Smith 71 gives Australia slight first-innings lead

It was another engrossing day of Test match action at the Oval as Australia grabbed a slender first-innings lead to set up a one-innings shootout in the final Test of the series. Steve Smith rescued the visitors from 185 for 7 on day two, adding a vital half-century, while lower-order contributions from Pat Cummins and Todd Murphy took Australia to 295 all-out, fetching them a narrow lead of 12 runs.

In stark contrast to England’s hung-ho approach, Australia batted with extreme caution on the second morning. Resuming their innings on 61 for 1, the visitors added just 21 runs in the first 14 overs of the day as Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja were happy to bide their time. England finally found the breakthrough thanks to a moment of magic in the field as Joe Root took a blinder diving to his left at first slip to pocket Marnus Labuschagne for an 82-ball 9.

Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja took Australia unscathed till Lunch, but Stuard Broad changed the momentum of the game after the break, taking two wickets in two overs. The seamer pinned Usman Khawaja on his pads for 47 with a delivery that seamed in a touch before finding the outside edge of Travis Head. Mitchell Marsh showed some dangerous signs, driving Broad for a monster straight six but dragged on against Anderson to depart for 16.

Alex Carey compounded Australia’s misery by swatting Joe Root straight to extra cover one ball after smashing a six, while Mitchell Starc became England’s fifth scalp of the session, top-edging a pull to Ben Duckett.

The visitors trailed by as many as 98 when Starc fell, but Steve Smith and Pat Cummins dug in for Australia after tea to drag them back into the contest. Smith survived a run-out chance by the skin of his teeth after third umpire Nitin Menon ruled that the bails weren’t fully dislodged by the time Smith’s bat passed the popping crease, much to the delight of the number four.

Smith added 29 more runs to get to his half-century and reduce England’s advantage before top-edging one to Bairstow to end the 54-run stand with Pat Cummins. Cummins also added a vital 49 alongside Todd Murphy to put Australia into the lead, with the off-spinner launching three sixes behind square to counteract England’s short-ball ploy.

Woakes finally dismissed the Murphy by going full before Ben Stokes took another superhuman catch at long-off to remove Pat Cummins, ending the Australian innings on 295.