Spinner Todd Murphy appears likely to return to the Australian side for the fifth Ashes Test, with pressure on Cameron Green and Josh Hazlewood to hold their spots from Old Trafford.
Aussie captain Pat Cummins says he, Mitchell Starc and Mitch Marsh have all overcome fitness concerns and look set to feature as the Aussies aim at their first series victory in England in 22 years.
Marsh missed portions of the fourth Test with soreness while Starc has been battling a shoulder issue. Cummins’ issue is one of a heavy workload.
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SELECTION STATE OF PLAY: Forgotten star Aussies can’t ignore; mistake they musn’t repeat
“Everyone should be alright … we’ll give it another 24 hours, but we expect he’d (Marsh) be able to bowl,” Cummins said on Wednesday, also suggesting Murphy – whose fourth Test omission was criticised by many experts – was in line for a recall.
“Potentially. Nath Lyon’s got a really good record here. So I think that’ll be part of the conversations.”
Murphy’s return would place Cameron Green under pressure to hold his place, after struggling with the bat.
However in an effort to extend the Aussie line-up if all-rounder Green is omitted, selectors are expected to consider Michael Neser in the place of Hazlewood, who could be rested.
Meanwhile England has named an unchanged side from the fourth Test meaning Jimmy Anderson holds his spot.
England XI: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Moeen Ali, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, James Anderson
‘I feel sorry for English cricket’ | 03:02
WARNER NAMES ‘REPLACEMENT’ AMID RETIREMENT ‘JOKE’
David Warner has thrown his support behind Matt Renshaw as his opening replacement but squashed talk that will be as soon as the end of the Ashes.
The veteran Australian batter rubbished suggestions he and Steve Smith were going to retire after the final Ashes Test at The Oval, calling the claims a joke.
Warner, 36, had flagged pre-series that he would retire after the Sydney Test next January, if he was still in the team, but wasn’t making any calls before then.
“I don’t have an announcement,” Warner said of the final showdown at The Oval.
“For me it’s about trying to work hard in the nets as I did today and if selected, go out there and play and try and win an Ashes series.
“I came here last time and it was a draw. Hopefully, we can go away with a series win and then that’ll be a fitting Ashes campaign for us and a fitting tour over here in England with the World Test Championship as well.
“We’re here as a group and we’re united and hopefully we can achieve that.”
Warner’s wife Candice also shut down the suggestions her husband could announce his retirement after the final Test at The Oval.
“If Davey is going to retire I haven’t heard anything but I’m pretty sure he made it clear at the start of the series that if he can and if he’s playing good enough cricket Sydney will be his last,” Candice said on Fox Sports’ ‘The Back Page’.
“I thought he put that to bed a month or so ago. In regard to Steve Smith, who knows? He’s one of those players who plays one series at a time.”
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David Warner also responded to the claims Smith was considering retiring after the Ashes, laughing off those suggestions.
“Obviously it’s a joke,” Warner said.
“I won’t take that too seriously.”
Warner conceded he’d failed to deliver with the bat during the series, having averaged 25.12 with a top score of 66.
But he also believes he has batted with the right attacking approach and still felt in a “good space” to deliver with opening partner Usman Khawaja.
“I’ve probably left a few out there, but in saying that I’ve played a lot better than what I did last time,” he said.
“I’m looking to score. I’ve had a couple of unlucky dismissals and then been dismissed where I’ve tried to negate the swing or the seam and it’s caught the outside edge of the bat.
“So for me, I feel like I’m in a good space, contributed well, and as a batting unit, we’re all about partnerships. And I think the partnerships that we’ve had in key moments of this series so far have actually worked very well for us as a team.
“(What‘s left to achieve) is not really part of my thinking. I am feeling good at the moment, so no dramas here.”
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‘Spooked!’ Aussie tactics torn to shreds | 03:32
With his retirement looming, Warner nominated Renshaw, not Marcus Harris who is with the Ashes squad, as a “great replacement” for him when he moves on.
“I’ve always said Matt Renshaw is a very good player,” Warner said.
“He can play both formats quite easily. He‘s tall. He’s exactly like Haydos (Matt Hayden). We spoke about him in the early part of his career.
“I‘ve always felt and held him in high regard as a very good player. He’s worked on his technique. He’s been in and out of the squads, and I think he’ll be a great replacement.”
While Warner’s spot at the top of the order may be safe this series, Mark Waugh has cast doubt over the 36-year-old’s ability to put up a big score.
It comes after Australia’s coach Andrew McDonald went in to bat for Warner when speaking to reporters on Monday, confident the opening batsman is working towards a standout knock.
“I’m a big believer that if you can get those 20s and 30s the big score is around the corner,” McDonald said.
“I truly believe that there is an innings there still.”
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Waugh though is not as sure, telling Fox Cricket’s preview show ahead of the final Ashes Test that Warner looks to be stuck in two minds when at the crease.
“Unfortunately when you get older and closer to the end of your game as a professional there is a lot more focus on your scores and the way you’re going,” Waugh said.
“Unfortunately with Davey, he’s batting OK but he’s just not nailing the big score. The thing that is concerning me is his lack of aggression.
“He was tentative in both innings and the shot in the second innings at 28 where he just pushed the ball, he really should be a lot more aggressive and fight fire with fire.
“At the moment he looks like he’s too scared to get out. You can see he’s caught in between surviving and playing the big shot. There’s not a lot in between that. He’s not quite getting the balance right.”
“He’s (Warner) too scared to get out” | 01:24
THE ‘BIGGER PICTURE’ ENGLAND ARE FIGHTING FOR IN FIFTH TEST
Elsewhere, while Australia will successfully retain the Ashes irrespective of the result in the final Test, Harry Brook believes England can secure a “moral victory” at The Oval.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Brook lamented the fact that rain denied what otherwise could have been a resounding victory for the hosts.
“We were dominating the game last week so if the game had played out, I would like to think we would have won,” Brook said.
“So if we can win this week, yeah it can be a moral victory.
“… You can’t do anything about the weather. We were dominating and had it played out, I am sure we would have won. But the rain won last week.”
The rain may have won out at Manchester but Brook and teammate James Anderson said regardless of the result, England and Test cricket in general are also big winners to come out of the series.
“We’re not focused on winning as a side, we’re focused on making people enjoy watching and bringing Test cricket alive again,” Brook said, referencing the appeal of the team’s Bazball Test cricket revolution.
“I think we’ve done a decent job of that in the last 12 months and it’s been exciting to watch. It’s definitely been exciting to play in.”
Brook shrugs off sore losers tag | 01:28
That point was echoed by Anderson, who revealed in a column for The Telegraph that captain Ben Stokes reminded his team of that “bigger picture” after the disappointing end to the fourth Test.
“After the game, Ben Stokes gave a two or three-minute chat to the group before he spoke to the press. He told us to think of the bigger picture, be proud of the way we have played,” Anderson wrote.
“We will keep doing what we are trying to do, keep putting bums on seats and inspire the next generation as well.
“He said this team will be remembered for more than the series or trophies it wins. We have become about more than winning. We are trying to leave a legacy and all my friends, family and the people I meet in the street have come up and said it has been amazing to watch this team.
“People have really bought into the spirit of it. They love the way we are playing.”
While it may be an entertaining brand of cricket, not everyone agrees with England’s approach after a number of questionable decisions cost the Poms throughout the series against Australia.
Ricky Ponting, for instance, pointed towards the early declaration at Edgbaston and batting in the first innings at Lord’s as moments where England “got a little bit carried away”.
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“One thing that hasn’t probably been spoken enough about though is … they have spoken about the right time and the right place to play that brand of cricket and they want to have aggressive cricketers and attacking cricketers, but they want to have smart cricketers as well,” Ponting said on The ICC Review podcast.
Heading into the Ashes, England had won 11 of its 13 Tests under Brendon McCullum’s guidance but Anderson again stressed that results won’t determine how successful Bazball is.
“We get judged on results, that’s fine. People can do that. But Ben and Brendon McCullum will judge us on sticking true to ourselves and what we want to do as a team, how we want to play,” he wrote.
“There is a bigger picture. It really feels like they are trying to build something special and we are doing that. It is going to be an exciting few years.”
“England will wipe the floor with them” | 05:47
ENGLAND LEGEND ANDERSON HAS ‘NO THOUGHTS’ ABOUT RETIREMENT
Meanwhile, Anderson also addressed criticism of his performances this series in the column while insisting he has given no thought to retiring.
Anderson, a legend of the sport with 689 Test wickets, has just four to his name in three Tests against Australia at an average of 76.75.
The 41-year-old’s quiet performances had former Test captain Michael Vaughan telling the BBC’s Ashes Daily podcast that England may no longer be able to afford selecting Anderson for “sentimental reasons”.
“We all agreed that James Anderson deserved to have that sentimental pick because he’s a legend of the game, but it may have cost England,” Vaughan said.
Anderson admitted he has not played to his usual standards this series but shot down any suggestions he could call time on his accomplished career.
“I have certainly not had the returns I would have liked in this series. Everyone goes through a lean patch but you just don’t want it to be in the most high profile series we play,” Anderson wrote.
“Ten or 15 years ago the debate would be about whether I should be dropped. Now it is about my future. I understand that. It is the Oval, the end of a series and a time for speculation.
“I keep talking to the coach and captain. They want me around, so as long as I am still hungry, want to put in the work then I will keep trying to give my best for the team. That is exactly where I am at the minute.
“There are no thoughts about retirement. If I was bowling horrendously, with my pace down and hobbling around in the field I might be thinking differently. But the hunger is still there. I feel like I’m bowling well, that I can still offer something to the team. I felt like I bowled well at Old Trafford and if I get another chance this week, I will just keep trying the same stuff and hope my luck changes.”
Murphy to come in for ‘tired’ Cummins | 01:20
PONTING BLASTS ROOT’S ‘RIDICULOUS’ SUGGESTION
In other news, Ricky Ponting has described Joe Root’s suggestion to counter bad weather and slow over-rates as “ridiculous”.
Speaking on the morning of the final day of the fourth Test, Root questioned whether more could be done to stop overs from being lost in Test cricket.
He had a potential solution too, recommending play be extended as long as possible in rain delays and especially during the summers in England.
“It doesn’t get dark here in England until 10pm in the summer, why can’t we just play until we bowl the overs?” asked Root on BBC’s Test Match Special.
“There’s been a lot of chat about not bowling the overs. There are so many different ways of trying to find opportunities to get as much play in as possible. At every opportunity at every stage you should be looking to find ways to get the Test on.
“We batted in worse conditions at Edgbaston, but that is cricket. You just want consistency in those conditions.”
While any solutions to combat slow over-rates in particular are always welcome, Ponting certainly was not a fan of this one.
“You can’t just choose to change the laws of the game whenever you want to,” Ponting said on The ICC Review podcast.
“I’m sure there have been times when England have wanted to not get back out there and play themselves. I mean, that’s just a ridiculous thing to say.”