Brilliant Buttler stops rot
Jos leads fightback after another England wobble
England threw away a promising position on the first day of the fifth ashes Test, slipping from 170 for three to 226 for eight before a late rally from Jos Buttler.
Joe Root kick-started the collapse of five wickets in 14 overs, bowled by Pat Cummins for 57, the fourth time in this series he has registered a half-century without converting it into three figures.
But Buttler, without an ashes 50 until now, went into one-day mode, hitting Josh Hazlewood for three sixes to finish the day unbeaten on 64 and lift England to 271 for eight.
Buttler said: ‘We got into a good position and it’s a shame not to capitalise on that. It shows there’s a bit in the wicket for batters and bowlers.
‘I’ve just found it hard all series. They have an excellent attack and I don’t think I’ve played very well. It was nice to relax and have some fun. That style comes naturally to me.’
For a short, sweet spell yesterday, Buttler produced a passable imitation of Kevin Pietersen’s famous innings here at the Oval in the greatest of all ashes series.
The most gifted and thrilling England batsman since Pietersen was smashing the australian bowlers to all parts of this famous old ground and it was just like 2005 all over again. Trouble was, England had gone a long way by then towards blowing their golden opportunity to make a formidable first-innings score in this final Test and preserve their unbeaten home ashes record that has stood since that famous Pieterseninspired draw here.
Yet australia could not have done more to provide England with a chance to earn a series-levelling victory. First, Tim Paine decided to bowl first after winning his fourth toss when all logic and history cried out for australia to bat.
Then there was australia’s curious selection in picking all-rounder Mitch Marsh, who to his credit took four wickets to ease their bowling load but then adding Peter Siddle, another workhorse, and leaving out strike bowlers Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson.
Most of all, there was just as much carelessness from australia as they dropped Root no fewer than three times and then handed England back a wicket when Cummins overstepped before trapping Sam Curran lbw.
Maddeningly, England just could not take advantage as they lost five wickets after tea when the old ball started swinging and produced all the brittleness that has plagued their Test cricket in this white-ball dominated era. Their problems were summed up by Root. The captain had looked exhausted and even a little haunted before this Test and batted like it as he seemed to do everything he possibly could to give australia his wicket.
Somehow Root reached another half-century, passing 7,000 Test runs in the process, but could not take advantage of his good fortune, yet again failing to convert a half-century into three figures.
Yes, Root received a decent ball from Cummins. But the England captain should be cashing in, as Steve Smith inevitably would have done.