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The Forumers' Ashes 2023

Howe_zat

Audio File
Fourth Test, Old Trafford

Day Three

Australia had to win this match to keep their series win alive, and so set about the England top order on a flat pitch in Manchester early on the third day. O'Foco got the breakthrough with an inswinger to dismiss Arquis early on, and Ruid followed it up by getting both Howe and Worcester-Park for 9 between them. England dropped from 65/0 to 90/3. But through it all Daemon was still there, absorbing the blows and batting long. He raised a determined half century off 134 balls, and found a capable partner in Mole who began to stroke a few boundaries in the second hour of the session. Lunch was taken on 144/3.

The second session was all England and belonged to Daemon and Mole. The opener carefully worked towards the follow-on target of 407 while Mole played aggressor, the later taking plenty off Starfighter in particular as he brought up a fluid fifty. As the score neared 200, the under-pressure Daemon brought up an attack-blunting hundred from 263 balls. A wicketless session ended with the home side on 235/3.

Daemon's vigil ended when O'Fcoco returned to ping him hin front with the second new ball, but Mole carried on in the same vein as before, Herregonaes joining him in the attacking approach. Mole's second hundred of the series came up with a belted six into cow corner off Keast, and was only dismissed trying to charge David to end an entertaining partnership of 71. Roome and Herregonaes added another 40 in the dying light, and with the follow-on target only 34 away, England had made strong work towards saving the game.

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Howe_zat

Audio File
The fourth day started with allrounder Gazunda Herregonaes on a mission to get England close enough to save the game, and after Roome fell fairly early on, did so pretty much alone. Herregonaes hit all but three of the runs in a 40 run stand for the seventh wicket with Inksquid before the latter was out to O'Fcoco, but it was enough to take England past the follow-on. Ruid snagged a third wicket by getting Smyth-Brown in a few balls but Clint Thrust stcuk around with Herregonaes as the England number six lashed his way to a hundred, and England past 450. Starfighter returned to finish proceedings in the penultimate over before lunch by getting Herregonaes for a fine 109, before last man Davis saw three reds on his first ball. Australia's lead was 146.

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Aiming to set the home side a target, Australia came out ready to push the game on, but an attacking opening stand was broken for 34 Thrust got Jevali for 17. Though the lead went past 200, Davis did his bit to hold back the charge by claiming both Duff and Delonge caught at slip, and Roome joined in by picking up Slim for 20.

Australia had slipped to 90/4, but Keast and Ruthless found enough purchase to find the boundaries and put together a punchy fifty stand before the break. At tea they were on 141/4, 287 ahead. Ruthless' run a ball 45 was ended when he slapped Davis to mid on, but Kest remained to raise a half century and get Australia where they wanted to be. He and Kasinathan ratched the score up past 200 in the evening and half an hour before the close, it was time to bowl. England were set 385 to win.

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For the second innings in a row, Arquis and Daemon were asked to survive a period before stumps, but were up to the task. England needed 363 runs and Australia needed 10 wickets on day five.

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Howe_zat

Audio File
Day Five began to a sell-out crowd with all results possible, and the Australians took the initial advantage when confusion on the batters' approach led to Arquis ebing run out for 13. Howe cracked a first ball four off Ruid, but was castled in response as England dropped to 46/2. Still, the target was too tempting a prize, and the third wicket stand between Worcester-Park and Daemon was still going at lunch. Daemon brought up a fifty with three successive boundaries off David, and by lunch they had lifted England to 123/2, and 263 needed from the last two sessions.

The much-maligned Daemon was taking charge of this chase, and England were still going at four an over when the 200 came up, Daemon raising his bat for the second century of the match, this time off 150 balls. But after a stand of 162 Starfighter found the breakthrough for the visitors, pinning Daemon in front for a huge wicket. In the next over David dismissed his namesake for 78 and the chase was stalled. Mole and Herregonaes chosen to consolidate and regroup at tea, and steadily got them there at 238/4. England needed 148 and Australia 6 wickets from the final 35 overs.

Starfighter again got the breakthrough, snagging Herregonaes' outside edge, and O'Fcoco backed him up with an old ball spell that removed both Mole after a difficult 15(40) and Inksquid two overs later after a feckless 12 (13). The tables had turned again and now Australia were on the hunt, the score 267/7 with 21 overs remaining and still 118 to win.

They hadn't yet dealt with NGIN Roome though, and the allrounder hit back. Beginning with a trio of fours off a Starfighter over and then finding a capable partner in Smmyth-Brown, Roome took up responsibility for the chase and by the time Australia took the new ball at the beginning of the final hour, the fifty stand had come up. With 60 odd to get, Ruid got a nick behind off Smyth-Brown. Thrust responded by smashing a six to cow corner first ball, was dropped fourth ball, clobbered four off his fifth and after a maiden over at the other end, O'Fcoco came back on to dismiss the tailender seventh ball. 331/9, 54 to get, nine overs to go.

Roome was still there and after taking a couple of singles to raise an uncelebrated half century, set about getting to the target with a sequence of boundaries followed by a late over single to keep the strike. Unable to take too many risks, the overs were ticking away though. With two overs to go, England had got to 21 needed. The allrounder smashed a four off Ruid's second ball, but was unable to get another away, and sharp fielding off the last two balls prevented the crucial single. Davis to face, O'Fcoco to bowl. One fast bowler opted to just survive against the other, and in the end, O'Fcoco's pace wasn't able to get through. A nail-biting draw.

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Match Drawn

PotM: Daemon
 

HeathDavisSpeed

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Taking some ****ing responsibility man. And blocking the **** out of things for, I assume, 16 balls. A nice french cut past the keeper for 4. Yep, a decent batting day at the office.

Daemon. WAG.
 

ataraxia

International Coach
'Valiant' knock to get a target that was never there, unnecessarily risking my wicket :wub:

think I deserve a promotion to #6 ngl
 

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