Where: The Oval, London, England
When: Thursday, 20th of August
Where to watch: GEM for Australia, Sky Sports for UK
Bet on the fifth test at CrownBet.com.au – cash in on the bonus bets!
The wash up – England regains the Ashes
Australia’s greatest fears were realised in the fourth Ashes test.
The series lost, a dismal 60-all out and the resulting resignation of captain Michael Clarke.
So, a nightmare tour of England still has one agonising test to play out for the Australians, this time at The Oval in London.
The Aussies will have the added incentive of giving Aussie skipper Michael Clarke the send of he deserves.
Clarke’s departure signals a changing of the guard in Australian cricket, with newly appointed captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner amongst two of the eleven Ashes representatives that will have a guaranteed spot going into their next tour.
For the host nation, just about everything has gone right. The only negative being a side strain to all-time leading English wicket taker Jimmy Anderson.
Anderson’s absence did not impact England’s brilliance though, with Stuart Broad stepping up with a man-of-the-match performance, taking eight wickets in the first innings to prise the game away from the Australians on the opening day at Trent Bridge.
Match betting
Odds provided by Sportsbet.com.au
England: $2.35
Draw: $4.50
Potential line-ups:
England: Alastair Cook (c), Adam Lyth, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ian Bell, Jos Buttler(wk), Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, Steven Finn
With the Ashes already secured it is unlikely England will be making too many changes to the team that has crushed the Australians in the last two tests.
Joe Root – the likely candidate for man-of-the-series – has been dynamic with the bat, almost singlehandedly steering his team to Ashes glory.
Along with helping his team hoist the urn, Root’s Ashes dominance has seen the 24-year old soar up the test batting rankings to sit atop the ICC batting rankings.
English selector Angus Fraser believes the key to the home sides success this series has been closing the gap between their best and worst cricket.
“You’re looking for the players to perform on a more consistent basis and thankfully we’ve seen that in three Tests this summer. Everyone is keen to make sure we finish strongly.” Fraser said.
“Trying to keep up this form is going to be challenging. It has been very satisfying to see the players play as we know they can and for that to be good enough to win important games.”
England may be tempted to bring in a second spinner, given the spin-friendly nature of The Oval wicket, but it remains to be seen if the selectors will tamper with their winning formula.
Australia:David Warner, Chris Rodgers, Mitch Marsh, Adam Voges, Michael Clarke(c), Steve Smith, Peter Neville(wk), Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood
With the currently Australian team under-performing for the majority of the series it is unlikely that the selectors will make wholesale changes given the final test is a dead rubber.
The Aussies were saved the ultimate embarrassment in the lead up to this test with Mitch Marsh and Patrick Cummins rescuing the visitors from suffering the ultimate indignity of losing to county side Northamptonshire.
Mitch Marsh’s effort with the bat should earn him a recall at the expense of his brother who failed to make an impression at Trent Bridge.
The Aussie selectors, much like their English counterparts may be tempted to go with a second spin option, with Fawad Ahmed waiting in the wings if the visitors look to go with spin.
Newly appointed captain Steve Smith is hoping that his post-Ashes 11 will have the support of the Australian public.
“I know it’s an important role I’m stepping into now and hopefully I can have the backing of all the public back home,” Smith said.
“It’s really important to have the public behind you and I’m sure they will come out and support us in numbers. I’m really excited about this opportunity and looking forward to everything that lies ahead.”
Match predictions:
Odds provided by Sportsbet.com.au
Match result: Draw – $4.50
Top England run scorer – first innings: Joe Root – $3.25
Top Australian wicket taker – first innings: Mitchell Johnson – $3.60
Direction of first boundary: On-side – $2.10
Man of the match: Joe Root – $9.00
With the Urn already back on English soil the typical Ashes fire will not be as evident as it was early in the series, but seldom does a test match between the Australians and the English not mean everything to the players.
The Australians have been humbled in the last two tests, and another embarrassing batting collapse against county team Northamptonshire has left the Aussie top order scrambling for answers going into final test at The Oval.
The visitors will be looking to restore pride in the fifth test and occupying the crease for an extended period is the best place to start.
All eyes will be on retiring Australian captain Michael Clarke.
The outgoing skipper will be looking to make his mark in the fifth test after an ordinary series by his lofty standards.
Clarke is currently paying $2.75 to score a 50 in the opening innings at The Oval, and given the importance of the match to the captain’s legacy, we can expect Clarke to make a big impression with the bat.
The top batsman in the series Joe Root is in splendid form, and had it not been for Stuart Broad’s incredible first session spell he may well have been named man-of-the-match at Trent Bridge.
Root is the $9.00 favourite with Sportsbet to be named man-of-the-match at The Oval.
It is not often that an English summer sees five results in a test series, and with rain forecast for every day of The Oval test match in London, it is not inconceivable to significant amounts of time missed due to inclement weather.
After their back-to-back capitulations with the bat, expect the Australians to bunker down and spend some solid time at the crease.
This bodes well for a draw if time is lost due to unfavourable weather.
