STUART BROAD produced a picture-book ending to his cricket career by taking the last two Australian wickets as England won the fifth Test to draw a thrilling Ashes series.
Broad, in fact, became the only cricketer in Test history to score a six from his final delivery with the bat and take a wicket with his very last ball.
Alex Carey was Broad's final victim edging behind a classic delivery shortly after Todd Murphy had done similarly, as Australia fell 50 runs short of their target.
Such a conclusion to Broad's career came as no great surprise really.
The 37-year-old sits proudly in fifth place on the list of all-time leading Test wicket-takers with 604 scalps.
But, much more than that, Broad particularly seemed to love singlehandedly winning matches by getting his wickets in great big bunches.
From his 6-17 at the Wanderers in Johannesburg to dismiss South Africa for 83 in 2016 to his 5-5 against India at Trent Bridge in 2011 in a spell which included a hat-trick, Broad knew almost instinctively when to pick his moment.
Most of all, though, Broad loved to bowl at the Aussies - and his 6-22 at Chester-le-Street in 2013 was merely an aperitif for what followed at his home ground two years later.
On a beautiful bright August morning at Trent Bridge, Broad simply destroyed Australia, taking 8-15 having at one stage enjoyed figures of 5-6.
With the Baggy Greens 2-1 down and 60 all out before lunch on the first day of the fourth Test, he had effectively decided the course of the Ashes.
This time at the Oval, it was not quite one of those great big bunches as the two wickets served to end an afternoon of frustration - but it was really no surprise that they came together to finish the match.
Annoyingly, Australia had already retained the Ashes urn after preserving their 2-1 lead at Old Trafford where downpours allowed for only 30 overs to be bowled on the last two days.
Defeat in south London, though, leaves the Aussies still without an outright series win on English soil since 2001.
Back then, 22 years ago, Australia remained in the midst of an utterly dominant period as they won eight consecutive Ashes series - four at home and four away - between 1989 and 2003.
Indeed, the 4-1 evisceration of England by Steve Waugh's side in 2001 was perhaps the purest demonstration of their complete supremacy - and only the exploits of Mark Butcher prevented England from suffering the ignominy of a home whitewash.
By contrast, this time, Australia have been really rather stealthy in taking home the urn.
After all, England scored more runs than their opponents by a margin of 3,079 to 3,010, and also took 93 Australian wickets compared to the tourists' tally of 85.
The top run-scorer in the series might have been an Aussie - Usman Khawaja - who adapted better to English conditions than he has in the past to rack up an aggregate of 496 runs at an average of 49.60.
But the only other three batsmen to top 400 runs in the series were all English as Zak Crawley (480 runs at 53.33) enjoyed his best spell so far in an England shirt alongside Joe Root (412 at 51.50) and Ben Stokes (405 at 45.00).
The top wicket-taker was also an Australian as Mitchell Starc's 8-182 at the Oval lifted him above Broad with 23 scalps to 22.
Ultimately, though, England more than competed in this facet too as the combined totals of Chris Woakes (19) and Mark Wood (14) fell just one short of matching Pat Cummins (18) and Josh Hazlewood (16), despite the Englishmen playing fewer matches.
Certainly then, this has been a series decided by extremely fine margins - and the whole contest perhaps even came down to Stokes's declaration on 393-8 towards the end of the first day of the first Test at Edgbaston.
Root stood tall on 118 not out but was not allowed to continue as Stokes sought quick wickets at the end of Day One which never came.
Eventually, England had to work hard on Day Two just to dismiss Australia for 386, a meagre lead of seven runs heading into the second innings. Then, in tough batting conditions, the hosts were all out for 273.
It was not a straightforward chase by any measure - and, at 227-8, it actually looked as if Australia would fall short of their target of 281.
But steely Aussie skipper Cummins produced an assured knock of 44 not out to leave his counterpart Stokes surely ruing his rather reckless first-day declaration.
The second Test at Lord's was a little more clear-cut as Australia made the most of their lead of 91 on first innings to prevail by 43 runs despite a gallant ton from Stokes.
Those are the bare facts of that match - but the Test will be probably best remembered for the incident on the fifth day which, remarkably, served to riled up the most genteel crowd in world cricket.
Wicketkeeper Carey had noticed his opposite number Jonny Bairstow walking out of his crease after balls which he had left - so, when the Yorkshireman did just that from a ball by Cameron Green in the middle of the morning session, the Aussie gloveman threw down the stumps.
The controversy derived from the interpretation of Law 20.1.1.1 which states that the ball is dead when it is finally settled in the hands of the wicketkeeper or of the bowler.
In fairness to Carey, though, he released the ball quickly before Bairstow had moved in anticipation that he would again leave his ground.
And so, while the slightly underhand nature of the wicket was not exactly within the spirit of the game, it was also criminally dozy cricket from Bairstow.
At 193-6, England were heading for a heavy defeat - but the Bairstow controversy actually served to galvanise the home side and Stokes in particular.
The skipper quickly moved into top gear and thrashed the ball to all corners, smacking nine fours and nine sixes in his eventual total of 155.
Australian thoughts surely will have drifted back to the previous Ashes series in England when Stokes, batting for exactly an hour with last-man Jack Leach, almost singlehandedly won the match at Headingley.
Leach famously finished on one not out from 17 balls in support of Stokes's unbeaten 135 - but, this time, the skipper's counter-attack ended with a top-edge and England still 64 runs short, before Broad and Ollie Robinson quickly followed.
There was some unexpected resistance from Josh Tongue - but, without talisman Stokes, it felt only a matter of time and Tongue was duly cleaned up by Starc for 19.
The series had moved apace and the 2-0 lead for Australia left the third Test as must-win for England.
Incredibly, it was another rollercoaster Test match at Headingley as England came out on top by a narrow three-wicket margin.
Man-of-the-match Wood, having recovered from a customary niggle which had until then kept him out of the team, made an immediate impact, taking 5-34 as Australia were bowled out for 263 after tea on the first day.
England struggled in response, however - and Cummins claimed 6-91 in reply as Australia took forward a 26-run lead on first innings.
But, in a truly topsy-turvy contest, Australia were reduced to 116-4 at the end of the second day.
There followed the first of many rain delays across the summer, interruptions which would threaten to mar the remainder of the series.
Play on the third day, in fact, was delayed until after tea - but the England bowlers came out firing, and Ben Duckett and Crawley were batting by close of play.
Resuming on day four on 27-0 with a target of 251, England then engaged in something of a white-knuckle ride, scoring at around five per over while losing wickets regularly.
At 230-7, still 21 runs short, England lost their last recognised batsman as Harry Brook - having made a fine 75 - top-edged to Cummins off Starc despite a minor collision on the catch between the two Aussies.
However, this time, Durham fast-bowler Wood made a crucial intervention with the bat - and, alongside Woakes, guided England to victory and reduced their series arrears to 2-1.
For the most part, the fourth match in Manchester also went to plan for England.
Australia were sent into bat and were dismissed for 317 early on day two - and then, despite the early wicket of Duckett, England again scored at over five per over to finish the day 67 runs ahead on 384-4.
On this occasion especially, England had good reason to score quickly, even by their own Baz-ball standards, with bad weather expected ahead of the Test.
As such, it came as something of a surprise that Stokes waited for England to be dismissed for 592, their highest score at home against Australia since a total of 595-5 at Edgbaston in 1985.
It brought a mammoth lead of 275 - but, in these circumstances, a first innings declaration would have been far more prudent than the decision made at 398-8 on a decent pitch.
Rain in Manchester ultimately only gave England a limited chance to get at Australia with 71 overs bowled on the afternoon of the third day, and the afternoon and evening of the fourth day.
Rather ridiculously, the match on that fourth day threatened to descend into something of a farce when, having convinced the umpires of the need of a change of ball, England were almost immediately restricted to bowling only their spinners due to bad light.
Of course, that decision was determined by clownish sunglasses-wearing arbiter Joel Wilson who has long stolen a living in his role.
In any case, the dreadful Manchester weather meant there was little, in truth, which England could have done. Thanks a bunch, Manchester...
In the fifth Test, Australia - upon winning the toss for the first time in the series - inserted England and squeaked out a narrow 12-run lead on first innings.
Nevertheless, the approach of the two teams - which had been markedly different throughout the summer - was laid completely bare across the first two days.
Whereas England made their total of 283 in 54.4 overs at a startling run-rate of 5.17 per over, Australia at times almost ground to a halt in their reply.
The tourists' 295 came off 103.1 overs at a rate of 2.85, and Marnus Labuschagne - who dawdled to nine runs off 82 balls before edging Wood to a magnificent catch by Root - was especially guilty of being happy to let the game drift.
True, not everything in Test cricket needs to be crash, bang, wallop in the Baz-ball style.
But Labuschagne, who is a more than competent batsman, was so self-indulgent in that innings that it could only be described as anti-cricket.
Thankfully, England improved on their first effort at the second attempt as Crawley, Root and Bairstow all contributed half centuries to an impressive total of 395.
Still, though, the pitch was playing well and the Aussies sauntered to 135-0 when yet more rain brought a premature end to Day Four.
At the juncture of a further delay on Day Five, Australia were 238-3 and well more than half the way to their target.
However, England emerged refreshed from the break - and, after getting a dud of a ball changed by the umpires, Woakes especially found some fine swing, and Australia ended up losing all 10 wickets for 194 runs inside 54 overs.
It was only right, though, that it was Broad who had the final word - and there can be few players in the long history of the game who have combined pure skill and unbridled desire as well as he did.
Go well then, Stuart Christopher John Broad. England - and indeed cricket - will miss you.
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| FIRST TEST 16 June-20 June | ENGLAND | 393-8dec & 273 | ▪️ AUSTRALIA won by two wickets | |
| Edgbaston | AUSTRALIA | 386 & 282-8 | ||
| SECOND TEST 28-June-2 July | ENGLAND | 325 & 327 | ▪️ AUSTRALIA won by 43 runs | |
| Lord's | AUSTRALIA | 416 & 279 | ||
| THIRD TEST 6 July-9 July | ENGLAND | 237 & 254-7 | ▪️ ENGLAND won by three wickets | |
| Headingley | AUSTRALIA | 263 & 224 | ||
| FOURTH TEST 19 July-23 July | ENGLAND | 592 | ▪️ DRAWN | |
| Old Trafford | AUSTRALIA | 317 & 214-5 | ||
| FIFTH TEST 27 July-31 July | ENGLAND | 283 & 395 | ▪️ ENGLAND won by 49 runs | |
| The Oval | AUSTRALIA | 295 & 334 | ||
▪️ 155 Ben Stokes (England) in the second Test at Lord's
▪️ 141 Usman Khawaja (Australia) in the first Test at Edgbaston
▪️ 118* Joe Root (England) in the first Test at Edgbaston
▪️ 118 Mitchell Marsh (Australia) in the third Test at Headingley
▪️ 111 Marnus Labuschagne (Australia) in the fourth Test at Old Trafford
▪️ 110 Steve Smith (Australia) in the second Test at Lord's
▪️ 5-34 Mark Wood (England) in the third Test at Headingley
▪️ 5-62 Chris Woakes (England) in the fourth Test at Old Trafford
▪️ 5-78 Mitchell Starc (Australia) in the third Test at Headingley
▪️ 5-126 Josh Hazlewood (Australia) in the fourth Test at Old Trafford
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