Fifth Ashes Test. The Oval.

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Lyon now.

And now a misfield from Cummins. I'm not sure Oz should have celebrated at all after last Test. Retaining the Ashes by drawing is not so great, is it?

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Cummins will bowl the final over before lunch. Burns on strike.
...

Dharmasena: "Time for lunch."

England 1/86 (25).

A very, very bad start for Oz. Dubious selections, dubious coin-toss decision, dreadful fielding, ...

Healy: "They've brought it on themselves."

[K]

Root is dropped a third time, this time by a diving Smith at second slip.

It wasn't easy, but put together this is a disagraceful performance by Oz. I would maybe be more sympathetic if I hadn't seen them wildly celebrating after the previous Test.

Siddle was the bowler this time. It was the last ball of the first over after lunch. Siddle can't really complain: he dropped the first chance, and it was a real sitter.

Botham said before: "He probably going to make 200 now."
There's nowhere left for Botham to go with his comments...

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They can talk all they want about how seriously they're taking it, and how they want to win 3-1 rather than draw 2-2... But actions speak louder than words. Even the suggestion that now it's okay to pick Warner, because the Ashes have been retained, is disturbing. If he's worth picking, it has to be independent of that. (Not that I heard Langer say that.)

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Botham mentions Collingwood FC.

Warne: "Collingwood are looking good."

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Root smokes a square drive to the boundary off Hazlewood and brings up 7000 Test runs -- the fastest in history (by number of Tests?). Warne adds that's by time...

Sehwag and Sir Garfield were the fastest in number of Tests, Warne says.

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And now Burns cover drives the woeful (well, he did get the Root nick that Smith dropped, so maybe that's harsh) Siddle for 4 to bring up the England 100.

Warne on the pitch: "It's very dry."
He suggests Paine would have been regretting his decision to bowl at lunch.

Root walks down the pitch to Siddle.

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Hazlewood gets Burns, caught off a leading edge by Marsh at mid on for 47.

England 2/103 (30.5). Stokes in.

Lisa: "Burns does have an issue."
Taylor: "He also got a leading edge last innings."

Hazlewood stays over the wicket to Stokes, who leaves his first ball.
Wicket maiden.

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Appeal for LBW by Siddle. Not out. No review.

Warne: "So not much going for it really. Going down leg and too high."

Warne: "Peter Siddle since lunch has been bowling a lot better... Just the odd one swinging..."

And on cue, he beats Stokes.

Warne: "Before lunch, he was all over the place..."

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Nasser shows a pitch map for Siddle's bowling and says he's adjusted his length to fuller after lunch.

Meanwhile, cricinfo tells us the previous quickest in time to 7000 Test runs was Cook. Do England play a lot of Tests per year?

Repeat of prevous news: Stokes is in now, because his shoulder problem is restricting him to being a specialist batsman. Technically, then, England have weakened their batting, but Sam Curran might well bat better than the pathetic Roy.

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Appeal for LBW, Siddle against Root. Not out. They are interested enough to discuss reviewing, but don't.

It was a big inside edge.
..................................

Lloyd says Stokes ran straight down the middle of the pitch. Nasser says that's because he had to get around Siddle.

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Stokes hits Cummins for two 4s in a row, the first down the ground, the second run wide of gully.

Another inside edge for Root.

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Now Marsh.

The broadcast replays Root's drops on 24, 25 & 30.

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Marsh continues after drinks.

Athers: "He's got a bit more movement, Mitch Marsh..."

2.7 degrees, the broadcast claims.

And he hits Stokes in the midriff, but this time no fielder shouts, "On the d**k", unlike in a previous Test.

And now Marsh gets Stokes pulling and getting an edge to mid off.

England 3/130 (39.5). Bairstow in.

Lisa: "... probably didn't bounce as much as he thought."

Lyon was the catcher. He looked relieved...

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Athers: "Bairstow has had his timber rearranged a lot of late."

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Siddle is clattered for two 4s in a row by Bairstow.

Gower repeats Warne's view about the similarity of Siddle and Marsh, which means you don't need both and could have chosen e.g. Starc.

[K]

Root reaches a fortunate 50.

Athers: "You can see Siddle is straining here... The radar is off."

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Holding says this performance reminds him of series past when Oz turned up with the series decided and just "went through the motions".

Ponting: "You'd like to think they haven't slacked off... They said their preparation was outstanding."

[K]

Nasser is showing an orgy of Bairstow dismissals bowled with his stumps showing. He suggests this is the effect of ODIs... where staying legside helps you slog (not Nasser's word).

Nasser tells us only A. Chase has been bowled more in Tests than Bairstow.

But Ponting says it's often a reaction to being LBW.

Ponting also says the T20 effect on kids is that they think it's okay to get out, while for him as a kid it was all about not getting out.

Holding: "What a shame."