Former Test captain Mark Taylor has given a rating and his thoughts on how every one of Australia’s players performed in the fourth Ashes Test.
England held on to force a draw against Australia in gripping fashion in Sydney, surviving 102 overs to deny the hosts a 4-0 series lead.
These are Taylor’s player ratings and thoughts.
AS IT HAPPENED: England hold on for riveting SCG draw
LIVE UPDATES: Barty sends rivals ominous warning
READ MORE: Tennis Australia shifts blame amid Djokovic bungle
David Warner: Tidy start in the first innings but missed out in the second. A tougher SCG Test for David Warner. Unusual for him. The SCG has been a happy hunting ground for him. 3/10
Marcus Harris: He blunted the new ball in both innings but once again missed an opportunity to nail down his spot in the side. With Usman Khawaja making twin hundreds he’s going to be under pressure for Hobart. 5/10
Marnus Labuschagne: A couple of starts for Marnus. Unusually, he didn’t kick on to make a big score. Unfortunately for him he got a couple of balls that found the edge. 4/10
Steve Smith: He got a couple of scores. He also got the vital wicket of Jack Leach late in the Test match that gave Australia a chance. Not a brilliant match but a solid all-round performance. 7/10
Usman Khawaja: Twin hundreds in a game where if it wasn’t for Travis Head’s positive COVID-19 test he wouldn’t have played. Test matches don’t get much better than that. 10/10
Cameron Green: A decent Test match but still a bit of concern with his batting. He still hasn’t quite found his rhythm with the bat. But he’s very handy with the ball and I love watching him in the field. He brings a lot to Australia’s fielding. 7/10
Alex Carey: His first disappointing Test. Didn’t manage to make it work with the bat and dropped a couple of chances. I’m a bit worried about his positioning to the fast bowlers and he’s struggling with that ball to his right side off the edge. He needs to keep doing some work on that. 3/10
Pat Cummins: A good Test match, sound performance. A cracking over with the second new ball on the final day gave Australia a sniff and he rotated the bowlers very well on day five. 7/10
Mitchell Starc: Not his absolute best. Toiled manfully. Seemed to struggle with the footholes. I’m excited to see him in action with the pink ball under lights in Hobart. 5/10
Nathan Lyon: Disappointing in the first innings with the ball. Much better on day five. Ben Stokes was in fine touch and proving very hard to remove, but Lyon got that crucial wicket. A solid Test match. 5/10
Scott Boland: Once again a very tidy line and length, always asking questions and got four-for and three-for. A very good Test match. What a start he’s had to his Test career. 8/10
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!