In fitting finale, Broad leads Eng to win in Test 5

London: Stuart Broad delivered a fitting finale to his cricket career by taking the last two wickets to clinch England a series-tying victory on Day 5 of the fifth Ashes test against Australia on Monday.

An Ashes series that had pretty much everything ended with one last dramatic twist as England produced a stirring recovery in the final session to dismiss the Australians — who were chasing 384 to win the series 3-1 — for 334 and earn a 49- run victory at The Oval.

It was Broad who finished off the tourists, removing Todd Murphy and Alex Carey to take his career tally of wickets to 604 — fourth on the all-time list. The 37-yearold pacer announced Saturday he would be retiring after this test and he got a perfect ending.

The Australians slumped from 264-3, losing its last seven wickets for 70 runs and still haven’t won an Ashes series in England since 2001. They’ll return Down Under with the urn because, as the holders, they didn’t lose the series but will see this as a big opportunity squandered after taking a 2-0 lead following wins in the first two tests.

As for the English, they will rue the rain that denied them a likely victory in the fourth test at Old Trafford — and therefore a chance at completing a series win at The Oval — but the team’s recovery in a six-week stretch of five tests was another validation of its “Bazball” approach that is winning fans, if not quite the biggest series of them all.

The series got the denouement it deserved, even though a rain delay of nearly three hours — wiping out the entire middle session — threatened to ruin the final day.

Australia started the day on 135-0 and England finally found some seam movement and swing in cloudy conditions with a new ball, accounting for David Warner (60), Usman Khawaja (72) — both to Chris Woakes — and Marnus Labuschagne (13) in an 11-over spell in which the tourists hit just 34 runs. A 95-run stand between Steve Smith and Travis Head either side of the rain delay steadied the innings, and even put Australia as the marginal favourite.

In a dramatic incident, England’s players thought they had got Smith in the final over of the morning session but captain Ben Stokes dropped the catch. (AP)