Root, Bairstow fifties help England stretch lead to 377

England stormed ahead on day three of the fifth Ashes Test at the Oval on the back of another sensational batting display. Half-centuries from Zak Crawley, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow handed the hosts the ascendency in the contest, giving Ben Stokes’ side a lead of 377 to put them in pole position to level the series at 2-2.

On a day where the headlines belonged to Stuart Broad, who revealed after stumps that the fifth Ashes Test would be his last, closing the curtains on a glorious 17-year career, England worked towards giving their champion bowler the perfect send-off.

Zak Crawley began the hosts’ final 2023 Ashes innings in the same vein as he started the first, crunching a four through the off-side. England wiped off Australia’s first-innings lead off the first over of the day and didn’t look back from then on as Crawley and Duckett raced away to a half-century stand in just 52 deliveries. Starc finally managed to break the opening stand on 79, bringing Ben Stokes to the crease at number three in place of Moeen Ali, who was ineligible to take the field due to injury.

Stokes and Crawley kept the boundaries flowing through the first session. The opener brought up his half-century to push his tally for the series past 450 and took a liking to Todd Murphy, flaying a series of boundaries against the off-spinner. Cummins ended Crawley’s stay on 73 after Lunch, but the relief was only temporary as Joe Root kept the runs ticking alongside Ben Stokes.

The number four pulled out the reverse lap against Mitchell Marsh and peppered Mitchell Starc through the afternoon to bring up a 42-ball half-century. Just as England marched ahead, though, Australia grabbed a couple of wickets to even the scales. Ben Stokes picked out mid-on to depart for 42 while Hazlewood produced a ripper an over later to dismiss Harry Brook.

However, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow ensured that the day belonged to the hosts. The Yorkshire pair added 110 for the fifth wicket, taking on the lifeless Australian attack to push England’s lead past 300. Root was finally undone by an unplayable delivery from Murphy that turned viciously and stayed low, dismissing the number four just nine short of a 31st Test ton.

Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali kept the entertainment going a little longer to take stretch the advantage past 350, but Australia managed to pull things back before stumps. Mitchell Starc and Todd Murphy combined to take four wickets for 19 runs, leaving the final pair of Broad and Anderson standing at stumps in what would be their 138^th and final Test together.