The Ashes 2023 series concluded in an intriguing 2-2 draw, resulting in shared honors between cricketing rivals England and Australia. Despite this deadlock, Pat Cummins and his Australian team managed to retain the Ashes, owing to their victories in the initial two Tests, while the fourth Test culminated in a draw.
The climactic final Test of this captivating Ashes series, played over five Tests, inevitably brought about its share of controversy on the last day. England’s remarkable victory in the fifth Test, which helped them level the series, was met with scrutiny and questioning of certain decisions made by the umpires.
A key point of contention emerged when the Australian team expressed their reservations regarding a ball change that occurred during the last session of Day 4. During Australia’s pursuit of a challenging target of 384 runs, the opening partnership of Usman Khawaja and David Warner had provided hopes of an improbable victory for the visitors. However, a pivotal moment transpired when on-field umpires Joel Wilson and Kumar Dharmasena decided to replace the cricket ball during the 37th over. This decision followed a bouncer from England’s Mark Wood that struck Khawaja’s helmet, rendering the ball unsuitable for further play due to its altered shape.
The aftermath of this ball change led to Australia losing three wickets swiftly in the morning session of the fifth day, resulting in a shift of momentum that favored England. The Australians had begun the final day’s play at 0-135 while chasing a challenging target of 384 runs. Nevertheless, they soon encountered difficulties as the replacement ball exhibited unexpected movement and swing, in stark contrast to the earlier behavior of the original ball.
The exceptional bowling performances of England’s Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad made it challenging for the Australian batters to contend, ultimately leading to Australia falling 50 runs short of their target.
Amid these events, former Australian cricketers like Ricky Ponting expressed their frustration over the incident, highlighting the impact of the ball change on the match’s dynamics.
Zak Crawley admits ball change in 5th Test made a difference
Zak Crawley, England’s opening batter, has now candidly acknowledged that the ball change during the fifth Test of the Ashes 2023 did indeed have an impact on the match’s outcome. Crawley went on to explain that the original ball wasn’t offering much assistance to his team.
In a conversation on the “Vaughany and Tuffers Cricket Club” podcast with former England captain Michael Vaughan, Crawley playfully responded to Vaughan’s question about who was responsible for the ball, suggesting it might have been one of the support staff.
“I’m not sure. Maybe one of the support staff snuck in there and put it in. It was a nice touch for us”, Crawley said.
The right-handed batter also admitted that the incident probably made the difference in the match as the previous ball was not helping his team.
“ You get good breaks and bad breaks throughout the series and both sides had their share of good breaks at times and bad breaks. It’s fair to say that was certainly a good break for us and probably made the difference in the end because the ball we had before wasn’t doing much,” the 25-year-old added.
Also Read: Ashes 2023: ICC provides verdict over ball change controversy in the Oval Test
The Ashes 2023 series concluded with a balanced 2-2 draw. Australia initially secured a 2-0 lead after the first two matches, but the determined efforts of Ben Stokes and the England team led to victories in the 3rd and 5th Tests, thwarting the visitors’ bid for a series win. The 4th Test concluded without a clear victor, resulting in a draw.
During the Ashes 2023 series, Crawley showcased a vibrant display of batting prowess. He exhibited exceptional form, amassing a total of 480 runs across nine innings, achieving an impressive average of 53.33. His contributions were further highlighted by the fact that he recorded one century and two fifties throughout the tournament.
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