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What England can still hope is for their last four wickets to carry on batting until the heavens open.

England captain Alastair Cook cautioned against taking Bell’s comments at full face value, and was clear that he would encourage his colleague to stay on for the challenges ahead.

Peter Siddle made the breakthrough when he trapped Mark Wood lbw for six before Jos Buttler chipped Mitchell Marsh to mid-off for 42.

Just as the eventual scoreline of 3-2 in England’s favour did not alter Clarke’s feelings about the overall series, victorious captain Alastair Cook was unchanged in his opinion.

Siddle, playing his first match of the series, was far and away Australia’s best bowler at The Oval, taking four for 35 in England’s second innings as Australia won by an innings and 46 runs on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Cook could not hide his delight at winning the series 3-2 after losing 5-0 in Australia in 2013-14.

It was a charm, however, completely lacking from the 2015 Ashes, which ended with England winning the five-match series 3-2 despite Australia’s innings and 46-run win in the concluding Test at The Oval on Sunday.

However, with Root galvanising the middle order and crop of talented players emerging, this team look poised to avoid the pitfalls that have led to previous England Ashes winners soon falling apart. “The boys did as I asked, it was a test of our character and we came...

A basic and depended platform which was layed by the started leaders such as David warner, Chris Rogers and have to return back from Steve Smith which has to took Australia to 3 to 287 after a day passed against the England.

With this wicket began England’s collapse. It was 27 deliveries before he scored the next eight runs to reach his century, which he then celebrated with a heave over long-off for six.

Steve Smith has described being named as the next Australia Test captain as an “honour and privilege” – and hopes to send incumbent Michael Clarke out on a high in his final appearance next week.

The pair put on 42 which is mammoth in comparison to other efforts, before Johnson top-edged Finn to Stokes to give the Middlesex paceman his fifth five-wicket haul of his career.

An England win inside two days looked possible at one stage, but they will have to return today to finish the job.

Members of the team have been incensed by stories written back home that depict their families as unnecessary distractions during the contest against England, and rejected outright the contention that they somehow brought on the team’s poor batting displays in the Edgbaston...

“He’s a good player”.