LONDON: Stuart Broad took two wickets in quick succession before James Anderson got in on the act as England hit back against Australia in the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval on Friday.
Australia were 186-7 at tea on the second day, still 97 runs behind England’s first-innings 283, after Broad removed both obdurate opener Usman Khawaja (47) and Travis Head (four) in a dramatic burst of 2-4 in six balls.
But star batsman Steve Smith survived and was 40 not out.
Anderson, Test cricket’s most successful pace bowler, had taken just four wickets in three previous matches this series at a costly average of 76.75 apiece to raise doubts about his international future.
But the paceman, who will be 41 on Sunday, followed up Broad’s double strike by dismissing Mitchell Marsh for 16 to leave Australia 151-5.
Australia, as the holders, are assured of retaining the Ashes at 2-1 up, and only need to avoid defeat at The Oval to secure their first Test series win away to England in 22 years.
Their position meant they have no need to replicate England’s risky ‘Bazball’ batting approach.
But the tourists arguably veered too much in the opposite direction during Friday’s attritional morning session, scoring just 54 runs in 26 overs for the loss of Marnus Labuschagne.
Australia resumed on 61-1, with left-hander Khawaja 26 not out and Labuschagne, fresh from his hundred in last week’s rain-marred drawn fourth Test at Old Trafford, unbeaten on two.
Labuschagne, however, took a further 59 balls to score just seven more runs before edging a full-length delivery from express fast bowler Mark Wood, with Joe Root holding a brilliant one-handed catch diving to his left at first slip.
New batsman Smith upped the tempo with two superb straight-driven fours off successive Anderson deliveries and at lunch Australia were 115-2.
But Broad, whose 167-Test career has been notable for dramatic wicket-taking bursts, soon reduced Australia to 127-4.
He had Khawaja, the leading run-scorer in the series, lbw with a full-length delivery that ended a stay of 157 balls despite the batsman’s review.
Broad, who had made his name in Ashes cricket with a return of 5-37 at The Oval in 2009, became first Englishman to take 150 Test wickets against Australia.
That rose to 151 wickets when Head was caught behind off an excellent delivery that nipped away off the seam.
Marsh briefly threatened with a superb straight six off Broad before, not moving his feet, he tentatively played on to Anderson.
England were a bowler light on Friday as Moeen Ali remained off the field with the groin injury the off-spinner suffered while batting on Thursday.
But part-time off-spinner Root filled the gap when, having been hit for six by Alex Carey, he induced an ugly swipe from the wicketkeeper that went straight to England captain Ben Stokes at short cover.
Australia were 185-7 when Mitchell Starc holed out to backward square leg off Wood.
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