Farcical end to Australia’s four-year quest to win the Ashes in England

Australia’s attempt to become the first team to win an Ashes on English soil since 2001 is over after a disastrous day in the Fifth Test.

So this is how Australia’s four-year mission to win an Ashes series in England ends.

Four years of planning finishes with the Aussies in exactly the same position they were in at The Oval in 2019, chasing a total of something close to 400 in the fourth innings.

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Unless there’s a miracle, the achievement Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, David Warner, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and the rest of this generation wanted more than any other will elude them.

And it ends in farcical fashion.

With Starc conceding the most expensive opening over by an Australian in Ashes history to immediately hand over the initiative as England began its second innings on day three.

With Cummins leaking 30 runs from his first six overs and setting fields that had Ricky Ponting tearing his hair out as Zak Crawley (73) and Ben Duckett (43) again stole the momentum.

Pat Cummins took 1/79 from 16 overs. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

With Starc fumbling an opportunity to catch Ben Stokes (42) over the rope to give the England captain the record for most sixes in an Ashes series.

With Joe Root (91) playing every shot in the book, including new additions like reverse-ramps for six.

And with Jonny Bairstow, yes bloody Jonny Bairstow, flaying all and sundry to the boundary as his sparkling 78 pushed England to 9/389 at stumps.

This is how it ends.

Forget that Australia still has to complete proceedings by attempting to chase whatever England adds to its 377-run lead on day four.

Smith has never made a fourth innings century and none of the other Aussie batsmen looked remotely like dominating the England attack for an extended period during the first innings.

Don’t bank on Steve Smith saving Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

No, Australia lost this match on day three - and lost it quickly during a first hour that left former Test skippers Ponting and Mark Taylor pointing the finger at Cummins and his bowlers.

Stuart Broad - who announced he was retiring after this match - had told us day three was always the best time for batting at The Oval and England proved it as all its batsmen outside of Harry Brook (seven) made scores.

But they were again given a helping hand by poor bowling and poor fields, according to Ponting and Taylor.

Ponting was questioning Australia’s approach almost immediately as the new ball was handed to Starc instead of Cummins and the left-armer sent down a series of half-volleys.

“It would be better for Cummins to be bowling at that end with the brand new ball,” Ponting said.

“It was Cummins who changed things in the first innings. With the sun out - Mitchell Starc relies on swing - there’s not going to be any swing out there so he can leak runs like what is happening now.”

Mitchell Starc was flayed early before finishing with four wickets. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Ponting’s blood started boiling further as Duckett hit boundary after boundary to an unprotected leg side.

“That’s now five boundaries for Duckett. All leg side. And four of them from midwicket to backward square. They have not had one man out there,” he said.

“I would just like to see things change up a little. Just a little! Execute better. Bowl the right line and length. Or at least get your fielders where the ball is going to go.”

Nasser Hussain also couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Australia were very poor with the new ball,” he said.

“For such an experienced attack of Hazlewood, Cummins, Starc, they bowled both sides of the wicket.

“Everyone in world cricket knows where to bowl to Zak Crawley. It wasn’t like the information Ricky Ponting was giving on commentary was something ‘wow’ and deep insight. You bowl fifth stump, back of a length to Zak Crawley.

“They bowled on his pads, they bowled both sides of the wicket and they got it wrong and now they’re playing catch-up cricket and have upset Ricky Ponting.”

Pat Cummins’ field placements were again under fire (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

“Australia haven’t changed their tactics enough,” Taylor added shortly after lunch.

“Such an experienced bowling line-up and they’ve been good for so long, bowling a certain way, and they’ve been either reluctant to change or haven’t really thought about changing the way they bowl.

“Particularly to Crawley, and Duckett today. Just very full, looking to get the ball to swing, which is sensible, normal Test match new-ball bowling but against Duckett and Crawley they like to hit those full balls for four, and they get away from you.”

Where Australia’s top order has made a habit of leaving the rest of the eleven with a burden by scoring slowly, Crawley, Duckett and Stokes released the pressure valve.

And so Steve Waugh, Glenn McGrath and the heroes of 2001 will remain the last Australian side to win on English soil.

Cummins might make it back in 2027, but the likes of Smith, Warner, Hazlewood, Starc, and unfairly injured spinner Nathan Lyon, will never join them.

3am - Starc keeps fighting as Woakes, Moeen fall

Mitchell Starc might have begun the day with the most expensive opening over by an Australian in Ashes history but he looks like finishing it with more wickets than any of his teammates.

Starc now has four after Chris Woakes attempted to hit him down the ground but instead picked out Usman Khawaja at mid-off - and then Moeen Ali ramped the ball to Josh Hazlewood on the boundary.

Todd Murphy wasn’t far behind though as he claimed Mark Wood for nine. Wood holed out to Mitch Marsh on the midwicket boundary to give Murphy his third wicket.

Australia is a chance of limiting its chase to under 400 as England fell to 9/379.

2.45am - Bairstow also misses out on a century

Jonny Bairstow swung his bat at the ground in anger after missing out on another great opportunity to score a hundred against Australia.

Stranded on 99 in the Fourth Test, Bairstow was closing in on a ton when he was caught behind off Mitchell Starc for 78.

Bairstow’s knock came from 103 deliveries and helped erase any doubt about England’s position in this match.

2.10am - Root misses out on a second ton

We remain on track to finish the series without a single batsman scoring more than one century after Joe Root was bowled on 91 by Todd Murphy.

Root, who scored an unbeaten ton in the First Test, batted superbly to set up the game for England before Murphy spun one through the gate.

Root tried to drive against the turn but helped a ball that kept low onto middle stump with an inside edge.

England is 5/332 with a lead of 320 runs.

1.35am - Bairstow rubbing Australia’s nose in it

Of all the ways this series could have ended it had to finish with Jonny Bairstow smashing the Aussies all over the park.

It’s becoming a very bitter end for the visitors as the English keeper and Joe Root put the game firmly out of reach.

Bairstow was into the 60s and Root in the 70s as England passed 300 and the match became hopeless for Australia.

12.40am - England almost home at tea

Australia was slightly better in the second session but England still added 135 runs to be in full control of this match at tea.

The dismissals of Zak Crawley (73), Ben Stokes (42) and Harry Brook (seven) had given Australia some hope of fighting back, but Jonny Bairstow’s arrival at the crease quickly changed the momentum.

Bairstow was 34 not out of 35 deliveries at the break, having already added 43 runs with Joe Root (61 from 58). England is 4/265 with a lead of 253 runs, leaving Australia very little wriggle room in the final session.

12.05pm - Brook goes cheap to give Aussies a glimmer of hope

Josh Hazlewood has been the pick of the Aussie bowlers today and finally got rewarded with the wicket of Harry Brook.

It was a corker of a delivery too, rising sharply off a good length and drawing the edge of Brook’s bat.

Brook was out for seven off six balls and England was suddenly 4/222.

11.55pm - Murphy snares Stokes

Pat Cummins is desperate for Todd Murphy to bowl well enough to stay in the attack and the spinner is beginning to answer the bell.

Murphy was expensive in his first six overs but drew an error from Ben Stokes midway through the second session to claim his first wicket of the innings.

Stokes attempted to hit Murphy down the ground but miscued and sent a catch to Pat Cummins at mid-on.

England was 3/212 but there was no respite for the Aussies as Harry Brook joined Joe Root at the crease and hit the second balll he faced off Murphy back over his head for six.

11.40pm - No Aussie comeback in sight

After a positive start after lunch for the Aussies, including the wicket of Zak Crawley, England has resumed its dominance of the day.

Joe Root and Ben Stokes combined for a 50-run partnership as England was 2/193 at drinks.

Root in particular was making batting look very easy as he scored at better than a run-a-ball and reverse-ramped Mitch Marsh for six.

11.15pm - Mark Taylor continues attack on Aussie bowlers

Mark Taylor has also called out Australia’s pace trio after Ricky Ponting was critical of the approach in the first session.

“I just felt that Australia haven’t thought about maybe a different tactic,” Taylor said. “A few short balls early on, then bowling the line that everyone’s talking about that fifth-stump line to both of them, getting them to drive from a hesitant position.”

Crawley in particular feasted on the Aussie pace trio, finishing the series with 309 runs at an average of 103 and a strikerate of 83 against Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood.

10.50pm - Crawley falls after lunch break

Australia finally got their line right to Zak Crawley after the lunch break and was almost immediately rewarded with his wicket.

Pat Cummins delivered on a sixth stump line, Crawley flashed a full-blooded drive and nicked it to Steve Smith for 73.

Crawley finishes the series with 480 runs at 53.33 - topping the batsmen from both sides.

10pm - Ponting fumes at Cummins as Aussies wilt

If only Ricky Ponting was coaching instead of commentating.

The cricket legend sounded frustrated enough to hang up his microphone and join the Aussie huddle as the visitors appeared to throw away any chance of winning the series during a horror morning at The Oval.

England was 1/130 from 25 overs at lunch, with Zak Crawley (71 not out from 73 balls) continuing on the sparkling early work of Ben Duckett (42 from 55).

Ricky Ponting just needs to have a coaching role for Australia doesn’t he. Tactically so good and everything he has said this morning makes absolute sense. Just get him in for tactic discussions at the very least. Staggering how bad our tactics have been this series #ashes

— brad davidson (@braddavo) July 29, 2023

You just know if Ponting was the coach tactically this would be a different Aussie side and #Ashes series.

— Jonathan Lea (@JonathanLea10) July 29, 2023

Starc (1/43 from seven) got Australia’s only breakthrough of the session as he had Duckett caught behind, but along with Cummins (0/30 from six) and Todd Murphy (0/29 from four) was too expensive.

“(Australia has been) a bit all over the place,” Ponting said during the lunch break. “It just feels like we haven’t been quite ready. Quite ready to change (plans). Quite ready with the right fields.”

9.30pm - Starc finally gets the breakthrough

Ben Duckett is on his way back to the sheds after the faintest of edges brought an end to his stellar innings.

Mitchell Starc got a delivery to move just enough away from the English opener and it caught the edge of his bat.

After initially being given not out, the Aussies sent it upstairs for review with snicko showing a faint edge.

9pm - England openers explode

Pat Cummins and his men have no answers for England’s batting onslaught as openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett smash the attack to all corners of The Oval.

With 13 overs in the books for day three, the English duo have pushed the scoreboard along to sit at 0/66.

8pm - Crawley goes whack with the first ball

England opener Zak Crawley has made his intentions clear from the outset with a forceful shot through the covers.

A tossed up delivery from Mitchell Starc was comfortably dispatched through the cover region much to the delight of the English faithful.

After entering the day behind by 12 runs, it took only one over for England to take the lead after scoring 13 runs from Starc’s over.