Australia in control after day of slip, slop and slap cricket

Australian captain Pat Cummins (left) and Mitch Marsh celebrate the wicket of England’s Zak Crawley on day one of the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval in London. Picture: AFP

England batted as if time was running out and were accordingly all out well before the first day of the fifth Test was done.

Time is running out for David Warner who has was out for 24 and has one innings to change the narrative of his England excursions.

The once pugnacious opener was, again, looking good at the Oval, escaping a near-death experience when put down by Jonny Bairstow on 0. He’d almost seen off the England seamers’ first spells when an attempt to glide the ball toward third man resulted in a nick to second slip.

He has only four half centuries to show from four tours of these parts, including a 66 at Lord’s on this tour. While not exactly from fairytale central casting, three figures in his last appearance in a country that has had the better of him would be quite the story.

Warner has one innings to do it, this Ashes has four days left in it.

We have our first!

Chris Woakes gets Warner 🙌 #EnglandCricket | #Ashespic.twitter.com/Tndx9hjwq3

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 27, 2023

Australia was 1-61 (25 overs) at the end of play and trail by 222 on the first innings. Usman Khawaja (26no) and Marnus Labuschagne (2no) will recommence on the second day.

It was like a slip, slop and slap day of cricket.

Before first drinks were taken Australia dropped two catches in consecutive overs, giving lives to both openers. A third went down in the second hour. Five went down before the day and England were done, all out for 283 in 54.5 frantic overs.

It’s the first day of the Test and hard to understand why they were in such a hurry. If they were children they’d probably be medicated for their own good, but they’re adults and being encouraged to continue on this crusade.

The Australian bowlers, sore of leg after a long series, dug deep and created 15 chances and deserve credit for their efforts on a day when conditions were in their favour, but not dramatically so.

1⃣1⃣9⃣ runs & 4⃣ wickets 🏏

An eventful afternoon session! 😬

See the best of the action 👇

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 27, 2023

The batters will be well advised to play a long game here if they can. Moeen Ali did not take the field after hurting his groin batting, Ben Stokes has announced he will not bowl and the longer they can keep the remaining seamers out there the easy it should get.

When catches are dropped early it is important to ensure heads don’t drop with them and Pat Cummins’ side did just that, ensuring the mistakes were redressed before too much damage was done in all but one of those five cases.

Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey reacts after dropping England’s Harry Brook. Picture: Getty Images

Harry Brook was dropped on 5 by Alex Carey. A young man whose first 1000 runs have come at obscene speed, he made the most of the reprieve and was 85 from 91 deliveries before he threw the bat at one too many on a wide line.

Mitchell Starc took 4-82 (14.4 overs) and was the man who eventually did for Brook. Josh Hazlewood (2-54) and Todd Murphy (2-22) were the other multiple wicket takers. Cummins took a solitary wicket but was enormous in his efforts in the first hours when things could have got away from them.

Sensational bowling from Pat Cummins who gets the better of Zak Crawley with a rising delivery #Ashespic.twitter.com/A7e8QAi1me

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) July 27, 2023

Three wickets in 21 balls either side of the drinks break ensured got Australia back into a the match after both openers had been dropped in the slips, with Mitch Marsh, Cummins and Hazlewood (on return) making critical breakthroughs.

The captain bowled like a man determined to make up for his failings in the fourth Test, his team’s in the field and the side’s last time they played at The Oval. He had 1-22 from eight overs before lunch but conceded 29 off two after lunch when Brook pounced on a couple of poor balls.

Four years ago Australia was judged to have made a terrible mistake when Tim Paine won the toss and opted to bowl. Four years later they won the toss and decided to check if it really was a mistake.

On that occasion England scored 294 at a more languid pace than the five and a bit runs an over they went on Thursday.

Australia came to The Oval in 2019 with a similar 2-1 scoreline but ran out of petrol.

That was then, this is now, four years on this side knows what it left unachieved.

Ben Duckett announced the home side’s intent in the sixth over. Zak Crawley had not been interested in laying bat on any delivery from Mitchell Starc’s opening over. There was movement in the air but a gentle trampoline bounce off the deck.

Duckett charged Hazlewood in the sixth and slapped a straight drive that was both fearless and fear inducing. Crawley was knocked from his feet by its ferocity and the ball was bouncing from the straight boundary fence before the echoing crack of bat on willow had subsided.

Batting, which should have been devilishly difficult, looked relatively easy. Duckett’s boundary knocked the cork from the bottle and with the controversial field setting which sees fielders deep at point and square leg, the two openers set off on a 15-ball sequence that included 11 straight singles, a couple of boundaries and a two for good luck.

Things got worse.

Pat Cummins brought himself on, Crawley launched a careless drive at his first delivery and Warner put down a hot but straightforward catch at first slip

Pat Cummins dives to field the ball on day one of the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval. Picture: Getty Images

There is a vertiginous gap between the statement made by that wicket if the catch is taken and the impact of the missed opportunity. It was a good over by Cummins. It should have been a great one.

And they got worse still the next over.

Steve Smith, who was fielding at second slip, failed to take a catch off Crawley that would have been third slip’s had they been there. His athletic and anticipatory abilities are second to none, but this was too hot to handle.

Mitchell Marsh was the unlucky bowler.

Two openers dropped by the two chief slippers in two overs. That’s a triplet of terrible twins if ever you saw one.

Mitchell Starc celebrates after dismissing Harry Brook. Picture: Getty Images

England brought up the half century at better than a run a minute, sliding into the match with an easy momentum that threatened trouble down the track for the Australians who looked to be chasing the game before the first drinks break.

Marsh, however, fixed this by scrubbing one off Duckett’s glove as the batter attempted to flick a waist high ball down to fine leg. The umpire didn’t hear the noise, but the Australians went upstairs and were right to do so. His 41 from as many deliveries had, however, got England off to a good start (1-61).

Drinks were taken and so too was the catch in the over after when Crawley (22) pushed toward mid on and the edge flew straight to Smith at second slip (2-66).

Starc with a sizzler to send Stokes packing! 🔥 #Ashespic.twitter.com/KRhbUiCFS9

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) July 27, 2023

The dismissals gave Australia to reset, start again, against the makeshift number three Moeen Ali and Joe Root who joined him four balls later.

Root will rue the attempted cut to a tight delivery from a recalled Hazlewood that clattered from the inside edge onto his stumps when he was five.

It was a poor shot from a good batsman.

It got scrappy again the following over when Alex Carey, who’d looked a little out of sorts behind the stumps all morning, failed to glove a low chance to his right. Cummins was the unlucky bowler, Brook the reprieved batter.

England’s brightest young star proceeded to belt the ball to all parts as is his wont. A four and six from consecutive deliveries from Marsh and Starc were something to behold.