England v Australia, 5th Test, The Oval, 27-31 July, 2023

So, the Ashes are settled, thanks to the English weather, but it’s still a live final Test of sorts. Can England find it in them to produce a repeat of four years ago? Will Australia seal a somewhat flattering 3-1 scoreline? Or will the rain have the final say once again?

Questions over the England bowling line-up, Woakes seemingly has a knock and Broad may not be called upon to play all five. Hope Jimmy makes a call before the start so he can have a proper farewell, rather than a will-he-won’t-he situation going forwards. Surely he won’t tour India, and with relative minnow opposition at home next season it feels like time, though 700 (and maintaining a buffer over his perennial new-ball partner, who could have a few years left in him…) might still be on his mind.

Bazball is clearly here to stay though it will require a substantial refresh of the cast before we face Australia again. As a BBC article today highlights, eight of the XI that played this week were over 30, and Root seems the only plausible one of those to face Australia at home again in four years’ time.

I don’t see too many of the current Australian side returning in 2027, either. Head, Labuschagne, Green, and Murphy maybe. Mitch Marsh maybe as a Hail Mary; he’s looked better this series than at any other time in his career.

Will Despicable Dave manage in his last England Test as well as Difficult Don did in his????

One good thing about the 2 days of rain at OT (other than, of course, ensuring that the urn is retained) is that our bowlers gained a 5 day break before the Oval.

skully wrote:One good thing about the 2 days of rain at OT (other than, of course, ensuring that the urn is retained) is that our bowlers gained a 5 day break before the Oval.

the long break worked so well between Tests 3 & 4...

Trudat, Nath.

beamer wrote:So, the Ashes are settled, thanks to the English weather, but it’s still a live final Test of sorts. Can England find it in them to produce a repeat of four years ago? Will Australia seal a somewhat flattering 3-1 scoreline? Or will the rain have the final say once again?

Questions over the England bowling line-up, Woakes seemingly has a knock and Broad may not be called upon to play all five. Hope Jimmy makes a call before the start so he can have a proper farewell, rather than a will-he-won’t-he situation going forwards. Surely he won’t tour India, and with relative minnow opposition at home next season it feels like time, though 700 (and maintaining a buffer over his perennial new-ball partner, who could have a few years left in him…) might still be on his mind.

Bazball is clearly here to stay though it will require a substantial refresh of the cast before we face Australia again. As a BBC article today highlights, eight of the XI that played this week were over 30, and Root seems the only plausible one of those to face Australia at home again in four years’ time.

Lol… 3 -1 is the apt result. Poms have failed to take advantage of winning the toss 4 times in a row.

Pom hubris has been most entertaining

Luckily for Oz, the pommy weather saved us from our own hubris 


Shit selections . no planning or failed planning , poor execution of basic skills 

Bailey McDonald and Cummins should have been sacked for the crap that was put up at OT but it will be forgotten as we laugh at whinging poms and their awesome summer rain

embee wrote:
Bailey McDonald and Cummins should have been sacked for the crap that was put up at OT but it will be forgotten as we laugh at whinging poms and their awesome summer rain

then we'll wallpaper over the cracks in the home summer and it will be forgotten too

Our top six have been far too fallible (way too many wickets thrown away) and our tail has been woeful. Our only revelation with the bat has been Bison (although Head has been mostly good).

The bowlers have fallen away as the series has worn on. And we clearly miss Elmer.

I still don't expect wholesale changes. Probably only Murphy in for Green (assuming Marsh is fit to bowl), unless one of the fast bowlers needs a rest (even though Neser should come in for Cummins).

Neser in for Haze

Murphy in with Cummins directed to bowl him. He replaces GCS.

Oh yep, can Cummins please call a toss once.

horace wrote:

beamer wrote:So, the Ashes are settled, thanks to the English weather, but it’s still a live final Test of sorts. Can England find it in them to produce a repeat of four years ago? Will Australia seal a somewhat flattering 3-1 scoreline? Or will the rain have the final say once again?

Questions over the England bowling line-up, Woakes seemingly has a knock and Broad may not be called upon to play all five. Hope Jimmy makes a call before the start so he can have a proper farewell, rather than a will-he-won’t-he situation going forwards. Surely he won’t tour India, and with relative minnow opposition at home next season it feels like time, though 700 (and maintaining a buffer over his perennial new-ball partner, who could have a few years left in him…) might still be on his mind.

Bazball is clearly here to stay though it will require a substantial refresh of the cast before we face Australia again. As a BBC article today highlights, eight of the XI that played this week were over 30, and Root seems the only plausible one of those to face Australia at home again in four years’ time.

Lol… 3 -1 is the apt result. Poms have failed to take advantage of winning the toss 4 times in a row.

Pom hubris has been most entertaining

The combined averages tell a different story. It’s a reverse-2009 smash-and-grab.

Still maintain that first day declaration at Edgbaston was the decisive moment, We left at least 50 runs on the table.

horace wrote:Neser in for Haze

Murphy in with Cummins directed to bowl him. He replaces GCS.

Koo in serious doubt with a knee and a shoulder.

beamer wrote:Still maintain that first day declaration at Edgbaston was the decisive moment, We left at least 50 runs on the table.

Ponting agrees with you, beams. He mirrored your words.

Credit to Cummins and Lyons in T1 … that partnership set us up. Stokes dropped Lyons … dropped the Ashes.

skully wrote:

beamer wrote:Still maintain that first day declaration at Edgbaston was the decisive moment, We left at least 50 runs on the table.

Ponting agrees with you, beams. He mirrored your words.

Drunky clearly talks sense

That was the one moment that I really would put down as hubris and recklessness. We’ve made other errors but they were typically poor shot selection which is just a heat of the moment thing, and dropped catches which can happen to anyone… but declaring on a sub-par score with your best batsman still there, just to get a few overs at them in the fading light, just wasn’t a percentage play at all.

Of course we went back to the other extreme at Old Trafford, whether another hour would have been enough, probably not, especially if we then had runs to chase, but you have to believe the forecast! Not quite in the same league as, I think it was Trott and Nick Compton who were allowed to basically block/leave for a whole session against the Snoozers once when the rain was closing in, and Cook dismissively said he didn’t captain by the weather forecast…

Unchanged England squad, so no Kerrigan-esque selections. Likely to be some rotation of the seamers.

Broad looked a bit jaded at OT, well wayward anyway, maybe yobbo comes in if his fitness is to be trusted, surely Tongue plays, hopefully Wood and Woakes. I thought Potts was in the squad too, but apparently not. I spose history and sentiment mean jimmy has to play but 4 wkts at 70 in 3 tests suggest otherwise. I'd give Gus ATkinson a go on his home turf or Lawes.

Its a pity that England waited til OT to put in their best perf, maybe if they had cut out the showboating and concentrated on the basics in the first 2 they might have gone 3-0 at Headingley. However the fact is that everytime oz were in trouble or a panic, someone stood up and saved the day, even at Headingley Marsh nearly turned it around on his own, and at OT, Marnus century made sure that england didnt run through oz in the play that was possible.

Its a shame that it isnt a series decider but if it was, i imagine fitness issues might be uppermost with
this test coming so soon after OT, even with the washout on the 4-5th days. It emphasizes the fact that the ashes arnt the centerpiece and highlight of the season for the ECB munchkins: everything has to be shoehorned to fit in with the 100 which is for them the main feature.

I think they’ve said the August slot for the 16.4 is a one-off, as it hasn’t been well received to end the international season in July.

Weather-wise it feels more like the early autumnal feel of typical Oval Tests anyway, just without it going dark at 8pm and with the new Premier League football season still a few weeks away!

Looks like both Koo and Bison are struggling. Looks like Neser and Murph are likely to play.

Neser deserves a crack and hopefully Murphy is better used by Cummins.

I hope Ussie finds his best after a quiet OT. Who knows, maybe his idiot opening partner will make a rare contribution... of course pigs are more likely to fly in formation over The Oval.

Is the Oval still the best batting track in England?

horace wrote:Neser deserves a crack and hopefully Murphy is better used by Cummins.

I hope Ussie finds his best after a quiet OT. Who knows, maybe his idiot opening partner will make a rare contribution... of course pigs are more likely to fly in formation over The Oval.

He will make a double and book his place for 2025/26

beamer wrote:

horace wrote:Neser deserves a crack and hopefully Murphy is better used by Cummins.

I hope Ussie finds his best after a quiet OT. Who knows, maybe his idiot opening partner will make a rare contribution... of course pigs are more likely to fly in formation over The Oval.

He will make a double and book his place for 2025/26

we'll need to crowdfund for a rubber room for horrie if both happen.