Ashes to Ashes

[Ray de Galles]

...and off...and on again.

[Gangster Octopus]

The collapse is on.

[Nocturnal Submission]

Another decent knock from Burns. Hopefully that's one of the openers' slots filled for the foreseeable future.

Surrey are missing him, mind you.

[Ray de Galles]

Well, the match is still pretty balanced, but if you put a side in and they are 86-1 at lunch then it's not gone to plan. Even 95-3 would be below par for a team that's chosen to bowl.

Well exactly, though I think 95-3 would be a good return! Nobody's saying Australia have lost the match in the first morning (or trying to jinx England) but given the fragility of top orders in this series to give England what is probably the most comfortable opening session yet has to be deemed a failure of tactics. A hat trick of drops from Root doesn't help either.

[Satchmo Distel]

Another drop.

[Etienne]

I wonder if Australia are trying to ensure Root is still captain in two years time.

[Etienne]

Well, the match is still pretty balanced, but if you put a side in and they are 86-1 at lunch then it's not gone to plan. Even 95-3 would be below par for a team that's chosen to bowl.

[RobW]

Too early to say they're fucking it up either. Two quick wickets after lunch and they're on top

Yup, already Vaughan is being unbearable and thanking Tim Paine for putting England in. It's as if he wasn't watched the series.

[ad hoc]

Too early to say they're fucking it up either. Two quick wickets after lunch and they're on top

This. I mean I know why Ray's trying to jinx it, but I'm not sure about the others

[E10 Rifle]

Too early to say they're fucking it up either. Two quick wickets after lunch and they're on top

[Etienne]

This really isn't a dead rubber. Yeah, Australia have retained the Ashes, but there's a huge difference between winning and drawing the series. Vastly more than winning 4-0 or 3-1.

[Satchmo Distel]

So far, it's another flashback to 1997-2001: Australia fucking up in dead rubbers.

[E10 Rifle]

It's a very grassy looking day-one pitch mind, and a bit cloudy. Can see the attraction for Paine.

Not sure I'd have dropped Starc for Siddle, though the former was a bit up and down at Old Trafford.

And Root's been dropped by Siddle

[Ray de Galles]

That doesn't sound like this Australian team or captain though, they seem to know their frailties and are happy to win tests in an unflashy manner.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

It almost smacks of Australia wanting to test themselves to the limit, given the Ashes can't be lost.

[Ray de Galles]

It's already looking like a mistake, 50-1 in a little over an hour - the quickest 50 England have managed all series.

[Etienne]

It really is an odd one. If Lyon's finger is bothering him, an extra day's rest would have helped too.

[Satchmo Distel]

If Australia get away with it, it will be because they are by far the better side, but if these were two evenly balanced teams, it would be a crazy decision.

[Ray de Galles]

I think the goodness or otherwise of the wicket is up for debate. Still seems weird to put them in though despite how well the Aussies have bowled and the wicket of Denly.

[Satchmo Distel]

Stupid call really. Always bat first on a good wicket at The Oval.

[ad hoc]

It does of course mean that England have already successfully avoided the follow on.

[Ray de Galles]

No side winning the toss has lost a test yet this series but that does seem a strange call, even with London being cool, breezy and cloudy this morning.

Siddle in for Starc.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Until this afternoon, anyway

[ad hoc]

Australia win the toss, but surprise everyone by opting to bowl. That Steve Smith triple century may have to wait

[jameswba]

I don't see how you can say Lyon is over-rated. No'one has ever claimed that there's any great mystery to his bowling or that he is in Shane Warne's class.

To me, it's interesting that England are said to have learned how to play him through this series. But all they've done is achieved stalemate against him by playing off the back foot. Thus they are not dictating to him by using their feet to get forward and mess up his lengths. He's still bowled long, economical spells that have allowed Cummins and Hazelwood to do their thing at the other end.

It says a lot for him that - once again - his team has won a series using him and only three other bowlers. It's surely only because he's injured and might not get through so many overs that Marsh is coming in at the Oval - it's 10-12 overs of medium pace a day that Australia want from Marsh, at least as much as his batting.