The moments that mattered on heart-stopping fourth day

Root goes early

Joe Root and Ben Stokes dug in hard late on day three to give their side a chance on day four, but six overs in the skipper was gone to a brilliant catch by David Warner at first slip off Nathan Lyon. Root skipped down the wicket, inside-edged the ball into his front pad which then ballooned over Paine's head to be intercepted by Warner diving to his left. It was a hammer blow to England and joy for Australia who jagged a wicket before the second new ball.

Triple strike

Australia's fast bowlers however wasted the new ball. They were unable to replicate the immaculate lines and lengths from day three and were punished by Stokes and Jonny Bairstow. England's third-wicket pair added 86 and swung the momentum of the match back to the hosts for the first time since the morning of day two. But in the space of 35 balls after lunch, England lost 3-16. Josh Hazlewood dismissed Bairstow for 36 before Jos Buttler was dramatically run out in a huge mix up with Stokes, with Travis Head hitting the stumps with an underarm direct hit. Chris Woakes was the final wicket of the collapse, out driving Hazlewood to Matthew Wade at mid-off. It left England 7-261, still 98 runs away from victory. 

Archer swings, Aussies swoop

Image Id: B95B8FD0097A4D2B95A447D008070BB6 Image Caption: Head takes a smart catch // Getty

Jofra Archer is not one to block, regardless of the situation. After lacing a cut shot through the vacant off-side, Archer planted his front foot and pulled out the slog sweep twice to just get enough on the ball to evade scrambling fielders in the deep and record a pair of boundaries. But his stay, while hugely entertaining for the heaving Headingley crowd, was over when he went for another slog sweep off Lyon only to be well caught on the deep mid-wicket rope by Head, who took the catch, threw it skyward as he took one step over the boundary rope before completing the dismissal back in the field of play. Two balls later, James Pattinson fired in a yorker to a jumping Stuart Broad that trapped the left-hander lbw for a duck. Broad reviewed but it was to no avail as England were left nine down with 73 still required to win.

Stokes goes berserk

With No.11 Jack Leach his last remaining ally, Stokes finally unleashed. Having crawled to his slowest-ever Test half-century from 152 balls, the left-hander hit Lyon for three sixes, the third an utterly ridiculous switch-hit that sailed into the western terrace. His fourth six came off Cummins, an audacious ramp shot that flew over the fine-leg rope. It was go time.

Chances go begging

The six off Cummins moved Stokes to 96 and he should have been out the next ball. The left-hander worked Cummins to the leg-side and immediately called two to Leach, who was already screaming down the wicket having generously backed up. But as Stokes made the turn at the non-striker's end he slipped slightly and would have been well short of his ground had Marcus Harris not thrown it to the bowler's end. Stokes made it back for two and the drama continued.

Hundred? What hundred?

Image Id: F618BAD09EB74C009177FEF1B08642E7 Image Caption: Stokes refused to celebrate his century // Getty

Hazlewood replaced Pattinson at the Football Stand End and his return was greeted with Stokes clocking him to the leg-side rope for four to raise his eighth Test century. The remarkable performance sent the Headingley crowd delirious, but Stokes did not raise his bat, did not remove his helmet, did not celebrate. The most animated he became was when he gestured to his teammates to sit down. The job was not over yet. Stokes then hit Hazlewood for a brace of sixes to the leg-side in a 19-run over to reduce the required runs to 18. Stokes and Leach had put in 50 in less than seven overs. Leach was still on zero.

More chances go begging

Image Id: F85D9A48C96147BFB1CFFC03B3359211 Image Caption: So close... yet so far for Marcus Harris and Australia // Getty

After a one-run over from Lyon, Stokes took the attack to Cummins and was lucky to survive the speedster's first ball. The Englishman top-edged his hoick to the third-man fielder Harris, who sprinted in, dived but could not complete the catch. The next ball, Stokes viciously pulled Cummins to the mid-wicket fence for four which again went through the hands of the fielder, this time Warner, who did well to cover the ground and get close to the missile. Another four followed to bring the equation down to single-figures, eight runs, and from the final ball of the over, Australia burnt their last review, having lost their first review on day three. Paine reviewed an unsuccessful lbw shout against Stokes that was clearly pitching outside leg, a last-ditch effort that would come back to haunt him. The drama was not over yet, with Lyon recalled to bowl.

The fumble

Image Id: E218E746471748999010B556134A7593 Image Caption: Despair... // Getty

Aiming at the rough outside the left-hander's off-stump, Lyon tossed up an off-break, Stokes took the bait and muscled a lofted drive straight down the ground. Hazlewood had been fielding at long-off but was replaced by Marnus Labuschagne, who jumped in the air, arms outstretched as the ball narrowly sailed over his fingertips for six. Two to win. Two balls later, Stokes played a reverse sweep but hit it straight to Cummins at backward point. Leach bolted off for a match-tying single but was sent back by Stokes. Cummins threw to Lyon, who only had to take the ball to affect the run-out. But the off-spinner fumbled the throw to the disbelief of absolutely everyone.

The appeal

Image Id: 2B71D5DCBCE84366804B8676E6348900 Image Caption: Lyon reacts to his lbw shout being turned down // Getty

Lyon somehow dusted himself off to bowl the last ball of the over, a quicker, fuller ball that Stokes tried to sweep for the winning runs. But Stokes was struck on the font pad and the Australians went up in unison. Twenty-two hands were raised in the air together in appeal. Lyon was on his knees begging. Umpire Joel Wilson shook his head. Not out. No reviews. End of the over. Lyon was on his back in the middle of the pitch. Before the next over started, ball-tracking replays showed the ball pitched in line, hit the pad in line and would have hit the leg stump flush. The match should have been over.

Impossible achieved

Image Id: 89D0CD3D5D8143688B741ABBDF0B2F84 Image Caption: He's done it! // Getty

Leach was still on zero but scored his first – and perhaps the most valuable – run of his Test career from the third ball of Cummins' next over, a little tuck around the corner for one. With the scores tied, thoughts quickly flashed back to the World Cup final at Lord's in July, but before those memories could properly resurface, Stokes dispatched Cummins through the covers to pull off the extraordinary win. Before the ball hit the rope, Stokes let out a victorious roar that was quickly drowned out by the deafening cheer of the crowd. He finished 135 not out in what will go down as one of the greatest Test innings ever played.

2019 Qantas Ashes Tour of England

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c), Cameron Bancroft, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

England squad: Joe Root (c), Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes (vc), Chris Woakes.

First Test: Australia beat England by 251 runs at Edgbaston

Second Test: Match drawn at Lord's

Third Test: England defeat Australia by one wicket at Headingley

Tour match: Australians v Derbyshire, August 29-31

Fourth Test: September 4-8, Old Trafford

Fifth Test: September 12-16, The Oval