What happened last time when England and Australia meet at The Oval?
The final Ashes Test is happening at the Kennington Oval in London from July 27. Australia is leading the series 2-1, but England can still level the series if they win this match. Fun fact: the first international cricket match was played at the Kennington Oval in 1880 between England and Australia. Since then, the two teams have played 38 matches at the venue, with England winning 17 times and Australia winning 7 times.
Also Read: The Ashes 2023: Australia wins the toss and chooses to bowl first
The most recent Ashes Test between these two teams at The Oval took place in 2019 and was the series finale as well. In that match, England started off strong, scoring their first 100 runs for the loss of only one wicket. But then they had a batting collapse and lost their next seven wickets for only 126 runs. Jos Buttler saved the day for England with a top score of 70, bringing England to a total of 294.
Jofra Archer was on fire during the last Ashes Test. He took six wickets and helped England bowl out Australia for 225 runs, giving England a lead of 69 runs. Joe Denly played an amazing innings in the second innings, scoring 94 runs, while Ben Stokes also scored a much-needed half-century, taking England to a total of 329 runs. This meant that Australia had a tough task ahead of them, chasing down 399 runs in the fourth innings.
Stuart Broad was in top form and took four wickets, reducing the Aussies to 85/4 in no time. Matthew Wade played a fantastic innings and registered his career-best score of 117 runs, which included 17 boundaries and a six. However, Jack Leach took four wickets, helping England to bowl out Australia for 263 runs and win the game by 135 runs.
England couldn’t regain the Ashes urn in the drawn fourth Test in Manchester, but they are still determined to win the fifth Test and finish the series on a high note. England has decided to keep the same playing XI for the final Test that they had in the fourth Test. James Anderson has struggled throughout the series, but he has the backing of the team and is still in the playing XI. Australia hasn’t announced their playing XI yet, but they will do so at the toss, which is scheduled for 3 pm IST.
