Ashes, 5th Test: Steven Smith's 54 goes in vain
England beat Australia in the 5th and final Ashes Test at the Kennington Oval, London. Although the visitors were 140/0 while chasing 384, England took all 10 wickets on Day 5 to emerge triumphant. David Warner and Usman Khawaja gave Australia a solid platform, while Steven Smith took the Aussies forward. However, his 54-run knock went in vain. Here are the key stats.
Twin fifties at the Oval
Smith slammed twin fifties at the Oval (71 and 54). His 54-run knock in the second innings helped Australia stay alive in the run-chase. The middle-order batter shared a 95-run stand with Travis Head before Australia suffered a batting collapse. It was Smith's 39th half-century in Test cricket. As many as nine of these scores have come in England.
Smith surpasses Steve Waugh
Smith has now registered 25 scores of 50+ runs in men's Ashes Tests, the third-highest an Australian batter. He surpassed former captain Steve Waugh, who recorded 24 such scores. Legends Sir Donald Bradman (31) and Allan Border (29) own the top two spots, respectively.
3,363 Ashes runs for Smith
In 102 Tests, Smith has raced to 9,320 runs at an incredible average of 58.61, the best among batters with over 9,000 runs. Versus England, the middle-order batter has 3,417 runs at an average of 56.01. He now has 13 fifties versus England (100s: 12). In England, Smith has raced to 2,255 runs at 55 (100s: 8, 50s: 9).
How did the match pan out?
England racked up 283 after being put to bat. Mitchell Starc took four wickets. Australia took a 12-run lead after being bundled out for 295. Fifties from Zak Crawley, Joe Root, and Jonny Bairstow helped England post 395. Starc and Todd Murphy shared eight wickets. Although Warner, Khawaja, and Smith fared well, Australia perished for 334. Chris Woakes and Moeen took seven wickets combined.
