-bowler partner Broad retired after last year's Ashes, having finished his illustrious career with 604 Test wickets.
Having neither of the pair available to lead the line with the red ball in future may pose problems and Broad reiterated his concern over the gaping gap Anderson's retirement will leave.
"There's going to certainly be a huge hole left by Jimmy Anderson that someone is going to have to step into," he added.
"And not just by swinging the new ball. But by communicating, by keeping calm if the boundaries are leaking, by tactically being aware of what field works at certain grounds, pitches and times of Test matches.
"Ultimately, you don't learn that unless you're thrown in."
Broad, however, remains hopeful that Stokes and McCullum will find the right combinations to take England into a new era of Test cricket.
"I think exposure for some bowlers now is really important, because there's talent out there," Broad continued.
"There's bowlers out there that need a bit of exposure to see what it's about in Test match cricket.
"They may need time to adjust their training plan and how they operate before a tour in two years' time."
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