England braced for an entertaining draw with just one wicket to deny Australia a 4-0 series lead in the fourth Ashes Test in Sydney on Sunday.
No 11 batsman James Anderson played a tense final over off leg-spinner Steve Smith safely as England posted a heart-rending 270 for nine.
It all came down to the final over of the Test, with eight fielders crowding around the bat as Anderson locked Smith’s spin.
Australia looked set to claim a thrilling victory when they claimed the ninth wicket with Smith having Jack Leach caught at slip by David Warner for 26.
But Anderson and fellow veteran pacer Stuart Broad played the remaining two overs and handed the troubled tourists a fighting draw after losing the Ashes series 3-0 within 12 days.
With Ben Stokes’ fighting 60, his second half-century of the match, and Jonny Bairstow’s 41 in the first innings took charge of the Australian victory.
But once the two left after tea, the Aussies were relentless in taking the struggle till the last over.
The draw means Australia no longer have a chance to clean sweep 5-0 in the fifth and final Test in Hobart as the day-night match gets underway on Friday.
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