Fifth Ashes Test. The Oval.

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Siddle hits pad. They appeal. Not out. No review.

It was missing leg.

Next ball, he cuts Denly in half, but it misses the stumps.

Suddenly, Siddle is getting something. Can he stop Denly getting a totally undeserved maiden century?

[K]

Siddle does get Denly!!! Yes! Yes! Yes!!

Paine came up to the stumps, forcing Denly to stay in his crease. Denly then nicked off to slip, 6 short of a century.

England 4/222 (67). Buttler in.

Taylor: "Keep the lead down to 350 or less and they're still half a chance."

[K]

Ponting says he saw England in the nets and saw a lot of "positive intent". But cricinfo reported a Test or two ago that Roy's "practice" in the nets consisted of trying to slog every ball out of the ground. How is that good Test practice?

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Athers: "A wicket that might just boost Peter Siddle."

Ponting: "Every day late in the afternoon there's been some swing."
He says it's hard to explain, but that Curran said it happened in some County games too.

[K]

Buttler hits consecutive 4s off Siddle.

The second was not far from a caught & bowled.
...

The lead passes 300. Buttler looks like he's going to try to hit out.

Buttler ends the over with another 4.

[K]

The Lyon delivery that bowled Stokes spun 6.1 degrees (about two degrees more than usual).

Gower & Athers say in the old days you could play pad and bat together, because umpires would not give it out, but DRS has changed that.

Athers: "DRS has brought orthodox finger spinners ... back into the game."

[K]

If Buttler is going to go ODI mode, they should have prepared ODI modes of dismissal for him...

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Ponting condemns "dog sticks" rather than throw-downs, because the throw-downs give visual cues. The dog sticks are supposed to save people's shoulders, but surely they can just get a supply of humans. Yep, Ponting says in India it's a job -- professional throw-downs.

[K]

Cummins is back.

Bairstow hits it through cover off the back foot for 4.
Three fielders chased it, but it beat them all to the boundary.

Ponting thinks the workload is beginning to take its toll on Cummins. The decision to bowl first makes little sense

Bairstow finishes with another 4.
He truly is a flat-track bully.

The lead is 316 with 6 wickets in hand.

[K]

Hazlewood beats Buttler.

Ponting: "That's pretty much unplayable."
He says you don't like seeing that as the team that has to bat last!

[K]

Marsh comes on. Just the one expensive over from Cummins.
Athers: "Save Cummins for later." The new ball is not far away.

And Bairstow nicks to slip! They are checking if it carried. The soft signal is out. It looks like it did carry. Yes.

England 5/249 (72.3). Curran in.

Lisa: "It was a very good catch as well."
Taylor: "And a wicket to Mitch Marsh. He's bowling very well."

Holding says Smith did not let the movement of Paine in front of him distract him from that catch.

[K]

Big appeal for LBW by Lyon! Not out. They talk but don't review.

Holding: "Doesn't mean it's not out."

Three reds. Pathetic. Truly pathetic. What are they saving up all these reviews for?! They have thrown away a series win with their incompetence.

Holding: "The captain is wicketkeeper. Why does he not know where the ball is going?"

And why can't the umpires get it right? These are supposed to be the two best umpires in the world. It's pathetic.

[K]

England 5/258 (75). Drinks.
The lead is 327.

[K]

Nasser is praising Warne for posting on social on the morning of day 1, "I can't believe we're bowling. I can't believe we're playing Siddle."

They could do a lot worse than get advice from Warne. This is not the first time he's made accurate predictions. We all know about him "predicting" Gibbs would drop the World Cup.

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New ball available.

[K]

Cummins takes the new ball immediately. No warm up with the old ball. Curran on strike.

Root is swishing away shadow batting in the dressing room. Warne jokes that he's telling people how they are going to get Smith out.


Curran is strangled down leg side. Good catch from Paine.

England 6/279 (80.4).

The new ball strikes.

Taylor: "He's starting to look a little tired, a little stiff, but he deserved that."

Woakes glances for 4 first ball. It was a badly directed delivery.

The lead passes 350 with 4 wickets in hand.

[K]

Buttler gets 2 when they should have been restricted to a single. Paine is unhappy at Bancroft. Bancroft is unhappy.

Nasser on Bancroft: "There's no one to be unhappy with but himself."

Hazlewood has two slips and a short leg for Buttler.

Hazlewood beats the bat.
Warne: "Just a fraction short from Hazlewood, but still a very good delivery."

Nasser: "Alway try Woakes out with the short ball. Always."

Warne repeats that he would have played Pattinson this game. He notes it's not back-to-back for Pattinson.

[K]

Buttler cover drives Cummins for 4.

Warne wants Buttler as number 7 as the keeper... I thought he wanted Bairstow dropped, but he wants him as a specialist batsman.