3 unsung heroes from England's win in the Headingley Ashes Test in 2019 ft. Jack Leach
England beat Australia at Headingley in the 3rd Ashes Test by just one wicket in 2019, thanks to a monumental 4th innings effort from Ben Stokes. On this day 4 years ago, fans witnessed one of the most exciting games in Test history. The current English skipper scored a terrific 135* off 219 balls while chasing 359 runs, one of the most celebrated knocks of his career.
This was a very special victory because England were 1-0 down in the series. However, the performances of a few other superstars from this Test match go under the radar. In this piece, we shall have a look at three such players:
#1 Jofra Archer
This was the series when Jofra Archer announced himself in Test cricket. After a brilliant debut at Lord's, where he picked up five wickets in the game, he put up yet another splendid show. England won the toss and elected to field first.
Archer returned with figures of 6/45 in 17.1 overs as Australia were bowled out for just 179 in 52.1 overs in the first innings. He got the wickets of David Warner, Marcus Harris, Matthew Wade, James Pattinson, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon. While it may seem like half of these were just lower-order wickets, his spell affected a collapse from 136/2 to 179 in 20.3 overs.
Archer also bowled well in the 3rd innings, taking 2/40 in 14 overs. He took the wickets of Pattinson and Lyon, cleaning up the tail effectively.
#2 Joe Root
England captain Joe Root played a crucial knock in the 4th innings. The Yorkshire batter scored 77 runs off 205 deliveries against a world-class Australian attack after England were reduced to 15/2 inside the first seven overs.
England were dismissed for just 67 runs in the first innings, where he scored a duck, which makes his 4th innings performance even more impressive. He hit seven boundaries in his five-hour stay at the crease, playing a very sedate knock.
His partnership with Joe Denly was very critical for Stokes. The left-hander walked out to bat with the score at 141/3 after 59.3 overs, and the rest is history.
#3 Jack Leach
Left-arm spinner Jack Leach is remembered for his unbeaten 1 off 17 deliveries in the famous run-chase at Headingley. He was at the crease for 60 minutes, as Stokes went from 61 off 175 deliveries to 135 off 219 - 74 runs off just 44 deliveries. He went for the kill, and in Leach, he found a partner who could hang on. They added 76 runs for the 10th wicket.
With the ball, Leach took the wicket of Marcus Harris in the 3rd innings. He bowled 11 overs and conceded 46 runs. While his overall match performance looks ordinary on paper, his partnership with Stokes proved to be match-defining.