Australia had much the better of the opening day in the fifth and final Ashes Test at The Oval, bowling England out for 283 in just over two sessions and then chipping away steadily to reach 61-1 at stumps. Harry Brook’s brisk 85 was the highlight of an otherwise disappointing English batting display, as they collapsed from 184 for 3 largely because of poor shot selection.
Pat Cummins, the Australian skipper, won the toss and sent England in on a green-tinged pitch at The Oval. England’s openers, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, got off to a rapid start, and they had luck on their side as Duckett survived being caught on 30 when David Warner dropped a difficult chance in the slips off a Cummins delivery. In the following over, Crawley, who scored a brilliant 189 in the fourth Test in Manchester, was granted a reprieve by Steve Smith’s missed catch off Mitchell Marsh.
Despite these early let-offs, England couldn’t capitalise. Duckett was dismissed for 41, caught behind off Marsh. Crawley, the leading run-scorer in the series, departed for 22, edging a superb Cummins delivery that squared him up to Smith in the slips.
Joe Root’s early exit for just five, playing on to Josh Hazlewood, added to England’s woes, leaving them struggling at 73-3 when Brook came to the crease.
Brook showcased both resilience and shot-making ability, and combined well with Moeen Ali (34) to rebuild the innings with a 111-run partnership. However, Moeen’s departure sparked a middle-order collapse, and England lost four wickets for just 28 runs.
Brook’s aggressive strokeplay included a brilliant six off Mitchell Starc, who eventually managed to take four wickets for Australia. Moeen also displayed his hitting prowess, smashing two sixes off Cummins, although the Australian captain bowled better than his figures suggested.
After Moeen’s departure, Ben Stokes, the England captain, was bowled by a full-length delivery from Starc, and Jonny Bairstow castled by Hazlewood for just four.
Brook, despite completing his fourth fifty in five tests against Australia, couldn’t convert it into a century. He was left visibly frustrated when an edged drive off Starc was caught by Smith at second slip, ending a blazing 91-ball innings containing 11 fours and two sixes. The fact that the dismissal came after a picture-perfect straight drive made it all the more anticlimactic.
England’s lower-order batters, Chris Woakes (36) and Mark Wood (28), contributed valuable runs, although Woakes was fortunate to survive two dropped catches. Australia struggled in the field, dropping as many as five catches, including an easy one by Alex Carey, the wicketkeeper, off Brook’s bat when he had made only five.
We have our first!
Chris Woakes gets Warner 🙌 #EnglandCricket | #Ashes pic.twitter.com/Tndx9hjwq3
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 27, 2023
Starc was the pick of the Australian bowlers, claiming four wickets for 82 runs in 14.4 overs. He received support from Hazlewood and Murphy, who both took two wickets each.
In response, Australia’s openers had a solid start, adding 49 runs before David Warner was dismissed by Woakes, excellently caught by Crawley at second slip for 24. Marnus Labuschagne joined Usman Khawaja in the middle, and they successfully guided Australia to stumps, trailing England by 222 runs.