 "Ashes: Brook, Wood and Woakes star as England win Headingley to stay alive")
England fans got jittery once again after the departure of Harry Brook in the third Ashes Test at Headingley with the hosts still needing 21 more to reach the target of 251. However, Mark Wood made sure that it did not end in the negative for the English team third time around. He led his team to a three wicket win over Australia and made sure that they stay alive in the Ashes 2023. Wood hit 16* off just 8 balls.
Chris Woakes, the other man making a comeback in the side along with Wood, was also instrumental in the team’s victory as he remained unbeaten on 32 off 47 balls and was part of the match-winning stand with Brook.
Local boy Brook to the rescue
Before the Wood cameo, Brook had done brilliantly well to take the English from the clutches of defeat to very clsoe to the target. Brook, who hit 75 off 93 balls, was part of crucial partnerships alongside Ben Stokes and Woakes.
Brook, 24, who failed in his previous five innings of this Ashes, looked resolved to win this one for his team at his home ground of Headingley. The Yorkshire man dropped to number five from number three in the first innings, added 38 with Joe Root, 30 with Stokes and most importantly, 61 with Woakes for the seventh wicket. In his knock of 75, the right-hander hit nine fours.
Mitchell Starc’s five-for in vain
Mitchell Starc was the pick of the Aussie bowlers. He claimed his 14th five-wicket haul in Test cricket while trying to win the game for his team. The left-arm pacer got Ben Duckett early morning to break the English opening stand of 42 runs. He continued to impress by picking Moeen Ali in the morning session itself.
With Stokes and Brook going easy and looking to take their team home, Starc once again rose to the occasion. He was lucky to have Stokes with a ball dangling down the leg and the English skipper feeling for it right after Lunch on Day 4. But Starc was brilliant in forcing Jonny Bairstow to drive at the ball outside off and chop it back to his stumps.
In his last rush of the game, the 33-year-old was also able to get Brook and give Australia an outside chance to make a comeback. But that did not happen.
Courtesy of this win, England are back in the Ashes which the Aussies still lead 2-1 with two matches to go. The fourth game would be played at Old Trafford, starting July 19, 2023.