WATCH | Joe Root clutches STUNNER at Oval as Marnus Labuschagne bites dust on Day 2 of final Ashes Test

Joe Root clutched a stunner on Day 2 of the final Ashes Test on Friday, July 28 as England got the better of Marnus Labuschagne. The stunning one-handed brilliant catch was the highlight reel of the day as England try to stop Australia from gaining a first-innings lead. A stunned Labuschagne was in disbelief while walking to the pavilion as he departed for 9. He was also the first batter to be dismissed on Day 2 as the visitors try to narrow the deposit.

Root pulls a stunner

On the fifth ball of the 43rd over, Mark Wood forced Labuschagne to edge the ball that landed between the first slip and the wicketkeeper. While the keeper did not commit to the edge as the ball flew past him at the rate of knots, it was Root who bent to take a low left-hand stunner. The catch caught everyone by surprise with the entire team surrounding Root after his brilliance in the first slip.

This was Wood’s first wicket of the contest while Australia lost their second wicket of the innings. At the time of writing on Day 2, Australia were 94/2 and still trailed England by 189 runs. The Aussies had lost David Warner in the final session of Day 1 while Usman Khawaja was in the middle in batting on 38 runs along with Steven Smith on 4.

England on Day 1 were bowled out for 283 as Mitchell Starc grabbed hold of four wickets while Josh Hazlewood and Todd Murphy got a couple.

Can England stop Australia in the Ashes?

Not since 2001 have Australia beaten England in their backyard to win the Ashes and will look to do so heading into the Oval Test. The visitors currently lead the Ashes 2-1 and have already retained the holy grail with the draw in Manchester Test. A win for Australia will see them end the 22-year wait for an away Ashes win, while a win for England will see them draw the Ashes yet again. Not since 2011 has an away team won the Ashes when England got the better of Australia.

The hosts were at their fluent best in the Manchester Test, but rain played spoilsport which saw Australia retain the Ashes.

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