The incident took place in the last over before lunch when Steve Smith edged Moeen Ali’s delivery off his glove and the ball seemed destined for Stokes at leg slip.
Stokes, in an outburst of excitement, attempted to grasp the ball, but it slipped from his hands, leading to a sigh of relief for Smith. The third umpire subsequently reviewed the incident and ruled it as not out, allowing Smith to continue his innings.
Australia lost three early wickets on the final day of the thrilling Ashes Test at The Oval before a fightback from Smith and Travis Head took them to 238-3 by lunch, pursuing a target of 384 runs to secure a 3-1 series victory over England.
England’s bowler Chris Woakes made the most of favorable conditions, claiming crucial wickets to dismiss David Warner (60) and Usman Khawaja (72), while Mark Wood’s delivery proved too good for Marnus Labuschagne, who departed after scoring just 13 runs.
Smith was unbeaten on 40 at the interval and Travis Head on 31 as Australia look to win the Ashes in England for the first time since 2001.
