[Watch] Ben Stokes loses control of the ball and drops Steve Smith at pivotal moment on the final day of 5th Ashes 2023 Test
England skipper Ben Stokes dropped Australian star Steve Smith at the stroke of lunch on the final day of the 5th Ashes Test at the Oval.
The reprieve wasn't straightforward as the delivery from Moeen Ali took the glove of Smith where Stokes at leg gully pouched a brilliant one-handed grab. However, as he was ready to celebrate in jubilation, the right hand hit his knee, enabling the ball to pop out. Stokes immediately reacted in disappointment at the blunder committed but went ahead with the DRS review.
For starters, the on-field umpire gave the verdict as not out, but England decided to challenge the call. Despite replays suggesting the ball to be clearly off the gloves of Smith, it was evident that Stokes did not have control of the ball after taking the catch.
It was a crucial moment that could prove decisive as Smith was batting on 39 in a partnership of 68 with Travis Head.
Here is a video of the entire sequence:
What a moment in the game.
Stokes dropped Smith....!!! It came in a most astonishing way.
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Earlier in the series, a similar incident occurred with Mitchell Starc being adjudged as not having control of the ball after taking a catch of Ben Duckett. Memories of Hershelle Gibbs dropping Steve Waugh in the 1999 World Cup in a crucial encounter of the Super Six stage also resurfaced.
On that occasion, Waugh made the Proteas pay a heavy price, scoring a match-winning century to help Australia qualify for the semifinal and eventually be crowned as World champions.
Ben Stokes drops the catch of Steve Smith in a moment of celebration, bringing back memories of similar incidents in the past.
#ENGvAUS #Ashes #Cricket pic.twitter.com/By3viPMDcG
Ben Stokes and England would hope they don't suffer a similar fate with Smith leading Australia to their second-highest run-chase in a Test match. Unfortunately for the hosts, the champion batter averages almost 90 at the Oval in his illustrious Test career.
Can Australia win their first Test series in England since 2001?
Another match of this enthralling Ashes series seems to be heading down to the wire, with Australia at 238/3 at Lunch on Day 5 at the Oval. Requiring another 146 runs to register a famous win, the visitors currently have the ever-reliable Steve Smith and middle-order dasher Travis Head at the crease.
The duo are currently unbeaten on 40 and 31, respectively, with the partnership a crucial 69 from 102 deliveries. Starting the day on 135/0, the Aussies were dealt body blows in losing both the well-set openers immediately off the impressive Chris Woakes.
Mark Wood then kept the pressure on by picking up the vital wicket of Marnus Labuschagne in a repeat of the first innings, leaving the visitors reeling at 169/3. However, the fourth-wicket partnership between Smith and Head settled the Australian nerves and brought the match back in the balance.
Australia have had an incredible English summer that started with the side winning the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India, followed by retaining the Ashes urn after the drawn fourth Test.
A win at the Oval would cap off a sensational England tour as they would win their first Test series on English soil since Steve Waugh's men in 2001.