They needed 359 to win, more than they have ever chased in a fourth innings history. With just one wicket left, they still required 73.
History was against them, as well as the maths. The last time any team had won a Test match after being bowled out for 70 had been 131 years previously.
But England had Ben Stokes. It is a wonder Australia ever thought they had a chance.
It might have been fair to assume the summer of Stokes had peaked when he dragged England across the line by an imperceptible margin to win their first 50-over World Cup title at Lord’s in July.
But then he went and trumped it, by scoring a scarcely believable 135 not out at Headingley to keep England alive in the Ashes.
Many are acclaiming it as the greatest Test innings ever played. Shane Warne just called him "Superman".
Once England were all out for 67 after their second day implosion in this third Ashes Test, they were basically cooked.
And, yet, Ben Stokes. The sort of cricketer who equates what everyone else would consider to be impossible odds to be more or less evens. At worst.
For 329 minutes and 219 balls, he defied arguably the world’s best pace attack to win an unwinnable match.
Off the first 70 balls of his innings, he had three. It was exactly the sort of vigilance that was needed at the time.
Then he bookended his effort, amid unbearable tension, by scoring 74 off 45 balls in the last-wicket stand with Jack Leach,.
To bring the score required to less than 50, with just No 11 Leach left for company, he hit one of the most extraordinary shots ever seen in Ashes cricket. A switch-hit off Nathan Lyon for six into the Western Terrace, a stand that was on the verge of a meltdown due to the excess of adoration for Stokes.
For much of Sunday afternoon, they were singing: “Shoes off, if you love Ben Stokes!” Presumably they were all walking home barefoot one the game was done. Either that, or floating home.
It is difficult to write a Stokes eulogy without falling back on words like “Bristol”, “nightclub” or “Brathwaite”, even though his redemption tale was completed ages ago, many times over.
But the Stokes story never does run smooth, even when it scales heights like this latest one. Even within this heroic Greatest Ever Test Innings, there were tough times.
Most notably when he appeared culpable in the run out of Jos Buttler, the man with whom he scripted the World Cup final win (or tie, looked at another way).
Fine alliances with Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow had come and gone, and the impossible dream seemed to hang on the partnership between Stokes and Buttler.
But it was aborted after just eight runs, when Stokes opted against a quick single to Travis Head, and Buttler failed to recover his ground in time.
Whether that aberration affected Stokes is unclear. He could scarcely have been more focused on the task in hand, as it was.
To evidence the point, Stokes celebrated neither his half-century, nor when he reached his ton. There was still a job to do.
Could Australia have stopped him? They really should have. Twice, with two runs left to get, they had the opportunity.
First, Leach was turned back from a nervous attempted single, only for Lyon to drop the ball with the run out at his mercy.
Off the very next ball, Stokes survived an lbw appeal that Hawkeye suggested would have hit the stumps.
Australia had burned their final review in desperation the previous over, off a ball from Cummins to Leach that had pitched outside the batsman’s leg-stump.
Leach scampered a single off the third ball of the next over, from Cummins, leaving the stage open for Stokes to complete his mission impossible with a belligerent forcing shot through cover.
Brighton 1
Gross (50' pen)
Tottenham 1
Kane (48)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The team
Photographer: Mateusz Stefanowski at Art Factory
Videographer: Jear Valasquez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Model: Randa at Art Factory Videographer’s assistant: Zanong Magat
Photographer’s assistant: Sophia Shlykova
With thanks to Jubail Mangrove Park, Jubail Island, Abu Dhabi
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
