Still alive and cricketing

THE Ashes are alive after England staged a nail-biting run-chase to record their first win of the summer over their Aussie rivals.

- Paul Jeeves

After losing the first two Tests by the narrowest of margins, it seemed England would fall agonisingly short at Headingley as the tourists removed Joe Root and Ben Stokes cheaply during a mini middle-order collapse yesterday.

But local Yorkshire hero Harry Brook took centre stage before a sell-out 18,000 crowd to deliver a crucial 75 runs and steer England on course for a famous win.

The chase had the nation gripped with actor Hugh Lawrie summing up the dramatic twists and turns of the sensational third part of the five-match series. He tweeted: "I am ageing a year with every run and a decade with every wicket."