Ashes: England name unchanged squad for fifth Test

A day after inclement weather dashed their hopes of registering a series-leveling victory in Manchester, England announced an unchanged squad for the fifth and final Ashes Test against Australia that takes place at The Oval starting Thursday.

“We have named an unchanged squad for the fifth and final @LV Insurance Test,” read a tweet from the official Twitter account of the England cricket team.

After keeping their series hopes alive with a three-wicket victory in Headingley, the Ben Stokes-led hosts produced an even more dominant display in the fourth Test at Manchester’s Old Trafford Cricket Ground.

Chris Woakes’ five-for (5/62) would help bowl Australia out for 317 before Zak Crawley’s majestic 189 and half-centuries from as many as five batters — including Jonny Bairstow (99 not out) — helped England post 592 in reply and collect a massive 275-run lead.

Crawley’s ton, for which he consumed just 182 deliveries, was his maiden Ashes ton and his fourth overall in Tests. Bairstow, on the other hand, was left stranded one short of what would have been his 13th Test hundred after James Anderson, the last English batter in, was dismissed by Cameron Green for 5.

Australia, in reply, lost wickets at regular intervals and were staring at an innings defeat after Mark Wood’s dismissal of Travis Head reduced them to 108/4.

Read | Australia captain Cummins sets sights on series win after retaining urn

Marnus Labuschagne, however, came to the visitors’ rescue with a gritty 111 — his 11th Test hundred. The Aussie No 3 built a steady 103-run fifth-wicket partnership with all-rounder Mitchell Marsh in which the pair focused on steering their side towards a draw rather than set England a stiff target.

That approach, along with the fact that incessant rain washed five out of six sessions on Days 4 and 5 and allowed just 30 overs of play over the weekend, helped Australia pull off a narrow escape in the end.

England squad for the fifth Ashes Test: Ben Stokes (c), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.