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Pietersen has not played for England since the 5-0 drubbing suffered in the 2013-14 series on Australian soil.

Speaking a month after England regained the Ashes, Pietersen said: “Absolutely, it seems to be the right decision at the moment”.

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

A key contributor to each of England’s three wins – most notably with centuries at the SWALEC Stadium and Trent Bridge – the 24-year-old frequently bailed out his side following poor starts, and did so in a delightfully positive manner to earn man-of-the-series...

England captain Alastair Cook has been fined 40 per cent of his match fee because of the team’s slow over-rate in the loss to Australia in the fifth Ashes test.

Why is Moeen Ali batting at 8? Sometimes she bowls, sometimes not.

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.

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.

The series equalled in length the shortest five-Test series of modern times of 18 days that took place when England played the West Indies in 2000.

The 2017/18 Ashes series will be shown exclusively live on BT Sport, after winning a five-year rights deal for Australia home internationals that includes England’s defence of the urn.

The Lancashire seamer sustained a side strain in England’s win over the Baggy Greens at Edgbaston and was forced to watch the next Test from the dressing room as his team mates wrapped up the series at Trent Bridge.

Moeen Ali struck twice in the final over before lunch as England’s Ashes winners fought back on the second morning of the fifth test at the Kia Oval. But if Australia pile up 500, and England chase the rest of this game, Australia will be considerably more buoyant going...

So why, then, has it become more hard to win as an away side?