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Skip to timelinePat Cummins has led Australia to a stunning victory in the first Ashes Test, chasing down 281 with just two wickets left inside the final five overs on the last day at Edgbaston.
Cummins scored an unbeaten 44 as he and Nathan Lyon (16) put on 55 for the ninth wicket to win in fading light in an eerie reversal of Australia's famous two-run loss at the same ground in 2005.
Needing 174 runs to win at the start of the day, in-form opener Usman Khawaja laid a platform for the late charge with 65 off 197 balls, before being bowled late in the day.
He admitted he was "shitting [himself]" as he watched the rest of the tense run chase from the sheds.
When wicketkeeper Alex Carey (20) fell to the off-spin of Joe Root soon after, and with the second new ball already available, it appeared Australia would fall painfully short of victory in Birmingham once again.
But England captain Ben Stokes stuck with the old ball for four more overs — bowled by himself, Root, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson — which went for 26 runs, including two Cummins sixes off Root's next over.
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When Stokes eventually let Broad get hold of the new Dukes ball Australia needed just 27 more runs for victory, but even that seemed a bridge too far with just two wickets remaining.
Cummins and Lyon went about their work over the next 7.3 overs, hitting the occasional boundary and wearing a number of short balls on the body before Cummins got a thick edge to third man off Robinson and Harry Brook's fumble on the boundary sent Australian fans and players into raptures.
Rain and slow batting sets up thrilling finale
Ahead of the highly anticipated final day, with the game still very much in the balance, players and fans alike were forced to wait more than three hours for any action to get underway, with rain washing out the entire first session.
All that delay served for was to heighten the anticipation of what was to come as England hunted the seven wickets they required for victory, and Australia edged towards their 281-run target.
With two full sessions available to them, Australia was clearly in no hurry to get the 174 runs they required for victory.
Resuming on 3-107, Australia scored just 21 runs in the first hour at a rate of 1.62 runs per over.
Nightwatchman Scott Boland (20) fell for the addition of seven runs to his overnight total, the only wicket to fall in a glacial first hour after the delayed lunch break.
Travis Head (16) seemed willing to pick up the pace — he added 10 runs in just three balls from Moeen Ali — but then edged the offie to first slip in the same over.
The match had been played at such an extraordinary tempo over the first four days that Australia's slow run rate during the chase seemed an anachronism.
The Barmy Army chanted "boring, boring Aussies", as Australia crawled towards their required total.
Yet that would have been music to Australia's batters ears as those chants grew less and less frequent and the famous Hollies stand quietened considerably, justification of Australia's tactics.
What would not have been so pleasant a sound was Cameron Green's stumps splintering after he played on to Ollie Robinson for 28.
At that stage Australia still needed 89 — with batting options running out.
Carey joined Khawaja and eked out a handful more runs over the next eight overs before Stokes provided the kind of captain's moment that has followed him his entire career.
Having not bowled himself on account of his troublesome left knee, Stokes took the ball himself in an effort to make the breakthrough and delivered in just 12 balls.
Stokes bowled a leg cutter that kept a bit low, Khawaja dangling a tired bat outside off and playing on to fall for a 197-ball 65 to go with his first-innings 141.
Root dropped Carey on 11, a sharp caught-and-bowled chance that would have just as likely decapitated the former England skipper as stick in the hand, but he took a near-identical effort to dismiss Carey.
From there, Cummins took over, although Lyon's sublime four over mid-on to get Australia within seven will live in the memory as long as any stroke in this match ad perhaps the series.
The win surely felt like revenge for many of these players who watched Stokes pull off a similar miracle at Headingley in 2019, and exorcised some demons from the national conscience from the corresponding match 2005, when Australia fell two runs short of England's total in the most exciting match of one of the greatest series ever.
Check out how day five at Edgbaston unfolded in our live blog or check out the scorecard.
Key events
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England vs Australia, day five, the Ashes
Good morning, Australia
If you've just woken up, it is a very, very good morning for Australia.
In as thrilling an Ashes match as you could ever hope for, Australia has pulled off a stunning victory to beat England by two wickets in the first Test.
That gives them a 1-0 lead in the series and a massive boost of confidence that England's Bazball can be beaten on home soil and that Australia can win these tight matches against England.
How much of an impact it will have on the rest of the series is, quite frankly, anyone's guess, but it's safe to say it is far better to be 1-0 up that 1-0 down.
Winning such a thriller is simply a bonus.
We'll wrap up the live coverage of the day's play right here, but we'll have plenty of content for you over the next few hours, with Dean Bilton's analysis being hammered out next to me as we speak.
Thank you from all of us for joining our coverage of this first Test.
We'll back back for the Lord's Test from June 28 on the blog.
Enjoy the rest of your day, see you in a week.
Pat Cummins hails his side's ability to stick to the plan
Australian captain Pat Cummins has been speaking at the presentation, praising his side's style.
"Both teams spoke a lot about playing your own style," Cummins said.
"That's the beauty of this series, two contrasting styles, playing to our strengths and that made for great entertainment."
Cummins also praised player of the match, Usman Khawaja, and showing "incredible composure"
"He didn't get caught up in anything. He has been a class player the last few years and I'm really happy for him.
"The plan was everyone to bat at their own pace.
"Having had a good first innings he had a good feel for the wicket but everyone chipped in."
Nathan Lyon was described as "a captain's dream" as well up at the other end of the pitch during those final overs.
He was unmoved as to whether this makes up for the disappointment of Headingley during the last tour.
"No idea what you're talking about mate!"
The calm after the storm
Incredibly, this is only the first of five Test matches.
I don't know how we're all going to cope with another four like that.
Stokes: 'I am not a captain to get by on what ifs'
The biggest talking point in a Test full of talking points was the first innings declaration.
Ben Stokes was bullish about his decision, saying he will not change his approach.
“I thought that was a time to pounce," he says on ABC Radio via BBC Test Match Special.
"I am not going to change the way I have gone about my cricket because it is the Ashes.
"Who knows, we could have got an extra 40 runs or lost two wickets in two balls.
"I am not a captain who gets by on what ifs.
“We were in control of most of the game and managed to produce a result.
"Obviously we wanted to be on top. We are devastated but that’s sport. It is great and an emotional rollercoaster.”
Ben Stokes hails 'unbelievable' Test
England captain Ben Stokes has been speaking to Test Match Special and ABC Sport.
He described the Test as "unbelievable".
"That’s why you play it. I think in terms of everything we have spoken about constantly for a long period of time.
"It came down to the end of today.
"We are not a results-driven team. We are, of course, absolutely devastated. The lads are in pieces up there.
"But if that’s not attracting people to the game we love then I don’t know what will.
“You have never won a game until you have won it. It was still massively in the balance. We had to come up with different ideas, keep changing things. And it just comes down to small margins in the end.
"A few chances go our way, there were a few drops as well.
He says there is room for positivity though.
"We have four matches to go.”
Jimmy Anderson 'they were just too good'
Jimmy Anderson, unused when England belatedly took the new ball, is speaking to the ABC as well, via the BBC.
"We are gutted not to get over the line but over the next few days when we look back at what we have done we can be really proud," he says.
"We have tried to dominate from ball one. The declaration was really positive. We fought and fought on a really placid pitch.
"But credit to Australia they were just too good for us.
"There's areas we can improve. There always is and in tight games those chances do get put in the spotlight. But we will let it soak in, get over the disappointment and look at the positives.
"We have played some great cricket. We have had five sold out days and everyone has gone home happy. Both sets of fans can go home saying they have been to one of the great Test matches."
The England fans cleared out of Edgbaston pretty quickly, so not sure they were overly happy to be honest.
Josh Hazlewood on 'a long hour'
Josh Hazlewood, who must have lived and died a thousand times while padded up in the rooms, has been speaking to the BBC, and ABC Sport.
"It was a long hour. I was just sitting in the back of the room watching," he says.
"When Carey got out we probably thought that was it but Patty [Pat Cummins] is a class batter.
"An outstanding effort.
"It was an amazing game of cricket. It is still a long series but it is a big swing. The first game is always important."
Australia's heroes
Well two of 11 anyway.
Usman Khawaja, player of the match
Usman Khawaja has been named as deserved player of the match for his two stunning innings with the bat.
He is also brutally honest when asked how he was feeling in the dying stages of the match.
"I'm not gunna lie, I was actually shitting myself there," he says.
How can anyone not love this man?
He says that he was not watching with the team, but in the back on delay.
"I couldn't really watch it with the guys, there was too much nervous energy out there.
"I could hear everything that was going on. Marnus came in and said, 'you cannot move!' So I had to stay there. Only habits die hard."
You're telling us.
I don't know if Cam Green will ever recover.
You can now sleep
4:24 am in Brisbane. Can I go to bed now? (It was worth it.)
- David Meiklejohn
If you can, that is.
Full scorecard
Here's the full scorecard, just in case anyone wants to believe that raw numbers can even come close to telling the story of that drama-filled five days.
Pah, what's sleep during an Ashes series?
Thank god I didn't fall asleep 🤣
- Michael T
Test cricket is the winner
One of the best games in cricket history. Test cricket is alive and well.
- Lance
Well, Australia is the winner, but you know what I mean.
A staggering victory
Still can't believe what we just watched. Am I supposed to go to bed now?
- Josh
'Unbelievable. One for the ages': Jim Maxwell
"An extraordinary victory," the voice of cricket says on ABC Radio.
"Unbelievable. What a pulsating, entertaining game of cricket.
"One for the ages."
'An amazing victory': Alastair Cook
Former England skipper Sir Alastair Cook is lost for words on ABC Sport.
"Cricket never ceases to amaze me," he says.
"Pat Cummins has led his team to an amazing victory.
"It is so important in the context of this series to get off to a winning start."
Phil Tufnell: 'That will give the Aussies such a boost'
Former England spinner Phil Tufnell said that Australia will take such a boost to Lord's next week.
"When Alex Carey whacked it back to Joe Root England were in the box seat. But what a time to get a 50 partnership from Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins," he says.
"That will give the Aussies such a boost going to Lord's next week."
'Pretty special': Nathan Lyon
"Bloody special," Nathan Lyon tells Channel 9.
His part in this 55-run partnership was vital.
He says that he has a real "calmness" out there in the middle while batting with Pat Cummins.
"There were plenty of nerves out there," he says.
"I'm lost for words.
"Pretty special."
Did England Baz themselves out of the game?
Bazfall , Cummins tall
- Jeff
In the battle of the two captains at the end of the contest, Pat Cummins decidedly came out on top.
Will England change their approach as a result of this narrow defeat? Absolutely not.
Will Australia feel vindicated for winning the way they did? Absolutely.
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