On the fourth day of the final Ashes Test at The Oval, Australian openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja showed incredible resilience, amassing 135 runs in their pursuit of a challenging target of 384, before rain interrupted play. The match was intense, with both Warner and Khawaja facing hostile bowling. Warner had a close call when Jimmy Anderson unintentionally bowled a beamer, causing the batter to defend with his bat handle. Shortly after, Khawaja was struck on the helmet by a bouncer from Mark Wood, leading to a thorough concussion check.
Their partnership of 135 is the highest opening partnership in the Ashes in England since Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss’s 196 at Lord’s in 2009. England’s Stuart Broad, who had announced his retirement the previous night, and Anderson, marking his 41st birthday, opened the bowling, creating a memorable moment as Broad smashed the final ball of his batting career for a six.
England’s bowlers, including Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali, Joe Root, and Wood, all attempted to break through the openers’ defenses under the floodlights on an overcast day but were unsuccessful. On the previous day, England had batted aggressively, with contributions from Zak Crawley (73), Root (91), and Bairstow (78), pushing their score higher and putting pressure on Australia’s bowlers.
At The Oval, no team has ever chased down more than 263, a record set by England against Australia in 1902. While 10 sides have scored over 300 runs on their way to draws at the ground, a successful chase of 384 would be a historic achievement.
Australia’s retention of the Ashes was secured after the fourth test was washed out, giving them a 2-1 lead in the series. However, they are determined to win the series outright and become the first Australian side to do so in England since 2001.
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