Ashes 2019: Australia chasing 399 to beat England, fifth Test day four – live!

13th over: Australia 51-2 (Labuschagne 12, Smith 13) A change in the bowling with Jack Leach on. Broad has done the new-ball job tremendously once again. Two wickets for him. Now the middle overs begin, with Australia moving past their fifty with a couple of singles. 348 to win.

12th over: Australia 49-2 (Labuschagne 11, Smith 12) A maiden for Curran against Labuschagne, who has built his accidental Ashes on discipline, but falters to have one wide drive at a ball slanted across him. Missed.

11th over: Australia 49-2 (Labuschagne 11, Smith 12) Labuschagne not afraid to take on the short ball from Broad, even for a single to the deep. Then another boundary for Smith as Broad bowls in inswinger that Smith with his movement across can glance to fine leg.

That takes Smith past Mudassar Nazar’s 761 runs for Pakistan against India in 1982 and 1983.

10th over: Australia 44-2 (Labuschagne 10, Smith 8) Sam Curran starts off, and he’s bowling well immediately. Testing out Marnus on the pads, nearly lbw but for an inside edge. Then pushing just across Smith, drawing a cover drive that could bring some risk of an outside edge. The next is straighter, and Smith drives through mid-on, under Jofra Archer for four! Good shot, but maybe it could have been stopped.

Smith goes past Bradman’s 759 runs from the 1934 Ashes. No big deal.

9th over: Australia 39-2 (Labuschagne 9, Smith 4) So Broad got Warner seven times in the series. And Warner has the lowest aggregate for any opener who has batted ten times in a Test series. Labuschagne gets a single from Broad. The standard Australian score of 2 for not many has settled into place.

Well, this is the power of the OBO. We mentioned Gang of Four earlier, and now the band’s own Jon King has emailed in. “So proud my band, Gang of Four, gets a name check. There, shamelessly did it again! Back in the day in Leeds, sharing a flat with Mark White and Andy Corrigan of the Mekons, it was always a toss up for our guests to hear either Berlin-era Bowie, or TMS. Keep up the brilliant work!”

8th over: Australia 38-2 (Labuschagne 8, Smith 4) Labuschagne’s bright start continues, cleanly off the pads from Archer for one. Smith deflects Archer to the fine leg boundary, but it’s off the thigh pad rather than bat. Smith yet to get off the mark then. But he’s away two balls later, a gorgeous cover drive from Archer, on the rise! Not all of Smith’s shots through cover look good, but the timing there was suave.

He goes past Graham Gooch’s 752 in a series against India in 1990, and Denis Compton’s 753 when South Africa visited England in 1947.

7th over: Australia 29-2 (Labuschagne 7, Smith 0) The over starts well for Australia: Marnus drives a full ball for four, then flicks three more runs through midwicket. Jack Leach’s run after the ball looks like the little dude in the original Nintendo handset Donkey Kong game. No barrels to jump over. But Broad knocks down Warner thereafter. Smith arrives, walking across to defend Broad, then playing that twisty-wrist cover drive at a wide one that hits the field.

And right on cue, there he goes! Warner’s miserable Ashes comes to an end with one last dismissal. Scrambled seam from Broad, moved away slightly, Warner was only trying to defend from the crease but the delivery is back of a length and takes a fat edge at a nice height to third slip. Two down, and in comes Steve Smith!

6th over: Australia 22-1 (Warner 11, Labuschagne 0) Archer to Warner, edged through the cordon for four! Luck there for Warner, it flew into the gap between slip and gully. It hits the boundary, and Warner is into double figures for the second time this season. I’d like to say that this might be enough to get him going, but it’s hard to see that from here.

5th over: Australia 18-1 (Warner 7) Another failure for Harris. Another wicket in the first 10 overs for Broad, who has a stack of them this series. Marnus Labuschagne will make another early trip to the middle.

Off stump out of the ground! Last ball of the over, a beauty from Broad! Warner had taken a single to rotate strike, Harris had played a lovely on-drive for four, and Australia’s total of 18 was their highest opening stand for the series. But that’s as far as it goes. A bit of movement, Harris plays inside the line, and it takes out off stump. Broad erupts. England riot.

4th over: Australia 13-0 (Harris 5 Warner 7) The frying of David Warner continues. A slight sizzling sound and smoke coming from his ears. He tries to wipe an Archer delivery from outside off and misses. Then gets one in at his pads and misses again. Bairstow behind the stumps goes up in appeal but Archer doesn’t, it was going down leg. Archer bowls a bit short, and Warner slaps him through cover for four. A buccaneering shot, not one that indicates composure. Then Warner sprints a single, tucking it to mid-on and going with the shot, and Harris really has to motor as Broad throws to the striker’s end.

“What I hope will happen: Australia 200/1 overnight and Smith’s not even in yet,” writes Kev McMahon. “What I think will happen: Australia 73/8 at tea. Smith falls over his own feet in one of his elaborate leaves, falls and breaks his hand.”

3rd over: Australia 8-0 (Harris 5 Warner 2) Harris facing Broad looks a better outcome for Australia. Mind you, Harris might need to face all of Archer as well. At least for four balls of the over, Harris leaves and blocks without incident. Then Broad sends down a scrambled-seamer that decks away, beating the edge! Lovely bowling. And a equally good riposte, as Broad overpitches from the last ball and is driven straight for four. Good batting pitch, as we said…

2nd over: Australia 4-0 (Harris 1, Warner 2) Archer to start from the Vauxhall End, which is so named because that’s where he parked his car. Pace and carry from him, as he operates around the wicket to Harris and outside the off stump. Eventually he slips onto the pads and Harris jabs an airborne glance to fine leg. He’s under as much pressure as Warner, really. Three Tests for Harris this series and no contributions. Warner on strike, and is immediately beaten again as he pushes at a fuller ball. The last ball is wider and he leaves.

1st over: Australia 3-0 (Harris 0, Warner 2) Broad to start. Warner has taken the first ball in his last couple of innings, but doesn’t today. Harris though gives him the second ball, running a leg bye off the thigh pad. Warner does not look comfortable immediately. Gets beaten outside off, stabs a couple of runs off his pads, then gets beaten again pushing hard at the ball down the line. That was a beautiful bit of bowling, moving away. He survives the first over, though.

Adrian Armstrong has been busy.

Ian Forth’s reference to Gang Of Four set me wondering whether the post-punkers’ oeuvre might generate a complete Boycott XI. Here goes:

Natural’s Not In It
If I Could Keep It For Myself
Outside The Trains Don’t Run On Time
He’d Send In The Army
It Is Not Enough
The World At Fault
Better Him Than Me [the run-out modus operandi]
Do As I Say
England’s In My Bones
First World Citizen
Stranded [those run-outs again]

Here’s Boris Starling. “Like all Englishmen of a certain age, my instinctive thought when England are defending a substantial lead in the fourth innings can be summed up in two words (Lord’s, Greenidge) and two numbers (1984, 214*). And no, I can’t shake the sinking feeling that Oval, Smith, 2019 and 200ish* is on the cards (224 to overtake Bradman’s record, if my maths is right).”

You’re spot on, Boz.

“What do you reckon the chances of Warner having an match defining innings and making double figures today?” asks David Kalucy. Given the way he batted in the first innings, not great. He looked completely frazzled.

Here’s the TMS overseas link for those who want some audio with the chase as well as my sweet, sweet written words.

That’s the tally then! A monster for Australia to chase, nearly 400 runs. There have been four winning run chases bigger than this in Test history. So that’s against them, but for them is having Steve Smith and a decent day-four pitch and two days to play. With the time in hand and the good weather, the draw will be impossible. So Australia will bat for a 3-1 lead, and England will bowl to tie the series 2-2 and spoil the party.

Leach couldn’t cope with Broad going past his score, clearly, and wanted to retake the lead. He goes down on one knee and tries to slog-sweep Lyon, but only gets a high top edge that swirls before settling with mid-on.

95th over: England 329-9 (Leach 9, Broad 12) Cummins to Broad… and he nails him! Broad nails Cummins, I mean! The backaway swat shot connects at the third attempt, and connects well. Broad was waiting for it, camped back like a baseballer, didn’t even think about getting forward. Bat over the shoulder in his backlift, then follows through. Siddle at deep midwicket thinks he’s in the hunt, but it sails over his head for six.

So Cummins bowls short again, and Broad misses. And again, and Broad misses. This is the stupidest bowling I have ever seen. Broad is stepping almost off the cut strip. All Cummins has to do is bowl at the stumps: fast ball, slower ball, whatever. There’s no way Broad is carving the yorker off his middle stump behind point for four.

So what does Cummins do? Bowls short and gets hit for six more. Even straighter over midwicket this time, Siddle running around to no avail. Steve Smith was at long stop for that ball, right behind Tim Paine on the boundary. Then Paine calls Smith up, and Cummins bowls a length ball that goes over middle stump. What.

94th over: England 317-9 (Leach 9, Broad 0) Leach looks pretty good this morning, dipping his knees and driving to point but not beating the field. He’s not shabby with the blade. Knocks a ball to leg side, then gets a little leading edge behind point, but can’t find a run from the over. Broad will have to face Cummins again.

93rd over: England 317-9 (Leach 9, Broad 0) Out comes Stuart Broad, who of course made a Test hundred once but rather lost his enthusiasm for batting and is now all the way down at 11. Unsurprisingly he gets three short balls from Cummins, the first of which he blocks, and the latter two he backs away and swipes at and misses. He has his way.

Tim Paine gets a review right! Ah, mercy! Ah, blessings! The Oval can do amazing things. The Oval is where Shane Watson overturned an lbw on review in 2013. Now Paine gets one! A glove down the leg side from Archer, just a tiny touch. Umpire says no. Computer says yes. Paine was very confident. That’s the sort of call that a wicketkeeper might know more about than an lbw. Early breakthrough for the Aussies, who will be mighty relieved. Archer doesn’t think he hit it. Like Warner in the first innings, it’s not conclusive on the vision but there’s a tiny spike on the Snickometer.

92nd over: England 317-8 (Archer 3, Leach 9) Hello all, thanks JP. Well, here we are! Glorious sun again, the classic London autumn. Perhaps the last day of this series, though Surrey will be desperately hoping that their sold-out fifth day goes ahead. Jerusalem over the loudspeakers. Erasmus and Dharmasena to the middle. Huge cheers for Jack Leach and Jofra Archer. Nathan Lyon starting with the ball, and Jack Leach carves him through cover for four!

Ok, let’s sharpen the focus with the restart nearing. England win, right? WinViz reckon it’s 87% likely. But we all know Steve Smith’s going to do something preposterous don’t we, one final hit. Are we coming back tomorrow? Or is this it? Our summer dalliance fading with the weak autumn sunshine…

Derek Stocker must be unique, surely, a Zimbabwe supporter in Bulgaria. Anyway, he’s sent an email. “I am a Zim supporter but rooting for England. I hope today is the day the Teddy Bear does not come to the picnic. No doubt about Warner’s talent and, I do have sympathy for him. I just imagine him going really big today. I hope my vision disappears to where it came from.” It would be remarkable for such a talented player not to have at least one knock in a five-Test series, wouldn’t it? Maybe the bit of needle that’s crept into the contest is what he’s needed?

The music bug is catching. Ian Forth is the latest to join in with a quite excellent summer mixtape.

“1. Australians in Europe by The Fall. By way of an overture.
2. Midnight in a Perfect World by DJ Shadow. For those tuning in down under.
3. Heart Cooks Brain by Modest Mouse. Slightly misguided bumper sticker tribute to the previous England captain’s strategic capabilities.
4. Monty Got A Raw Deal by REM. For those who think there should have been room for Monty and Swanny in the same side.
5. At Home He’s A Tourist by Gang Of Four. For KP.
6. Why Won’t They Talk To Me by Tame Impala. Also for KP.
7. The First Cut Is The Deepest by PP Arnold. For Joe Root.
8. I Just Get Caught Out by The Go Betweens. For every batsman in this series other than Smith.
9. I’m Stranded by The Saints. For Jos Buttler.
10. I Know It’s Over by The Smiths. For all of us, very soon. (Also for grumpy bowlers who’ve just had their appeal turned down off the last ball).
11. Ashes to Ashes by Bowie. Because it’s never really over, is it?”

I’m only linking to The Fall for now, but there are plenty of bangers in that batting order.

Ben Stokes has occupied centre stage for most of this summer but when it was time to take his bow at the Oval it arrived in subdued fashion. Ali Martin has more.

When a drowsy Oval crowd offered Stokes the polite applause that a score of 67 might usually merit, a chance to thank the all-rounder for his efforts during this epic home season felt slightly missed.

Stokes, unable to bowl in this Test and thus with just fielding left on the to-do list, has hit a new level as a batsman this year; the responsibility that some feared may be shackling his game before the World Cup has paid out some serious jackpots since.

Joe Denly’s runs yesterday were good for Joe Denly, but they were also handy for England selector Ed Smith, as Barney Ronay reports.

Of all the new picks during the last 18 months Denly has perhaps been the most thoroughly Smith-flavoured, albeit not for the reasons some have assumed. One former Kent player laughed out loud at the idea Smith might pick his former teammate out of ties of matey loyalty. The response, in essence: if you think that, you obviously don’t know Ed Smith very well – with the suggestion good old Joe from Canterbury is unlikely to figure too prominently in Smith’s list of vital VIP personages to please at all costs.

David Gaskell has identified the particular grade of salt to pour onto Australian wounds. “We have not had an imperious innings from Stuart Broad for some time. If memory serves me rightly, he did annoy and frustrate the opposition from time to time. Why not today? A handy thirty or so whilst the Boycott maxi- me that is Jack Leach blocks like a factor 50 on the French Riviera.”

As Emma John writes, it has been an extraordinary summer of cricket.

But for England fans, the best-case scenario of a two-all draw scarcely seemed a reason to put the Moët on ice, not after a summer that had given us so many champagne moments already. We’d been spoiled for storylines and the realisation that the Ashes weren’t coming home – and England could still finish on the pointy end of a 3-1 scoreline – was as deflating as sitting through seven series of your favourite TV show only to discover that Bran Stark had won the Game of Thrones. (Still not over that, no.)

Ah, the cry of “Any tickets, buy or sell” accompanied by the smell of police horse poo and the sight of a man dribbling meat pie down his front. You can’t beat a major sporting event.

Kim Thonger, I shall miss your morning emails when this series is over. “If ‘It’s Coming Home’ doesn’t describe England fan feelings this weekend, perhaps this does, Dark Black by Kristina Train. I’ve been saving it for my funeral, but do ‘enjoy’ today as an Ashes farewell…

“I remember colors painted in my eyes
Green was for the springtime, blue the summer skies
And now the skies have darkened, the white clouds turn to grey
What a way to break a heart, you took all the colors away
Dark black is the color of my life
Since you’ve been gone
Since you’ve been gone
Oh if you come back
Make my whole world bright
Since you’ve been gone
Dark black is the color of my life”

Want to know the match situation at the click of a mouse/button/screen/trackpad? Well, fear not, because Vic Marks is all you need.

The lead stands at 382 with two fragile wickets remaining. It should be enough for England – if they can get Smith out.