Sunday
The Ashes! A series of 5 x 5-day test matches between England and Australia. This year they came hot on the heals of the Cricket World Cup which saw the grand finale between these two great cricketing nations be played out at Lords, London. England won in dramatic fashion. Australia have a score to settle and the first Ashes test was a crushing victory for the visitors. The second rain interrupted match ended in a draw.
And so the third test began. After England posted a dreadful 67 all out first innings, Australia looked likely winners. In the end it all came down to the final innings. England needed 359 to win. They made steady progress. After lunch today, Mike and I had an afternoon nap. We stopped watching the cricket at about 3pm – England had lost 4 wickets. When we started watching again at 4-30pm, 9 wickets had fallen. The game was all but over. Australia were sure winners.
But then something unexpected happened. Australia started making errors. Dropped catch. Duffed run-out. With only one wicket remaining, Ben Stokes got to his 100 and then started to hit out. Jack Leach at the other end, hung on. A few boundaries, a couple of sixes and there was a tiny chance that England could pull it off. But it needed just one brilliant ball and the game would be over. We waited on tenterhooks to see if that ball would be bowled.
Everyone was exhausted. The bowlers, the fielders and Ben Stokes for sure. It stayed on a knife-edge until finally the scores were even. A draw would be great. Even that would keep the Ashes alive. But Stokes would have none of it. The next ball came and he hit it to the boundary.
England won! This summary says it all….
It was so exciting to watch. Really enjoyed the win. I’m sure their celebration will go on long into tonight.
We’ve had a relaxing day. The weather has been cooler today and we had a few showers this afternoon. Winter is still not quite over, but it has been warmer in recent days. A little more rain is forecast for this week. The end of a pleasant weekend.
Luke 7:50
Jesus said, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
These are the days.
Keep the smile going.
God bless you.
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂
Gym:
Another rest day. My knee is feeling better, but I must not rub the ligament that’s the cause of the pain as it makes it worse. Back to gym tomorrow.
Braces:
Day 285