Australia outlasted another epic solo assault by England captain Ben Stokes to win the second Ashes test by 43 runs with a session to spare on a salty last day Sunday. Stokes seemed to be pulling a stunning victory out of impending defeat for England with an astonishing 155 that echoed another unforgettable century in a thrilling fourth-innings chase to win the Ashes test at Headingley in 2019.
Pat Cummins | Australia skipper: Another wonderful game, right down to the wire. Crowd seems to enjoy it. Stokesy gave us some nervous moments. A world class player like him, you start thinking the boundaries are too small. There wasn’t much in the surface as well. We tried to stay patient, have the field out and stuck with it. Happy to go 2-0 up. (On Bairstow wicket) I think Carey saw it a few balls previous, there was no pause, he catches it and throws it straight at the stumps. I thought it was totally fair play. That’s the rule, some people might disagree but just like the catch yesterday, the rule is there and that is the way I saw it. (On Nathan Lyon) These were perfect conditions for him on day 5, to win without him was a great win. I wasn’t too happy to see him walk out to bat but he was keen to get out there. He did amazing and those 15-20 runs were crucial. The way the batters played under lights on the first day was also amazing. (On whether Nathan Lyon is ruled out) I think so, but we have Todd Murphy who did an amazing job in India so he will be sticking around for us.