Australia's tail wags to take tourists to slender 12-run lead
Murphy and Cummins put on 49 for ninth wicket
Smith narrowly survives incredibly close run-out on 43, but holes out for 71
Root, Anderson & Broad all in the wickets as Australia fall from 115-2 to 185-7
Broad removes Khawaja and Head in magical post-lunch spell
In morning session, Labuschagne spectacularly caught by diving Root at first slip
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On the balance of averages has to be 29
Anthony.
My ZaltzQuiz guess is 12.
SJ in Spain
Not many at all really, the speed of the Aussies' batting has never really took dramatic changes, though the English have. 10?
Anon
Please remember to put your name, and where you are from, on SMS and WhatsApp messages...
It was, indeed, a particularly uncharacteristic day in the field for Australia. Is there at a bit of mental fatigue cropping in with some of the chances they shelled, perhaps?
Australia dropped five catches on day one - the most by either team in a day's play in this Ashes series.
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Six times, I'm thinking essentially Jessop, Compton, Flintoff plus a few randoms.
Roger from Oval
Very few. I am going to say eight max.
Owen in Leicester
I’m going to be nice and say 30% of the time England have been the quicker scoring team - 19 series for me.
Suzanne in Surbs
Matthew Henry
BBC Sport at The Oval
It’s another muggy morning in south London. There’s a little bit of drizzle in the rain but not enough to stop play. It feels like another bowling morning which is surely good news for England.
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The three of us in the office are guessing 4,5,18. It's pay day today so loser gets the fish and chips and the pints after work.
Eddie from Boroughbridge
More than none but less than half. I'm going to go with 22.
Rob
Assuming that half the 58 series were in Australia I'll give all those to the Aussies plus half the English series. That leaves England with 15 series in which they were the faster scorers.
Simon in Kent
The Daily Star
Image source, Daily StarAnd finally from out look at the newspapers... The Star provide their typically alternative take as they hone in a tale of Ricky Ponting being pelted with grapes by fans at The Oval on their back page.
Star reporter Steve Judge writes: "Ricky Ponting was left fuming after being hit by grapes on another crazy Ashes day. Ponting was attacked by fruit-throwing fans as he helped presenter Ian Ward interview spinner Todd Murphy."
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I suspect it is close to 50:50. May be Australia slightly more than England. I'll go with 27 Ashes series where England had been the faster scoring team.
Stephan, Coventry
The Times
Image source, Times SportThe Times offer a sanguine headline on their back page, with Harry Brook's promising innings again the focal point of the analysis.
Chief cricket correspondent Mike Atherton writes: "For Harry Brook during this Ashes, read England. Good but not quite good enough; always entertaining but searching at times to find the right balance between undue and acceptable risk, but grinning throughout the good times and bad.
"With fast hands and a youthful smile, Brook was to the fore at The Oval, thrilling for a period on a day when, ultimately, England flattered to deceive."
The Daily Express
The Daily Express also gave day one at The Oval the back page splash with Harry Brook dominating the headline noting the Aussies were "glad to see the back of blaster Brook".
Reporter Mike Walters wrote: "Harry Brook unleashed the madness of Bazball again - but missed out on a maiden Ashes hundred.
"Australia paceman Mitchell Starc admitted the Baggy Greens will be glad to see back of Brook after England's rising star produced a dazzling 85 off 91 balls."
Image source, Daily Express
The I
Image source, i SportThe i focus on Harry Brook's impressive knock for England and pondered whether they made enough runs in the first innings.
Cricket reporter Chris Stocks writes: "Such was the pace of a batting performance led by Harry Brook’s incendiary 85, it still felt like England, battling the worst of conditions for a sustained period for the first time in this series, actually had enough runs to play with.
"They were maybe 50 or so light of a par score, yet if they are to seal the win that would tie this series at 2-2, they will need to hustle Australia out for a low total at some point. Maybe that can be on the second day here?"
Image source, Daily TelegraphThe Telegraph strike a rather fatigued tone lamenting a final Test which has seen England suffer from the effects of an intense Ashes series.
Chief cricket correspondent Nick Hoult writes: "This was the most disappointing day of the series from the England batsmen given the manner of dismissals, the lives gifted by tired Australian catchers and Pat Cummins’s reticence with his fields.
"Again it was great entertainment, although more of a pub band singalong type of fun than a polished stadium gig standard as tired players lapsed in concentration."
Right, let's have a quick browse of today's papers to see how what unfurled on day one at The Oval was captured by the media's cricket writers.
You've seen Andy's question, now get in touch with your answers - explaining your workings where possible.
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Andy Zaltzman
Cricket statistician on Test Match Special
Good morning to you all. Here's today's quiz question to ponder over your breakfast...
The scoring-rate chasm between the two teams widened further on a characteristically Bazballian first day at The Oval – it now stands at 1.37 runs per over (England 4.73, Australia 3.36), comfortably the biggest such figure in Ashes history.
Since the start of the 20th century, there have been 58 men’s Ashes series before the current encounter. In how many of those 58 has England been the faster-scoring team?
Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport chief cricket writer at The Oval
England face a battle to level the Ashes after Australia enjoyed the better of the first day of the fifth Test at The Oval.
Finally winning the toss for the first time in the series, Australia pounced on the opportunity to put England in on a green-tinged pitch and dismissed the home side for 283 before moving to 61-1, 222 behind.
Harry Brook held England together with 85 from 91 balls, adding 111 for the fourth wicket with Moeen Ali, who made 34.
But England were hurt by two clusters of wickets. At one stage they lost three for 11, on the other occasion four for 28.
Similarly, Australia were wasteful. They dropped five catches, most crucially Brook when he had scored only five. The tourists also missed the opportunity to run out Brook when he had 50.
Brook eventually fell to Mitchell Starc, who claimed 4-82, with Australia then making an assured start to their reply through openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja.
Chris Woakes had Warner well held at second slip by Zak Crawley, leaving Khawaja unbeaten on 26 and Marnus Labuschagne on two.
Of concern to England was a groin injury Moeen sustained while he was batting. The off-spinner did not take the field as he underwent an assessment. James Anderson, backed to play in this Test despite taking only four wickets in the series, bowled seven unsuccessful overs.
At 2-1 down, England know Australia have retained the urn, but are looking to protect an unbeaten home record in Ashes series that stretches back to 2001.
Image source, Getty ImagesTop of the mornin' to you.
On this day in 1977 a certain Ian Terence Botham made his England Test debut.
The legendary all-rounder announced his arrival on the international stage with 5-74 in the first innings against....you guessed it, Australia. England went on to wrap up a seven-wicket victory and regained the Ashes that year.
Who will step up with the ball today to help England roar back into this Test match?
Welcome to day two of the fifth and final Ashes Test at The Oval.
