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Ashes 2019: Smith ticks one off the bucket list after Australia retain urn at Old Trafford

Ashes 2019: Steve Smith says he has ticked and item off of his bucket list after his inspired performances helped Australia retain the urn.

Ashes 2019: Smith ticks one off the bucket list after Australia retain urn at Old Trafford

Old Trafford, Sep 8: Steve Smith ticked an item off his bucket list after inspiring Australia to retain the Ashes.

Smith has been the star of the series, and after missing the Headingley Test due to concussion, he returned to lead the way for Australia at Old Trafford.

The 30-year-old scored 211 in the first innings, before taking the match away from England with a superb knock of 82 in his second spell at the crease.

Australia retain Ashes after Old Trafford triumphAustralia retain Ashes after Old Trafford triumph

Craig Overton and Jack Leach held Australia at bay on day five after England's top order again failed to impress, but Marnus Labuschagne and Josh Hazelwood clinched the wickets needed to claim a win which gives the visitors a 2-1 lead in the series and sees them retain the urn for the first time since 2002-03.

"It feels amazing to know the urn's coming home," Smith - who has 671 runs from his five innings in the series so far - told Sky Sports.

"I've been here a few times where things haven't quite gone our way, [and] we didn't perform to the best of our ability in 2013 and 2015.

"It was always one I wanted to tick off my bucket list, to get the urn over here. There's another game left and we'd love to win [the series] but to know the urn's coming home is extremely satisfying.

"I'm incredibly proud of the way I've performed throughout this series and help the team achieve what they've achieved today."

While the odds were stacked against England throughout the final session, Smith acknowledged the spectre of their defeat at Headingley was not far from Australia's minds.

"The boys were getting a little bit tight out there," Smith added. "But at the start of the day we thought we'd get our eight chances and it proved to be the way.

"[England] fought incredibly hard, I thought Overton was exceptionally good at the end there, showed great courage. Fortunately, the boys got the job done."

Labuschagne has proved to be another star for Australia, having initially replaced Smith as a concussion substitute, impressing with the bat before taking Leach's wicket at the end, and the 25-year-old believes this series will live long in the memory.

"It's hard to put into words what it means to bring the urn back for Australia," Labuschagne told Sky Sports.

"You think of some of the great series, like 2005 when England obviously won, this has been up there with one of the best there has been, especially in England.

"We know England just keep coming, as they showed in the last Test. It was really nice to be on the right end of it today."

Story first published: Monday, September 9, 2019, 0:11 [IST]
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