Key eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureBarney Ronay on Chris WoakesUpdated at 22.40 BSTBrendon McCullum is talking now, saying how pleased he is. “Incredible,” he says. “Remarkable. I don’t want it to end, I just want to go round again, it’s been an incredible ride.”He praises serval players including England’s player of the series. “The series that Woakesy had was quite remarkable – the wickets he took today, hitting the winning runs at Headingley.”Right on cue, the cameras find Chris Woakes holding up a fan’s phone. “Taking a BeReal,” says an authoritative voice on my sofa.Time for me to sign off. It’s been a thrilling finish to an epic drama – the series with everything except a result in Manchester. So 2-2 it is. Which, as everyone keeps saying, is a fair reflection. And also, as they haven’t been saying, a crying shame.Still, it’s been spectacular entertainment. England started shakily, rustily, and sharpened up their act. Australia started sharply and then wilted in the face of Wood and Woakes. Whatever was happening, the stories just kept on coming. As the credits roll, look out for the names of the scriptwriters – they surely include Stuart Broad.To Australia, the Ashes; to Broad, the headlines. He’s in the crowd now, holding a bottle of champagne.From the whole OBO team, a big thank-you for your company, correspondence, good humour and sheer love of the game. That, as ever, is the bottom line.Hang on, here’s one last email. “Reading Peter Gibbs’ email,” says Phil Sawyer, “I’m a bit choked up. I too lost Mum unexpectedly six months ago, again no condolences needed.” Sorry to hear it all the same. “But she would have been first on the phone as well after this. Glass raised to both of our mums tonight.”Updated at 19.45 BST“Just FYI,” says Malcolm McAdam, “this result means that even if Australia win the next series in England (in 2007?), their drought of Ashes wins in England will have lasted longer than England’s in Australia between 1987 and 2011. I know England’s dominance has not been near Australia’s in the years 1989-2003. But if you remember those long winless years of ritual humiliations at home and down under, that’s some reversal of fortune.”“Edgbaston,” the next email begins. “As the dust begins to settle,” says George Wigley, “dare we go back to the declaration there? But maybe 2-2 is a fairer reflection of the quality of cricket played, and surely we’ve won the moral Ashes by having the Aussies saved from defeat by the Manchester rain? And thanks for the coverage - a convert since 2005!”Moeen retires again!Moeen is talking to Mel Jones. Surely, she says, you’d like to carry on after that … “No, I’m done,” he replies. “If Stokesy messages me again, I’m going to delete it.” Quote of the day.Mo goes out of his way to praise Brendon McCullum – “so laid-back, my kind of coach” – and the young players, who, for England, are all batters. “I think Zak’s a really special player.”Another good email, with apologies to everyone whose words I haven’t even read yet. “Tim.... thanks mate. Sorry to say that Mum passed six months after I last wrote to you. A long time now so no condolences needed.” Still, feeling for you. “Broad was her favourite. She would have spat out her teeth in joy had she been here. And the language would have been profane in the extreme.“Go well all of you. Rob and Geoff especially, and you. Wonderful WONDERFUL!!!” Too kind.The email is signed, “Peter Gibbs. Aged 10 years older than this morning.”Stokes and Cummins hold the trophy togetherA silver trophy is presented to … both captains! That must be for the series, rather than the Ashes. Where’s the urn? Ah, there it is. Small but perfect formed.Pat Cummins picks it up and the Aussies gather round him, but no champagne is sprayed and the feeling is muted. “Slightly hollow for sure,” says Ricky Ponting.Here’s Pat Cummins, with a genial smile. “Ben Stokes says it’s a fair reflection, would you agree?” asks Mike Atherton. He would. And no, they didn’t think about trying to play for a draw here at the Oval. “We wanted the win. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be, but what a great series.“The crowd, the media, you get everything thrown at you. You wouldn’t want it any other way.”Woakes on Test cricket and franchise cricket: “You don’t get this feeling anywhere else in the world” You don’t, Chris, and neither do we❤️— Alison Mitchell () July 31, 2023
Pretty contented, says StokesHere’s Ben Stokes, bearing alliteration. “Two-two is a fair reflection of two teams that have been going toe to toe. Australia, world Test champions, absolute quality team. Being two-nil down after two games, I don’t think many teams would have been able to respond in the manner like we did. Yeah, pretty contented about everything we’ve achieved in the last seven weeks.“It was do-or-die again, it has been since the first two games. It really suits our mentality.”We interrupt this presentation ceremony to bring you a good spot. “Probably sums the series up,” says Rob Smyth, “that only one of the four victories came off the back of a first-innings lead. Can’t be much precedent for that.”The player of the match is Chris Woakes. And he’s also England’s player of the series, even though he wasn’t required for the first two Tests – so he was unbeaten, as was his car-pool mate Mark Wood. “Couldn’t have asked for it to go much better,” Woakes says.And Australia’s player of the series is Mitchell Starc. He was the leading bowler on either side with 23 wickets, one more than Broad, though there were a few days when he went round the parc.Updated at 18.49 BSTTime for the presentations. The England Test player of the summer is… Joe Root. Bit of a surprise!Updated at 18.53 BSTFor some reason I haven’t quite found time to go through the mailbag, but the first one I turn to is a heart-warmer. “Just wanted to send a massive ‘thank you’ from this Canuck to everyone in the OBO team,” it begins. “Have just gotten into cricket and I can think of no better introduction to the game than following along with this Ashes: a battle of philosophies, debates over the spirit of the game (a concept familiar enough to a curler like me), praying to the weather gods, and the retirement of a legend. What a series! Sin that the rain in Manchester spoiled the chance for a comeback of historic proportions after a few early stumbles, but couldn’t be happier for Broad on his fairytale ending. Thanks once more. Your new loyal fan, Ben Whitehouse.” Ahh, thank you Ben. It’s our pleasure.That magic momentAnd here is Stuart Broad’s last ball as a professional cricketer. At least until he gets a phone call from Ben Stokes next year.Absolutely wonderful, says Broad“It was absolutely wonderful,” Broad tells Mel Jones. “Moeen and Woakes set the tone unbelievably… The crowd was just wonderful, it was so loud – we jumped on the back of the energy of the crowd. You wonder what your last ball will be, so to take a wicket to win an Ashes Test is pretty special.”The ball he hit for six, he adds, was “the first one I’ve middled all year”.Stuart Broad finishes with two wickets in this innings, 604 in his Test career, and 22 in the series. No offence to him, but that was the cherry on the top (the old cherry). The cake was provided by Chris Woakes, who grabbed four wickets when they came back on, and Moeen Ali, who played through the pain of a groin strain to take three. After the rain, poor old Jimmy Anderson never even got a go. Maybe Stokes isn’t such a softie after all.Stuart Broad waves to the crowd after the match. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The GuardianUpdated at 19.04 BSTThe 2023 Ashes finish, just as the 2019 Ashes did, in a 2-2 draw. And this was an even better series.Updated at 18.29 BSTAustralia 334 all out, Broad two for 62The end of a great effort by the Aussies. The end of a great career for Stuart Broad. He’s even taken his bandana off.He walks off, quite rightly, with Moeen Ali, who may well be retiring too (for the second time).Broad has done it! England win the match and draw the series (Carey c Bairstow b Broad 28)A nick, a catch for Bairstow, and Broad has done it. The fairytale is complete.Stuart Broad celebrates the wicket of Alex Carey to win the match. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The GuardianUpdated at 18.51 BST93rd over: Australia 334-9 (Carey 27, Hazlewood 0) The sun comes out to see what’s happening, and Hazlewood survives a whole over from Mo. In fact, he cuts him for four! Australia need another 50.Crawley drops one!92nd over: Australia 330-9 (Carey 27, Hazlewood 0) Broad continues – well, I did tell you Stokes was a big softie. It’s Carey’s turn to play and miss at one of those lifters. And then he nicks it – and Crawley can’t cling on!! The first one he’s dropped all series. It hits him on the wrist as he goes low to his right at second slip – “he actually went too far,” says Ricky Ponting. The last ball is another play and miss, so Broad has given someone a full over at Hazlewood.“What a spell,” says Nasser Hussain. Australia need 54 more.91st over: Australia 329-9 (Carey 27, Hazlewood 0) Mo continues, as he will until midnight if need be. Carey tries a reverse sweep, for the first time today I think, and misses. A few dots, then Carey takes the single on offer in the covers. Mo to Hazlewood, with five catchers prowling. Hazlewood is up to the challenge, meeting the last two balls with a dead bat. Proper cricket!91st over: Australia 329-9 (Carey 27, Hazlewood 0) And that’s the end of the over, so Broad can let Mo get the last one and still finish his bowling career with a wicket, just as his batting finished with a six. The scriptwriters are back on form.WICKET!!! Murphy c Bairstow b BROAD 18 (Australia 329-9)Broad tries a bouncer to Murphy, who is equal to it, playing a high-class pull for four. Broad takes the point, pitches the ball up again, beats him, then beats him again, albeit with a slower ball that bounced before it reached Bairstow. Broad changes the bails. And it works! That old bail magic! Murphy finally nicks one.In their box, Broad’s entire family go crazy. Don’t drop the baby!Stuart Broad celebrates the wicket of Todd Murphy. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The GuardianUpdated at 18.25 BST90th over: Australia 323-8 (Carey 26, Murphy 13) It’s still Moeen, who has now bowled 21 overs, three for 65 – make that 71 because Carey has just hit him for six! Down the track, right to the pitch, big swing, straight drive, great shot. That’s the first six of the innings, which suggests that Carey, whatever you may say about his stumpings, has a hell of a temperament. Australia need another 61.Updated at 18.08 BST89th over: Australia 315-8 (Carey 19, Murphy 12) Just as the commentators wonder if he’s trying too hard, Broad produces another beauty, taking off from the corridor of uncertainty. He is trying too hard: that was far too good for Murphy.88th over: Australia 313-8 (Carey 18, Murphy 11) Murphy has a heave at Moeen, doesn’t get hold of it – but it has enough height to loop over Crawley at mid-off and he can’t quite back-pedal fast enough to catch it. Australia need another 71.Are you old enough to remember when Steve Smith was caught by Crawley? Rob Smyth points out that Smith has still never made a hundred in the fourth innings of a Test (“four fifties since 2016”). Mind you, Jimmy Anderson hasn’t won a Test against Australia for eight years.Updated at 18.01 BST87th over: Australia 309-8 (Carey 16, Murphy 9) If Australia are going to steal this match, Carey is going to have to make about 60. He has it in him, as he confirms by cover-driving Broad for three. The crowd is willing Broad to take a wicket, but it refuses to happen, even when he bowls a yorker at Murphy, doggedly dug out.The cameras find the guy who has come to the party as the Ashes urn. Even he is wearing a bandana.Updated at 17.56 BST86th over: Australia 306-8 (Carey 13, Murphy 9) Moeen continues with four men round the bat – but nobody at very silly mid-on, which is where Murphy pops a chance. That’s a maiden, not that it should matter. Australia are just showing signs of a fightback, and the tension is delicious.Chapter and verse.85th over: Australia 306-8 (Carey 13, Murphy 9) Carey, facing Broad, takes a single off the first ball, whereupon Murphy changes gear and flips a classy glance over square leg for four. Have the scriptwriters for this series got one last twist up their sleeve? Australia need 78 more; England need two wickets.Updated at 17.48 BST84th over: Australia 300-8 (Carey 12, Murphy 4) Carey pushes a single off the second ball of Moeen’s over, showing some faith in Murphy, which is repaid by some studious defence. Murphy had the second-best batting strike rate in the series this morning, behind Mark Wood, but he is now behind Crawley too.83rd over: Australia 299-8 (Carey 11, Murphy 4) After warming up with three balls at Carey, Broad produces a ripper for Murphy – lifting, leaving him, too good for Warner, never mind Murphy, who misses it by about a yard. But Murphy has something about him and he manages a controlled edge for four, past third slip’s left hand. What would the score have to be for Stokes to post a gully?Updated at 17.42 BSTIt’s Broad time! Woakes takes a breather after a fabulous spell, and the cameras suddenly find dozens of people in the crowd wearing bandanas.82nd over: Australia 294-8 (Carey 10, Murphy 0) So here comes Todd Murphy, who showed in the first innings that he is a dangerous customer, happy to throw the bat. The crowd think he’s out first ball, caught by Root at slip, but Joel Wilson shakes his head, rightly, as Murphy’s firm drive connected with nothing but the ground.Moeen now has three wickets in this spell and nine in the series. Another good punt from Stokes.WICKET! Cummins c Stokes b Moeen 9 (Australia 294-8)Another one for Mo! Bad ball, bad shot, good catch, great moment – Stokes, at leg slip, redeeming himself after dropping Smith. Cummins won’t be marshalling this run chase. And surely even England can’t blow it now.Not the best shot Pat Cummins has ever played. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The GuardianThis time Ben Stokes keeps the ball well away from his thigh. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The GuardianUpdated at 18.14 BST81st over: Australia 293-7 (Carey 9, Cummins 9) Stokes declines to take the new ball, preferring yet another over from Woakes. Both might be good… Cummins hits his first four, a dab wide of the slips, almost a late cut. Woakes goes round the wicket and the change of angle unsettles Carey, who cuts and misses. Australia need another 91; England need three wickets.Updated at 17.29 BST80th over: Australia 287-7 (Carey 8, Cummins 4) Mo thinks he’s got Carey, just like Marsh – only to see a top-edged sweep land just out of the reach of Woakes, running round to his right from deep backward square. He may be The Wizard but he can’t do everything. The target is below 100 – Australia need 97.79th over: Australia 284-7 (Carey 6, Cummins 3) It’s still Woakes, bowling his seventh over since the rain. He beats Pat Cummins but can’t find the edge. Cummins won’t be a pushover, as he showed in marshalling the run chase at Edgbaston. I suspect Stokes won’t be bowling Root at him this time.The collapse was four wickets falling for 11 in 19 balls. And it didn’t involve so much as a mention of Broad or Anderson. Sport moves on fast.Updated at 22.56 BST78th over: Australia 282-7 (Carey 6, Cummins 2) So will the Aussies just roll over? Not necessarily. Carey plays Moeen well, sweeping for four and one. Mind you, Marsh did that too. Australia need 102 more to win.Updated at 17.17 BST77th over: Australia 277-7 (Carey 1, Cummins 2) All the sevens… But more importantly Woakes has four for 43 today, and 19 wickets in the series at an average of 17.78. And he only got the call halfway through. Magnificent stuff.What a collapse it has been from the Aussies. That’s England’s job!Updated at 17.14 BST