Twitter Reactions: England win the Oval Test to square the series but Australia retain The Ashes

A series history will remember with great awe and satisfaction. The quality of cricket could not have been higher and batsmanship could not have been better than what we witnessed from Steve Smith. After one of the finest tussles of all time in Ashes history, the five-game epic battle ended with two wins apiece for the arch-rivals and saw Australia retain the Ashes.

Earlier on Sunday, the English lower order failed to show any resistance as they failed to get their lead past the 400-mark, setting a 399-run target for their opponents. It was always going to be a titanic task to get so many runs in the fourth innings and the top order collapse didn’t help the Aussies by any means.

David Warner fell prey to Stuart Broad for the 7th time this series even as Marcus Harris’s stumps went for a walk. Jack Leach provided an important breakthrough for the hosts by removing the on-song Marnus Labushagne, who scored plenty of runs this series to consolidate his position for the upcoming tours.

Much to the disappointment of the Aussie fans, Steve Smith‘s dream run in England ended with 774 runs, with the 30-year-old accumulating his only score less than 50 in this innings. A short-pitched delivery from Broad on his shoulders got manoeuvred straight to the leg-slip, where Ben Stokes’s safe hands removed Smith for 23.

Wade fights but England level the series

At 85/4, Mitchell Marsh and Matthew Wade came to Australia’s temporary rescue. The duo fought hard to sail against the wind, yet managed to score at a decent rate. They stitched a 63-run partnership for the 5th wicket, with Marsh contributing 24 runs. Their time together at the crease came to an end with the all-rounder giving away his wicket to Joe Root.

Wade completed his half-century in the company of his skipper Tim Paine and also kept the scoring rate above par. Paine did look good in the little time he spent in the middle, but once again lost his composure and threw it away after scoring 21 off 34 cherries. With only the tail to help him out, Wade set himself out to do a Ben Stokes, but the southpaw could not manage that.

He did come close to raising certain hopes in the Aussie section, completing a well-deserved century. But he too fell prey to the English skipper Joe Root and walked back after scoring a sensational 166-ball 117. It didn’t take long for the English bowlers to send the remaining packing home as they squared the series 2-2 with a 135-run win.

Here’s how Twitter reacted: