Andy Zaltzman
Cricket statistician on Test Match Special

Thank you all your guesses for today's quiz. The answers are as follows:

1: 1694. England have scored at 5.05 per over in the 10 Tests they have played since December. Prior to the Bazballistic revolution, the highest run rate posted by a team over a 10-Test sequence was 4.12, by Australia from January to December 2003.

2: 490. Australia have batted first in nine Tests at The Oval in the last hundred years, scoring a total of 4411 runs. This is comfortably the best opening-innings-of-the-match average score by a team at a specific Test ground in that period (counting teams that have batted first at least seven times at a venue).

Australia have won four, lost one, drawn four in those games. In the same period, they have bowled first at The Oval 17 times – won 3, lost 8, drawn 6 – conceding an average of 334 runs in the first innings.

Steven Finn
Former England bowler on BBC Radio 5 Live

They’ve talked a lot about not worrying about the results but worrying a lot about what people are thinking when they watch, and engaging with people on a level we haven’t seen before in Test match cricket. I think this has been the most watched Ashes series since 2005 and that’s all down to England.

England have won four of their last five men’s Tests at The Oval, losing just once, including a nine-wicket win over South Africa in September 2022 in their most recent match at the London ground.

Image source, Getty Images

Captain Ben Stokes backed James Anderson as the "greatest fast bowler to play the game" as he was named in an unchanged England team for the final Ashes Test against Australia.

Anderson, who turns 41 on Saturday, has taken only four wickets in the series.

Writing in his column for the Telegraph, Lancashire's Anderson said he had no plans to retire.

"Although he's not had the impact he would have liked to in this series, he's a quality bowler," said Stokes.

"It's very hard for anyone to sit here and say he's not. Jimmy's come under a bit of flak for that but if Joe Root hadn't scored the runs he would have liked, you wouldn't be questioning him staying in the team as a batter.

"James Anderson is the greatest fast bowler to play the game and he's still looking as good as he was two years ago."

Full story here...

Chris Fawkes
BBC Weather presenter

We've got extensive low crowd, very humid conditions. I don't see a lot changing. We may see a little bit of drizzle coming, the main risk is between 15:00 and 17:00 BST. I don't think it would be a long day. Tomorrow is a sunshine and showers kind of day, but the rain should stay north of London. The main day I'm worried about is Monday. It's not going to be like Old Trafford again, is it?

England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Moeen Ali, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Stuart Broad, James Anderson.

Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (captain), Todd Murphy, Josh Hazlewood

England captain Ben Stokes: "I didn't get the same amount of revs on the coin as usual!We'd have bowled first as well with the overheads."

On not delaying naming their team: "You know one or two days out what team you will go with and we don't see much point holding on that information and it gives the lads playing time to prepare.

"Australia want to leave winning the Ashes. We know they have retained it, but we want to stop them winning it."

Michael Vaughan
Former England captain on BBC Test Match Special

I think the pitch will do a bit for the first three days here, it's certainly not a win the toss, win the game case.

Australia captain Pat Cummins: "I had to double check that!

"We're going to have a bowl because there is cloud overhead and the wicket looks like it is a good wicket.

"It is similar side to who played four years ago, we finished that Test wishing we'd gone one better so that is ahead of us."

On the decision to bring Todd Murphy in for Cam Green: "It was partially because of the wicket but Nathan Lyon has always bowled well here and Todd Murphy is a top-class bowler."

Jonathan Agnew
BBC cricket correspondent on Test Match Special

You can see the look on Ben Stokes' face, I think he would have loved to have bowled.

Ben Stokes tossed the coin. Pat Cummins called tails.

It is a tail. He's won a toss for the first time in this Ashes series.

Australia have decided to field first.

The toss is coming up shortly...

Michael Vaughan
Former England captain on BBC Test Match Special

I think this is a massive game. If England can win this one, they look back at Old Trafford and think they could have won it. If Australia win, they win the series.

Image source, Getty

The fallout from the rain-affected fourth Test at Old Trafford continues to rumble on.

Richard Thompson, chair of the England and Wales Cricket Board, has told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that he will have talks with the International Cricket Council about the flexibility of Test match schedules.

"I will talk to Greg Barclay, the chair of the ICC for sure. Just in a sense of him understanding what England have done for Test cricket," said Thompson.

"We've elevated that format and reinvented the way Test cricket is played now. There's significantly more excitement and interest around Test cricket now, and this is part of that broader conversation to ensure that schedules can be more flexible to accommodate this type of strange eventuality."

Richard Doubson: Q1) reckon scoring about 4.8 an over so 1608. Q2) they normally score a mountain of runs so I’m going 427

Aerospace Mango: Q1. Gotta say about 1500 at 4.5 an over. Q2. 272 as a quick guess!

MajorLeePlstov: After 335.2 overs at an average of oh I dunno, 4.79 rpo, England would have scored 1605 runs. Probably for 7 wickets. Australia average 1st innings score at The Oval since WWI when batting first? 235. What do I win?

Morning Major...I wish I could offer you a complimentary night at the Fawlty Towers hotel, but afraid prestige is all that's available.

Now then, that impish scamp Mark Wood was up to his usual japes in Ben Stokes' pre-match press conference.

Matthew Henry
BBC Sport at The Oval

Steve Smith was the first of the Australians to arrive. He had a good look at the pitch earlier.

Among those who have batted here six or more times in Tests, two players have a better average than Smith's 91.

One of those is Herbert Sutcliffe. I guarantee you won't guess the other.

Image source, Getty Images

The Hundred starts on 1 August and the ECB have confirmed that the availability of England men's players, who have been involved in the Ashes, will depend on medical advice.

An ECB statement said: "Players who have featured in the Ashes will be assessed at the end of the series, and their availability for The Hundred decided accordingly. Assessments are made by the England science and medicine team, in consultation with the player."

Following the women's Ashes all of England's players will be available for the tournament apart from Lauren Bell (Southern Brave) and Sophia Dunkley (Welsh Fire) who will be rested for the first two fixtures.