Ben Stokes in Ashes disaster after late 'nightmare' costs England

England captain Ben Stokes has endured a brutal moment on the final day of the Birmingham Test having dropped a vital chance before Pat Cummins went on to hit the winning runs. Australia has pulled off a miraculous final day in the first Ashes test at Edgbaston to chase down 281 as the Aussie captain scored 44 not out to lead his nation to victory.

Cummins came to the crease with Australia needing 72 runs and with the help of Nathan Lyon the duo were able to seal a 1-0 lead in the Ashes under floodlights and in front of a raucous crowd. However, the result could have been so different if Stokes was able to hold onto a Lyon catch with 37 runs left.

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Lyon skied a pull shot from Stuart Broad's delivery as it looped away from the infield. Stokes spun around and was clambering back when he grabbed the ball.

Fans and players were off their feet, but Stokes appeared to fumble the ball on his way down. The England captain was outstretched but couldn't regain the Dukes ball, much to the devastation of the Edgbaston faithful.

"He takes a few steps back, fully stretched right hand," Ponting said in commentary. "In it goes, for a long time. Pops out at the last minute, had a second attempt at it."

There was no doubting Stokes' effort in the attempted catch, but the chance gone begging was the last real hope England had before Cummins hit the winning runs at 7.21pm local time.

England and Aussie fans reacted to the dramatic moment, which saw Stokes put his head in his hands after the tough attempt.

England were left to rue several missed chances, after Joe Root put down a tough chance off his own bowling with Cummins on six. Regardless, Stokes had captained England brilliantly throughout the Test match, which saw him use inventive fields for the Aussie batters.

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Stokes admitted the team were gutted after losing in such dramatic circumstances. ""I am devastated we've lost that game but in terms of what it's done for the series, it's hard to not be too disappointed because it has set up a great series," he said after the loss.

"It's not a psychological blow at all. We've lost but if you look at the way we've played, compared to how the last few Ashes series have gone, it proves what we're capable of doing against Australia.

"Losing sucks but the way we applied ourselves literally from ball one proves we're able to stand up to Australia... We've got four games left and that's what we're going to be concentrating on."

Cummins and Lyon chipped away at the total and scored the winning runs under floodlights at 7.21pm local time to deliver one of Australia's greatest ever test wins. Fans around the world were left absolutely stunned at the grit and determination from Australia's tail, which has come under scrutiny in recent weeks.

The Australian captain, who also took 4-63 in England's second innings, took off his helmet and tossed his bat in pure elation having sealed his greatest comeback win as captain. "It was nail-biting stuff," Cummins said after the epic run-chase.

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