Fatigue factor crucial in Oval Ashes finale

Spend any time on England's labyrinthine highway network and you're destined to living hours that invariably feel like weeks wandering the arcades of charmless fast food/donut warehouse/slot machine emporiums collectively known as 'motorway services'.

The defining feature of these near-identical roadside respite clinics is the proliferation of other motorists who wander about like extras from a zombie apocalypse movie, stretching their legs and taking the air while trying to work out if they've left the M1 at Tibshelf, Toddington or Trowell.

And while it's a laboured metaphor that clearly reeks of the same levels of mental dishevelment, there were occasional signs the rival teams in the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval were suffering similar levels of fatigue-induced dissociation yesterday as they eye the finish of a demanding long-haul stint.

In times of clear minds and sharp reflexes, any team that dropped five catches and missed a run-out after sending their rivals into bat would be bracing for a barrage of criticism under the subject heading 'wasted opportunities'.

But while Australia's fielding was clearly profligate, they ended day one of the Ashes finale marginally in front because England were equally wasteful with the bat and could then only create a couple of opportunities when it was their turn with the ball.

One of those was a tough leg side chance that eight weeks ago Jonny Bairstow would have been harangued for getting the tips of his keeping gloves to as he launched himself in fruitless pursuit, but today it was simply marked down as one of the tougher ones that got away.

Australia could only claim one similarly difficult opportunity among their list of let downs, the acrobatic effort by Steve Smith at second slip inside the opening hour that won him credit for even being considered a chance.

But either side of that was the head-high offering to David Warner, the languid diving effort by keeper Alex Carey, the gully catch that would have crashed into Mitchell Marsh's forehead if he hadn't dropped to his knees, and a return chance Todd Murphy dropped because it seemingly came back at him too slowly.

Ultimately, Australia bowled out their foes in barely two sessions for 283 and then reduced that deficit by 61 for the loss of a single wicket to claim a slight advantage.

"That's the nature of the group at the minute, stay calm and keep creating chances," Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc said at day's end having returned figures of 4-82 from 14.4 eventful overs.

"No-one means to drop chances but the fact we kept creating (them) speaks to the application and the quality of the group.

"And then to take the extra chances throughout the day.

"At no stage was anyone flapping or anything like that, the group was pretty calm out there.

"At times the scoring rate was a bit higher as we've seen throughout the whole series but as we sit here, 1-61 after bowling them out, it's a pretty good day for us."

The fact Australia can perhaps claim to have edged the day despite knowing they might have conceivably bowled out their opponents for considerably less is largely due to England's equally somnambulistic batting at crucial times.

The sight of Joe Root and then Bairstow having their wickets rearranged after hanging the bat at deliveries that took the inside edge spoke to weary execution if not tired decision-making.

And when skipper Ben Stokes lost his off-stump to a textbook outswinger from Starc that might have been safely negotiated with a sturdy forward defence in more lucid times, he was seen blinking hard in the direction of the bowler as if to suggest he'd been roused from some sort of nightmare.

"A few of the lads are a bit tired, me included, and especially mentally," said Harry Brook, whose 85 off 90 balls faced represented the only England batter to pass 50 even though five others got to 20.

"It's been a long series and we still definitely want to win this Test, there's no doubt about it.

"We don't want them (Australia) to be walking away 3-1, so everybody's going to put in their all like they should do.

"I think we've had a decent day in the end.

"We were all talking about 250 being a decent score at lunchtime and obviously we (made) 33 runs more than that so I think we were happy with the way we scored those runs.

"It would have been nicer to get a couple more wickets tonight, but hopefully we can get them tomorrow morning."

If the catching clangers didn't provide suitably circumstantial evidence of players' eyes becoming glazed after a relentless schedule that's consigned both teams to five previous Tests over the prior eight weeks, then there was the ever-lengthening queue of walking wounded.

Starc began the Test nursing a sore left shoulder of which he was painfully reminded soon after lunch, forcing him to return to the dressing room to don extra strapping which serves as the first-aid equivalent of whacking on a bit of gaffer tape to get you through until a proper fix can be found.

That followed England allrounder Moeen Ali – who came into the Ashes so bereft of red-ball cricket over the preceding two years that he immediately developed a blister on his spinning finger – suffering a groin strain when completing a gentle single.

The 36-year-old was so restricted by the injury he told then batting partner Harry Brook he would be reduced to slogging given he was no longer able to run.

And while that might have seemed a rather unscientific means by which a Test number three overcomes such a setback, it's so on-message for 'Bazball' that Brook simply inquired as to why Moeen hadn't taken that approach before he got hurt.

At various times during another high-speed day of helter-skelter cricket that has often produced a similar feeling to watching expensive European vehicles whizz by in the outer lane of an M-road, others were seen to be demonstrably feeling the pinch.

Even before he began the bowling spell that produced England's sole wicket of the day – opener David Warner, who was smartly pouched by Zak Crawley at second slip to prove catching was possible – Chris Woakes was seen gingerly stretching his right knee.

And after executing a diving save on the boundary rope that denied England a run, Australia quick Josh Hazlewood returned to his regular fielding position while flexing and rubbing his right calf.

But in the lead-up to this Test, with the series 2-1 in Australia's favour, captain Cummins pointed out that was the same scoreline the team took into the corresponding fixture at the same venue four years ago, where England won comfortably to deny the visitors their first Ashes series win here since 2001.

Cummins made much of the fact a number of the current Australia squad – seven, including auxiliary opener Marcus Harris – were part of that game and therefore understood the level of fatigue accompanying combatants after an even more gruelling campaign four years hence.

He claimed the experience gleaned in 2019 would help to avoid the tiredness traps into which Australia fell back then, but there were times yesterday when events took on a haunting similarity to their previous visit.

On that occasion, then skipper Tim Paine opted to bowl first upon winning the toss and saw crucial catches dropped in the opening session (one of which was a single-handed effort by him as keeper) with Root the beneficiary as he posted a vital half-century.

England were eventually knocked over for 294, just 11 runs more than yesterday's total, before a jaded Australia slumped to 2-14 and were eventually dismissed 70 runs in arrears.

If they are to avoid a repeat, a full day of batting on Friday looms as the surest route and Starc believes the team can keep fatigue at bay and go one better than 2019 due to the lessons they learned back then.

"Guys have been finding a way to switch off, whether it be on the golf course, and some of the families are still here," Starc said of the methods employed to maintain freshness in the days prior to play starting.

"We're back in London and it was sunny, so a few people got out and about over the last couple of days to try and switch off where they could.

"But you're playing international cricket in an Ashes series in England, so there's no reason not to get up for this week."

2023 Qantas Ashes Tour of the UK

First Test: Australia won by two wickets

Second Test: Australia won by 43 runs

Third Test: Thursday July 6-Monday July 10, Headingley

Fourth Test: Match drawn

Fifth Test: Thursday July 27-Monday 31, The Oval

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, David Warner

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood