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The Ashes 2021-22 in Sydney, fourth Test, day five as it happened: Smith takes late wicket as England finish nine down to salvage draw at SCG

Tom Decent

Updated January 9, 2022 — 8:19pm,first published January 9, 2022 — 9:00am

8.19pm on Jan 9, 2022

That’s a wrap

By Tom Decent

Thanks for joining.

Make sure you log on to our mastheads to read all the news and analysis from a remarkable Test in Sydney.

That was Test cricket at its purest. It warms the soul.

See you for Hobart, which begins on Friday.

Thanks for joining, it’s been a blast. Cheers!

Cummins walks his team off the SCG after coming so close to victory. Getty

8.01pm on Jan 9, 2022

Brave England hang on to deny Australia’s 5-0 dream

By Malcolm Conn

Australia’s dream of a 5-0 whitewash disappeared in the Sydney gloom as England hung on for a dramatic, last-gasp draw in the fourth Ashes Test.

With Steve Smith the unlikely bowler searching for a miracle after the umpires deemed light was too bad for Pat Cummins to continue with his thunderbolts, batting rabbit Jimmy Anderson played out the final over to save the game.

England finished on 9-270 after being set an unlikely target of 388, with Australia leading the series 3-0 as they head to Hobart for the fifth and final Test, beginning on Friday.

Needing six wickets during an elongated last session, Cummins bowled a brilliant over with the second new ball, trapping Jos Buttler and Mark Wood with searing in-swingers.

Jonny Bairstow and Jimmy Anderson embrace after the SCG draw. Getty

The drama was heightened as the decisions were painstakingly reviewed, prompting a double celebration each time they were confirmed in Australia’s favour.

With six overs remaining and two wickets left, spinner Nathan Lyon returned with all nine fielders huddled around England’s Jack Leach striving desperately for survival.

It was Leach who frustrated the Australians at Headingley two and a half years ago when he hung with Ben Stokes, who produced a miraculous innings to claim victory.

On Sunday, Lyon removed Stokes earlier in the day and then Smith snaffled Leach with his barely sighted leg-spinners, claiming his first Test wicket in five years as Leach edged to David Warner at slip.

READ MALCOLM CONN’S MATCH REPORT HERE

7.35pm on Jan 9, 2022

What the result means for the series

By Tom Decent

That was a seriously busy one for all the cricket bloggers out there. A pleasure to watch.

Sure, England dug in and did well to not get bowled out on day five, but I felt Australia were the better team throughout the Test. Had weather not played a role, as it did on day one, and again today when seven overs were lost after lunch, Australia win that Test.

So, Australia remain ahead 3-0 in the series. A whitewash is off the cards but 4-0 would be incredibly satisfying for Pat Cummins’ side.

Will England be buoyed by that draw? You’d imagine so. Will it have a bearing on the next match in Hobart, beginning on Friday? Hard to say.

There were positives for England. Zak Crawley made his first score of the series, Ben Stokes is seeing them better with the bat and Jonny Bairstow showed he is a valuable resource in the middle order if he applies himself. Leach had his best Test with the ball after getting tonked in Brisbane and Broad gave a subtle up yours to selectors by taking match figures of 5-132.

But there are still issues; notably the decline of Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan and Joe Root in this series. Bairstow’s finger, Stokes’s side and Buttler’s finger are also concerns for the balance of the XI. Root confirmed after the match that Buttler will be flying back to the UK. Ollie Pope may come into the team.

Australia, meanwhile, will be confident they can win in a Hobart pink ball fixture. Every bowler available is averaging 26 or lower. They have good headaches, none more pressing than whether to pick Usman Khawaja again after his twin tons (137 and 101*). Marcus Harris will be a nervous man.

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