England head into the fifth and final Test against Australia here at the Oval with the series all square at 1-1 and needing a win to regain the Ashes.

Only twice before have they been in the exact same position at this stage of a five-match Ashes series – and on both occasions they failed to get the win they wanted.

Both matches came during the 1960s, when only 10 of 25 Ashes Tests ended in a positive result.

That decade saw England and Australia both accused in their matches against one another of excessive caution in not wanting to risk defeat in the pursuit of victory.

In the 1962/63 Ashes in Australia, an England side captained by Ted Dexter won the second Test at Melbourne to go 1-0 up with Fred Trueman, one of cricket’s greatest fast bowlers, taking five second innings wickets and Colin Cowdrey and David Sheppard both scoring centuries.

However, Australia hit back in the third Test with fast bowling all-rounder Alan Davidson taking nine wickets in an eight-wicket win.

But the next two Tests both ended in draws as Australia retained the Ashes.

Crowds, enlivened by the bold approach of the West Indies side that played in Australia in 1960/61, were far from impressed and Australian cricket reporter Ray Robinson, writing in the Cricketer magazine, quoted a letter sent by a fan to one of the local papers.

“It is a sad blow to cricket that (Neil) Harvey and Davidson are quitting the game but they shouldn’t be lonely, as they are retiring at the same time as 10,000 spectators.”

It was a similar story in 1965/66 where England, strong in batting but weaker in bowling, again fell at the final hurdle.

But, as The Times’ correspondent John Woodcock pointed out, it was a batting collapse that enabled Australia, who didn’t lose an Ashes series throughout the 1960s, to get the win they needed in a campaign featuring three drawn Tests.

England, inspired by Bob Barber’s 185 and five first innings wickets from fast bowler David Brown, won the third Test at Sydney by an innings and 93 runs.

“They were on top of the world when they went to Adelaide for the fourth Test match and yet they were bowled out for 241 and 266,” Woodcock wrote in the Cricketer. England lost by an innings and nine runs.

With the series all square, the teams headed to Melbourne. England piled up 485 for nine declared, featuring a century from Barrington, only for Australia to respond with 543 for eight declared which included Bob Cowper’s 12-hour 307, the first Test triple-century on Australian soil.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is currently trying to crack down on pitches that are too batsmen-friendly, an issue at grounds around the world, but this is not a new problem.

“Australia would help themselves, as well as the game in general, if curators from Perth to Brisbane were told, in no uncertain terms, to make their pitches faster,” Woodcock wrote at the end of the 1965/66 series. “That should be the next stage in restoring the popularity of the game.”

But while the history books may be against Andrew Strauss’s side at the Oval they can take comfort their performance in the second Test of this series, on the other side of London’s River Thames.

England hadn’t won an Ashes Test at Lord’s for 75 years but that didn’t stop them from triumphing by 115 runs at the ‘home of cricket‘.

A resounding victory for Australia at Leeds has squared the series and the sides head to The Oval for the 5th and final test which gets under way on Thursday.

Before we take a look at the statistics, the team news for England is that the only change to the squad is Monty Panesar or Ravi Bopari meaning Johnathan Trott is likely to make his debut. Flintoff and Anderson are expected to be fit. Australia opted to go for an all seam attack at Leeds and their main decision would be who to omit should Nathan Hauritz return.

The Venue, The Oval

England have played 10 test matches at The Oval in the last decade winning 5, drawing 3 and losing 2. The 2005 Ashes test at this venue was drawn with played called off as Australia had just started their 2nd innings needing 342 for victory. The draw clinched the Ashes for England and sparked wild celebrations. Ian Bell failed to score in both innings which will perhaps be playing on his mind should he be selected for this decider whilst Freddie Flintoff was named man of the match after taking 5 Aussie wickets in their 1st innings.

The last test match on this ground saw England beat South Africa last year though the Proteas had already clinched the series. In 2007 England and India played out a draw after India had posted 664 in their first innings which included a century from Anil Kumble. That tells you plenty about the nature of the wicket here when conditions are good and it presents a dilemma for England and the ground staff concerning what type of wicket is prepared this year. England have to win to get the Ashes back and a batsman’s paradise may not be the way to go with England’s spinners hardly troubling the Aussies at Cardiff when the seamers battled on a good batting track.

The Weather

The English summer has already had a significant role in this series after rain decimated the 3rd test so keep an eye on the forecast .

Series Statistics

For those who like to look at the stats perhaps with a view to a punt in the top bat and top bowler markets for each innings, here is an update.

Most Runs: Australia have 5 of the top 6 run makers in the series with Michael Clarke out in front with 445. Marcus North (349) and Ponting (311) also feature prominently. Andrew Strauss (344) is easily England’s leading run scorer.

Most Wickets: Ben Hilfenhaus leads the way with 18 wickets but Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle had a good 4th test and both have 16 each. GreatOdds make Hilfenhaus odds on at 4/5 to finish top Aussie series bowler but an inspired performance from Johnson 9/4 or Siddle 7/2 could still see them take over. The fortunes of Stuart Broad also turned at Leeds and he has joined James Anderson as England’s leading wicket taker, the pair both having 12 victims to date. GreatOdds make Anderson slight favourite to finish as England’s leading taker. Swann has been a disappointment with just 6 wickets all series.
 
Verdict

Despite the absence of Flintoff at Leeds, England were hardly in the game and it will need some turnaround in form for the series to take another twist. England have to force the issue, a draw will see Australia retain The Ashes.

England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff expressed full confidence on Tuesday that he would be fit for the final Test of his career in the deciding Ashes match against Australia at the Oval this week. England need to win the fifth Test starting on Thursday if they are to regain the Ashes. The series is tied 1-1.

Flintoff bowled England to victory in the second Test at Lord’s but missed the fourth Test loss at Headingley in Leeds when the selectors decided his injured right knee would not stand up to the stress of a five-day match.

At a news conference on Tuesday Flintoff, who will retire from Test cricket after the Ashes series following a daunting sequence of serious injuries, said he not bowled since the drawn third Test but had concentrated on rehabilitation on the knee which required an operation this year.

He practised on Tuesday with a brace on his heavily strapped right knee and went through his paces in the nets without showing any obvious discomfort.

“I have been trying to get ready for this one which is going to be an unbelievably good game,” he said. “I am confident that I will be all right but as I say I have to prove it.

“I am sure there will be an element of swelling, however that can be managed. Using various treatments I can get the swelling down.

“For the past week I have been getting fit for this Test match. It will be the biggest I have ever played, not because it’s been my last but because of the position of the series.”

Flintoff, 31, who was the key England player in the epic 2005 Ashes series with both bat and ball, said he did not think the heavy defeat in the fourth Test would have any bearing on the course of the Oval Test.

“It’s quite exciting in the dressing room,” he said. “People want to get going on Thursday and play.

“Momentum is a word everyone seems to use but it keeps swinging according to who you speak to. I think this Test match is more of a one-off.

“It’s how the teams react to the pressure on such a big occasion. I think the team that does that best will take the honours at the end of it.

“I think if we win it’s going to be a far greater achievement than in 2005 — 2005 was fantastic but the side had performed well over a period of time. We had beaten everybody in the world.

“This side has gone through a lot over the last 12 months, the side has changed a hell of a lot. We have got young players who have never played in the Ashes.”

Australia vice-captain Michael Clarke said his side would do everything they could to have a player of Andrew Flintoff’s class back in their side for a match such as the Ashes finale at the Oval.

England and Australia head into the fifth Test, which starts on Thursday, with the series all square at 1-1. The hosts must win to regain the Ashes and Australia avoid defeat to retain them.

Only twice before in the history of Test cricket’s oldest contest have the arch-rivals been locked at 1-1 with one to play and this match has been given added spice by it being the injury prone Flintoff’s last before he retires from the five-day format.

The star of England’s 2005 Ashes series win, Flintoff bowled England into a series lead this season in the second Test at Lord’s before top-scoring for his side in the drawn third Test at Edgbaston.

However, the 31-year-old fast bowler was controversially left out of the fourth Test at Headingley on fitness grounds where, in his absence, Australia thrashed England by an innings and 80 runs.

Asked if all the fuss over Flintoff would prove a distraction to England, Clarke told reporters at the Oval here on Tuesday: “It depends what’s going on inside their camp.

“Freddie is an amazing player. If we were in that position and it was Ricky (Ponting, the Australia captain), we’d be that keen to have him back in the team it wouldn’t be a distraction at all. It depends what the selectors and captain are thinking. Will he be fit enough?”

Clarke, one of several Australia batsmen worked over by Flintoff four years ago, said: “There’s a lot of respect there, he’s an amazing player. I’m as excited as I’ve ever been because it’s a huge Test.”

The 28-year-old Clarke has been in superb form this Ashes series and is the leading run-scorer on either side this campaign with 445 in six innings at an average of 89 and two centuries.

However, the stylish New South Wales right-hander said: “It’s 1-1, this is the important Test and this is the one we’re focused on.

“Personally it’s been good to score some runs, but it’s irrelevant now unless I make runs out here and contribute to the team’s success. Being the leading run-scorer but not winning the series is worthless.”

Clarke, who shrugged off concerns about his fitness following a stomach injury, said memories of four years ago were a motivating force.

“Once I arrived in England in the back of my mind there were memories from 05 I wish I could forget. But that’s what makes you a better player, you learn from your mistakes as an individual and a team. The guys that played in 05 will be really keen to make sure the results are a lot different come Monday.”

Clarke, who said his shot selection had improved in the first four years, said the state of the series would not affect Australia’s tactics in the early stages of the Oval Test.

“If we have no choice, then we have no choice. I’d rather 1-1 than a 2-1 loss, but our attitude won’t be that when we walk out to the ground on Thursday. We’ll be chasing one result and that’s to win.”

Australia’s 2005 team contained such greats as Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist, all of whom have now retired from cricket.

“There’s a lot less experience in our team compared to 05, but the one thing this side has shown over the last 12 months is that we do have the class, the enthusiasm, the desire to be as successful as any team that I’ve played in,” said Clarke of a side that won a Test series in South Africa in March.

“Yes, we probably don’t have the greats, at this stage of the guys’ careers, like we did on 05, but we’ve got everything else.

“Over a period of time you’ll see a lot of the guys in this side become very good cricketers, if not great cricketers.”

England have been given a huge boost ahead of next week’s Ashes decider with the announcement that key all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is set for a farewell to Test cricket at the Oval.

An England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) statement issued on Monday said swelling on his right knee injury had “significantly eased”.

Flintoff was ruled out of the fourth Test at Headingley, where England were thrashed inside three days by an innings and 80 runs, because of his longstanding knee injury.

England, with the series all square at 1-1, must win at the Oval – where the fifth Test starts on August 20 – to regain the Ashes, while Australia need only a draw to retain them.

But if their talismanic all-rounder is in the side, home fans will dream of a fairytale finale for both Flintoff and England.

An ECB statement said: “Andrew Flintoff’s right knee injury was reviewed today (Monday) by his specialist in conjunction with the ECB and Lancashire CCC medical teams.

“The advice received was the swelling in his knee has significantly eased following the decision by the England management team to rest him from the last Test match and that, subject to further rest and intensive treatment, he will be available for selection for the fifth npower Ashes Test at the Brit Oval.”

England took the controversial decision to leave out the 31-year-old all-rounder, the bowling star of their 115-run second Test win at Lord’s and top-scorer in the drawn third Test at Edgbaston, from their fourth Test side because of concerns his knee injury would prevent him seeing out the game.

In pace bowler and hard-hitting batsman Flintoff’s absence, England were humiliated at Headingley. To make matters worse, fast bowler James Anderson sustained a hamstring injury.

But the ECB said Flintoff’s Lancashire colleague was also set to be available at the Oval.

“James Anderson also underwent a scan on his hamstring, which was clear,” their statement said.

“As there is no evidence of a significant tear, it is anticipated that he will also be available for selection for next week’s final Test.”

Flintoff, the star of England’s 2005 Ashes series win, has had an injury-blighted career and he said before the match at Lord’s that this would be his final Test series.

Andrew Chandler, Flintoff’s agent, was adamant his client could have played at Headingley, telling Monday’s edition of The Times: “He told them he was fit enough to get through… They didn’t want him.

“What they didn’t take into account during Thursday’s practice was that there was no adrenalin. He was hurting at Lord’s but the adrenalin got him through. It would have got him through this week as well.”

There were only three days between the end of the Edgbaston Test and Friday’s start at Headingley and England captain Andrew Strauss told reporters after stumps on Sunday: “Hopefully we’re in a better situation to get a result earlier for the final Test.”

Flintoff’s absence always causes a headache for England as they must then decide whether to play an extra bowler or an additional batsman.

At Headingley, they brought in another quick in Stephen Harmison only to be dismissed for 102 in their first innings on Friday after Strauss won the toss and elected to bat.

“When you haven’t got an all-rounder in that number six or seven spot it is always a problem and one we are going to have to face up to because Flintoff is retiring from Test cricket,” England coach Andy Flower, speaking after the end of the Headingley Test and before Monday’s announcement, said.

“That is a problem because we seem to be either light on the batting side or the bowling side.

“We will have to make a decision for the Oval – if he is not fit – where we put our strength.”

Flintoff, despite missing out at Headingley, remains second in England’s series batting averages, behind Strauss, with 171 runs from five innings in three matches at an average of 42.75 and a best, made at Edgbaston, of 74.

But he has taken just seven wickets in the series at an expensive average of nearly 49, with most of those coming in his match-winning burst at Lord’s of five for 92.

Anderson is England’s joint leading wicket-taker in the series, alongside Stuart Broad, with 12 wickets at 38.91 and a best of five for 80 at Edgbaston.

But, hampered by his injury, Anderson’s 18 wicketless overs at Headingley cost 89 runs.

Australia quicks Ben Hilfenhaus (18), Peter Siddle (16) and Mitchell Johnson (16) have all taken more wickets in the series so far than Anderson and Broad.