England vs Australia, 2nd Test at London, WTC, Aug 14 2019 - Ball by Ball Commentary

And with that, we'll leave you. A brilliant Test match, despite the rain threatening to ruin it, and hard to argue with the result. Valkerie's report will be here very shortly, but for now it's goodbye from me, Andrew McGlashan, and Alan Gardner, and we'll see you all again on Thursday.

Ben Stokes is Player of the Match: Nice to get a hundred. We fought incredibly hard there towards the end. Fair play to Australia for holding out. That's why it's the best form to play - ups and downs emotionally throughout five days, but it's the pinnacle of any cricketer's ambition. Lord's always seems to produce great games and we've seen another one. I looked up at the scoreboard at one point on 60 or 70 and didn't know how I way still there. Kept on trying to get the overs ticking down and the lead higher and higher. We thought we left enough overs to bowl them out on that wicket but they showed great grit and determination. [On Archer] It's brilliant to have someone like that in your team. Much rather have him on our side than on anyone else's. He's a seriously exciting talent for us. He's announced himself on the world stage yet again.

Tim Paine: [Smith] is OK. Really nasty knock, he felt OK yesterday, but woke up not feeling at his best so the decision was made to leave him out. Steve passed all his tests, he deteriorated overnight, he re-tested, they weren't as good this morning, and the professionals made that call. He'll need to improve [to play at Headingley] but too early to tell. Really pleasing to see [Labuschagne] do that - to get 150ks in the face and then stand up was really pleasing. We've seen Jofra in Australia for a few years, we know the package he brings to the table. It's up to us as a team to formulate some plans. Look, I can only see what I've seen. [On Root's catch] As cricketers, you dive forward, you catch those balls, in Joe's position I'd say I'd caught that and that's the way it goes. Part of becoming a good team is being able to get draws out of days like today.

Joe Root: "You can't control the weather. Most importantly we had to get ourselves to a score where we felt in control of the game. Ben played exceptionally well, and then we threw everything we had at them. Fair play to Australia, they played well. Ben's form keeps getting better and better, he's got even more fond memories of this ground now. [Archer's] clearly made a big impact. He's a relaxed, laid-back guy, extremely confident, and you see that when he goes out and performs. It was important we bounced back strong after Edgbaston. We proved we're in this series, and we'll take that momentum into the rest of this series.

The upshot, then, is that Australia will take a 1-0 lead into the Headingley Test on Thursday, but this series is most definitely alive. With Steven Smith doubtful after suffering a delayed concussion, and Jack Leach and Jofra Archer both proving their worth here, there are reasons for England to be optimistic; but remember, Australia only need one win from the last three Tests to retain the urn.

And that will be that! A dramatic final day, thanks to Ben Stokes' brilliant hundred, a brutal spell by Jofra Archer, and two dogged innings by Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head. Throw in the drama of Root's catch (or non-catch), Denly's stunning take at midwicket, and Jason Roy's drop at slip, and it's been quite the last day.

Six balls, four wickets. Time for a hero, so here comes Jack Leach.

For those asking, Denly had to come on because the light is sufficiently poor

Denly continues.

England need four wickets, Australia need to survive 12 balls. What a Test match!

Six around the bat now

Four men around the bat and a short cover

Rohith: "Here in India, I wanted to sleep by 10pm considering Monday tomo. But this match woke up to make me stay awake!!!"

four around the bat on the leg side, plus a slip

Jofra to continue? Blimey, no, here's a twist: Joe Denly is on!

Vikrant : "Oh Test Cricket, this is why I love you the most, for providing Climax like this !!"