Comebacks, heroic innings, rearguard actions - there have been plenty of that in an exciting Ashes 2019 series. And the theme continued into the final Test at The Oval where Matthew Wade attempted to do to England what Ben Stokes had done to Australia a couple of Tests back. It was a fightback that kept Australia hoping after England finally managed to find an early solution to their long-lasting Steve Smith problem. But Wade's 117 eventually went in vain as Stuart Broad and Jack Leach's combined tally of eight wickets helped England to a 135-run win as the Ashes ended in a draw for the first time since 1972.
Wade edged, slashed, drove, attacked, came down the track and also defended in what was an action-filled innings. Coming to the crease after Australia were reduced to 56 for 3 in a chase of 399, Wade pushed and prodded initially but also skipped down the track to Leach to negate the spin while also nailing the drives from time to time. It was a busy approach that ensured Australia's scoreboard did not stagnate, even as he saw Smith fall prey to Broad's trap when he guided a short of length delivery to Ben Stokes at leg gully to be dismissed for the first time in this series without a half-century to his name.
Such was the magnitude of Smith's dismissal that the partnership between Wade and Mitchell Marsh went almost unnoticed, although they were doing a steady job of keeping the England bowlers at bay. Their partnership lasted more than an hour and England's bowlers appeared to have lost their intensity a bit following the dismissal of Australia's No. 4. Root then decided to bring himself on and the move worked immediately as Marsh guided an innocuous delivery into the hands of Jos Buttler at short leg, bringing an end to a 63-run stand.
Wade, though, continued to fight and batted with aggression, and had Tim Paine for company who also employed a positive approach as they raised a half-century stand to help bring the target below 200. Meanwhile, an overzealous England lost both their reviews, both in a couple of Jofra Archer overs. The sixth wicket association, however, came to an end when Leach trapped Paine in front with a turning delivery, and the Australia captain used a review to no avail.
There was also a duel with Archer where Wade faced a pace barrage - short deliveries, length deliveries and yorkers all bowled with intensity. There was a top-edged six, he was struck on his shoulder, played and missed a few while ducking out of harm's way most of the time. But Wade also punched and flicked well for some boundaries off Archer, and more importantly survived the spell as he went on to bring up his fourth Test hundred.
Soon after that, Wade survived a missed stumping and was also put down by Stokes at slip - off successive Root deliveries. While Pat Cummins became Broad's fourth scalp, edging the ball to the 'keeper, Wade used the review to reverse a decision when he was given out caught at slip off Root. But his fight finally came to an end when he was out stumped off Root following which Leach cleaned up the tail to finish with four.
Earlier, starting the day at 313 for 8, England lost their remaining two wickets for the addition of only 16 runs. Broad then troubled the struggling pair of Marcus Harris and David Warner before removing them in quick succession. Harris had no answers to Broad's around the wicket angle and scrambled seam as he was cleaned up by the bowler, who went on to get his bunny Warner for a record seventh time in a series, by finding the outside edge.
Despite the early wickets, Smith was untroubled as he handled the pacemen with ease and even creamed a few drives without much footwork. Meanwhile, Sam Curran, who was shaping the ball away from the right-handers and also getting them to straighten on a few occasions, tested Labuschagne with his outside-off lines and even went past the edge a few times. Leach managed to trouble Smith a couple of times and his reward came in the form of Labuschagne's dismissal when he forced the batsman out of the crease with a flighted delivery to have him stumped just before Lunch. It set the tone for England's day despite the Wade interruption.
Brief scores: England 294 (Jos Buttler 70, Joe Root 57; Mitchell Marsh 5-46, Pat Cummins 3-84) & 329 (Joe Denly 94, Ben Stokes 67; Nathan Lyon 4-69, Mitchell Marsh 2-40) beat Australia225 (Steven Smith 80; Jofra Archer 6-62) & 263 (Matthew Wade 117; Jack Leach 4-49, Stuart Broad 4-62) by 135 runs.

Alyssa Healy peeled off yet another half-century - her fourth in five games - as Australia's winning ways on tour of the Caribbean continued, giving them another series victory with a game to spare. Healy hit an unbeaten 58 - off 43 balls - in Australia's chase of just 98 runs and helped her side to a landslide victory with nine wickets and 33 balls to spare.
With West Indies' batting regressing with each game in the series, Meg Lanning saw it fit to ask the host to bat first. They caved under the pressure again, posting just 97 for 9 in their 20 overs.
West Indies started brightly despite the early exit of Kyshona Knight, with Britney Cooper leading the way. The dismissal of captain Stafanie Taylor, however, set in motion another batting collapse. Four batters that followed Taylor walked back with single-digit scores. Chinelle Henry scored an unbeaten 21 but could only steer her side as far as 97.
In reply, Healy scored a stroke-filled half-century and added an undefeated 58-run partnership with captain Lanning to see her side through to an unassailable 2-0 series lead with one more game to play. To compound West Indies' woes, Henry suffered a leg injury while bowling and had to be stretchered off the field.

India Under-19 clinched the Asia Cup title in a dramatic fashion - beating Bangladesh by five runs - in Colombo on Saturday (September 14). India folded for 106 as Mrittunjoy Chowdhury and Shamim Hossain picked up three wickets each. Atharva Ankolekar, the left-arm spinner, fashioned the nervy win with a five-wicket haul as the Bangladesh innings huffed and puffed for 33 overs.
Bangladesh were reeling in the small chase once they were reduced to 51 for 6 with Akash Singh bagging three of the top six. Akbar Ali and Chowdhury steadied the ship and took the team forward before rain stopped play in the 20th over. Bangladesh were 78 for 6 at that stage but the break robbed them of all the momentum they had gathered.
Ali fell soon after the break but Bangladesh kept India on their toes and moved to 101 for 8. Ankolekar bagged the last two wickets to ensure there was no last push.
Earlier in the day, Karan Lal and Dhruv Jurel scored 33 and 37 for India but it was a pretty dismal display. Seven batsmen were kept to single-digit scores while Shashwat Rawat chipped in with 19. Hossain ended with exceptional figures of 6-2-8-3 only to be let down by the batsmen.
Brief scores: India Under-19 106 in 32.4 overs (Karan Lal 37; Shamim Hossain 3-8) beat Bangladesh Under-19101 in 33 overs (Atharva Ankolekar 5-28) by five runs.

The Anti-Corruption Unit of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday approached the Bengaluru city police in the wake of revelations that two men had approached a member of the Indian women's team with offers of huge amounts of money for match-fixing. This is the first time that a woman cricketer has had bookies approaching her in the guise of sports managers to fix matches. The Central Crime Branch (CCB) has taken up the case and initiated the probe.
According to police sources, a bowler was approached by two individuals identifying themselves as Rakesh Bafna and Jithendra Kothari in February this year, ahead of an India-England limited-overs series. The cricketer was training at the National Cricket Academy here at the time. The sources said that Kothari, who claimed to be sports manager from Delhi, first got in touch with the cricketer last year on Instagram, offering her managerial services which she declined. Kothari even couriered a copy of a contract to the player, who did not sign it.
In February this year, Kothari again contacted the player and put her across to Bafna claiming that he had a business offer. Bafna allegedly sought to use the cricketer to rope in other Indian players as well. The player immediately brought the matter to the notice of BCCI.
Ajit Singh, ACU chief, told the media that they were waiting for a report from the International Cricket Council which said there was indeed such an attempt. Singh said Kothari used to portray himself as manager for several women cricketers but it first reported only after he approached the player to fix matches.

Comeback man Afif Hossain revealed that his teammates encouraged him to play his natural, aggressive game that eventually paid off as Bangladesh made a stunning comeback to beat Zimbabwe in the first game of the T20I tri-series in Dhaka on Thursday. Chasing 145 in a rain-affected 18 overs per side contest, the hosts were reeling at 60/6 before Afif joined Mosaddek Hossain in the crease to revive the chase.
The 19-year-old smashed 52 off just 26 deliveries as his side won with two balls to spare in the end. "Nothing much [was said before I went to bat]. Everyone just told me to play my natural game,'' Afif told reporters post the game. "They gave me freedom to play with my own style. My intention was to play my natural game and try to bat according to the situation."
Afif smashed the very first ball he faced straight down the ground for a boundary and that helped him bat confidently, according to his own admission. "Of course that [first boundary] changed the momentum but they tried to attack leaving four fielders outside [the circle], and then when I tried I could just pick the ball so I could hit the first ball."
One of the best shots of the innings came in the 16th over when Afif played a ramp to perfection against Kyle Jarvis to stamp his authority over Zimbabwe, but the left-hander admitted that it could have gone either way. "After seeing the set up, I thought they could bowl in that area so there was 50-50 chance. So I took that chance and he bowled it there, then it turned out to be a four," he noted.
Having made his debut last year in February where he registered a duck and was subsequently dropped, Afif forged his comeback through strong shows for the Bangladesh A team and the High Performance Unit.
"I did not care that I was dropped and I was only eyeing to perform at my best wherever I play so that I can come back,'' said Afif. "The real debut was one year before. In the second match I tried to contribute so that I can hold my place in the team. I am really satisfied with my performance because I played a match winning innings but had I remained not out, I would have felt better,'' he concluded.
Match Scores: Zimbabwe 144/5 (18/18 ov); Bangladesh 148/7 (17.4/18 ov, target 145); Bangladesh won by 3 wickets (with 2 balls remaining)

A blistering 107-run partnership off just 40 balls between Najibullah Zadran and Mohammad Nabi, which included 7 seven sixes in seven balls, assisted Afghanistan in defeating Zimbabwe by 28 runs in the second T20I of the tri-series in Dhaka.
Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz provided the impetus for Afghanistan in the powerplay with a quickfire 43 off 24 balls. But Zimbabwe came back strongly in the middle overs via spin. There was enough assistance for the spinners in the deck and the left arm-spinner Sean Williams bowled beautifully in the middle phase. He not only put a lid on the scoring rate but also picked up the wickets of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Najeeb Tarakai in the middle phase to peg Afghanistan back. And at that stage, Zimbabwe had Afghanistan in control.
Then, Najibullah and Nabi came together and smashed Afghanistan out of the precarious position, Nabi got into the act early and deposited Tendai Chatara for 4 sixes off 4 balls in the 17th over. In the next over, Zadran joined the party too and almost matched his partner by whacking three maximums in a row. They smashed 51 runs in the two overs (17th and 18th) and that blitzkrieg powered Afghanistan to a formidable target of 197.
The target looked above par and Zimbabwe never got their act in order. They lost their skipper Hamilton Masakadza early via a run-out and soon his opening partner Brendon Taylor departed too, for 27, after looking threatening for a wee bit. Sean Williams and Craig Ervine were particularly disappointing and their wickets left Zimbabwe reeling at 44/4.
Ryan Burl hung in the middle for a while but he failed to repeat his heroics of Friday and was dismissed by Rashid Khan. After the dismissal of Burl, the defeat looked inevitable for Zimbabwe. Regis Chakabva and Neville Madziva put on a valiant fight with a 45-run partnership but that was never going to be enough. Naib dismissed Madviza but Chakabva continued hitting some lusty blows. He stayed till the end and his innings of 42 helped in reducing the victory margin for Zimbabawe who have lost two matches in a row in the tri-series.
Brief Scores: Afghanistan 197/5 in 20 overs (Najibullah Zadran 69, Rahmanullah Gurbaz 43; Sean Williams 2/16) beat Zimbabwe 169/7 in 20 overs (Regis Chakbva 42, Brendan Taylor 27; Rashid Khan 2/27) by 28 runs

Mohammad Nabi's unbeaten 54-ball 84 and Mujeeb ur Rahman's four-wicket haul powered Afghanistan to a comfortable 25-run victory over Bangladesh in the T20I tri-series game played in Dhaka. In pursuit of 165, the home side could muster only 139.
On a surface that was gripping a touch, the home side needed a good start but Bangladesh lost Liton Das in the very first over, with Mujeeb picking up the scalp. Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim tried to hit the accelerator pedal by collecting a couple of boundaries off Fareed Malik. However, Rahim tried to be too cheeky with a scoop and fell to Fareed.
To make matters worse, Bangladesh lost their mainstay Shakib who miscued Mujeeb to mid on. Mujeeb continued to scythe through the batting order, removing Soumya Sarkar with the quicker one. At that stage, with the home team in deep trouble, Mahmudullah joined forces with Sabbir Rahman to resurrect the innings to some extent.
The veteran Mahmudullah also upped the ante by clubbing a couple of boundaries off Karim Janat. With the run-rate climbing over 10, he tried to slog Gulbadin Naib but couldn't clear midwicket. Mujeeb then returned for a new spell by dislodging Sabbir.
Afif Hossain, the star performer in the last game, couldn't repeat his heroics, with Naib taking his scalp to more or less seal the game. Malik provided the finishing by removing the last man, Mustafizur Rahman, in the final over of the match.
Earlier, Nabi had single-handedly rescued the visitors from a precarious position and piloted them to a position of strength. After opting to bat, Afghanistan lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz early, falling to a peach of a delivery from Mohammad Saifuddin that swung and seamed to shatter the timber.
Hazratullah Zazai, Najeeb Tarakai and Najibullah Zadran tried to be aggressive only to lose their wickets. With the score reading 40 for 4, Nabi joined Asghar Afghan and shared a crucial alliance of 79. Nabi initially took the aggressive route by clubbing Taijul Islam into the stands. Afghan joined his teammate in the six-hitting fest by thumping Mosaddek Hossain into the stands.
Even after Afghan was dismissed by Saifuddin, Nabi continued to play an array of shots. In the 18th over of the innings, bowled by Soyma Sarkar, he collected two fours and two sixes and in the very next over, he smashed Saifuddin a couple of more times into the stands. Nabi's pyrotechnics in the slog overs can be capsulised by the fact that he stitched an unbeaten stand of 43 with Karim Janat, with the latter scoring only five.
Afghanistan have won both their matches so far and will take on Zimbabwe in their next match on September 18.
Brief scores: Afghanistan 164/6 in 20 overs (Mohammad Nabi 84*; Mohammad Saifuddin 4-33) beat Bangladesh 139 in 19.5 overs (Mahmudullah 44; Mujeeb Zadran 4-15) by 25 runs

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