Sports

Ashes 2019: England v Australia, fifth Test day one – live!










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WICKET! Denly c Smith b Cummins 14 (England 27-1)

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Thank you, JP. We’ve had the toss and Jerusalem, now it is time for the teams. Here they are, running down the stairs of the Bedser Stand. The cloud is thick, the grass is visible. This should be fun. Burns is taking the first ball, Denly up the other end. Cummins is bowling the first over, running in from the pavilion end. PLAY!

The Australian players and England’s batsmen Rory Burns and Joe Denly of England take to the field.

The Australian players and England’s batsmen Rory Burns and Joe Denly of England take to the field. Photograph: Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images for Surrey CCC

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Thank you all, as ever, for your contributions. The OBO is a pleasure on mornings like this – which have been common during this series.

Now it’s time for me to hand the keyboard to Adam Collins who is primed and ready to go at the Oval. Send your tweets to @collinsadam and emails to adam.collins.casual@theguardian.com

I’ll be back again tomorrow. See you then.









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England XI





Australia XI





Australia win the toss and field





































Preamble

Hello everybody and welcome to live OBO coverage of the opening day of the fifth and final Test of the Ashes from the Oval.

This is technically not a dead rubber, but it could be euphemistically described as resting. The destination of the Ashes has already been decided, and Australia celebrated the retention of the urn at Old Trafford like schoolkids on the last day of term, complete with drinking on a playing field and mocking some kid with glasses. Meanwhile England have been putting the right words in the right order to make it appear they are desperate to win at the Oval to draw the series, but there’s been a distinct lack of oomph to the platitudes, like that time Celine Dion covered ACDC. England’s selectors could have done more to heighten anticipation by selecting a couple of greenhorns in advance of overseas tours, but they’ve stuck with the same bunch that have largely failed to capture the imagination, relying on flashes of individual brilliance from a small number of performers to even make a contest out of a series played mostly on Australia’s terms.

Nonetheless, the weather is set fair for five days, there’s not a spare seat in the house, and we should all be cherishing the opportunity to witness Steve Smith bat in such groundbreaking form. Now the Ashes have been resolved and the boos silenced, let’s celebrate the greatness in our midst.

I’ll be around for the next hour or so before Adam Collins takes you through the morning session of play. If you want to be a part of the action you can drop me a line on Twitter or you can send me an email.





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