The Ashes - Day One, Fifth Test, The Oval - Buttler rescues England from collapse

A late flurry of hitting from Jos Buttler went some way to rescuing England from an all too familiar batting collapse on day one at the Oval.

Photo from Times of India

England - 271-8 / Yet to bat - Australia
Jos Buttler saved England from a poor first innings with some late hitting in the final Ashes Test at The Oval.
Hitting three sixes in his unbeaten 64, England are 271-8 at the close of play on day one, with Lancashire wicketkeeper-batsman Buttler out at the crease with left-arm spinner Jack Leach.
The reliable Somerset tailender partnered with Buttler for an unbroken stand of 45, with England having lost five wickets for 56 runs in a slump from 170-3 to 226-8.
It could have been much worse for England, had Joe Root not been dropped three times on his way to 57, while Rory Burns survived an lbw decision on review as he made 47.
With those two at the crease, Tim Paine's may have been doubting his decision to bowl first, but his team soon went into the ascendancy with 4-35 from Mitchell Marsh - making his first appearance of the series - before Buttler went into one-day mode.
England have been kept in the game by Buttler, but will still feel they are a few short on a good batting pitch.
The fourth innings chase may be difficult for Australia if the pitch dries out, but that would mean England have dismissed the immovable Steve Smith and set a big target.

This dead-rubber of a Test match felt as much at times, with both sides appearing to limp towards the end of a busy summer of cricket.
The surprising choice of Paine to bowl because of the green pitch was heightened by the absence of Mitchell Starc in favour of Peter Siddle.
It appeared like both decisions were mistakes at times, with catches going down, Siddle's bowling was lacklustre and the sun came out in the afternoon, making perfect batting conditions.
England could not capitalise on this though, such was their inability to stay at the crease for a period of time.
Marsh's bowling did improve, but he was helped by some gifts from England's batsmen, before Buttler entertained a previously deflated Oval crowd.
Even with every fielder on the boundary, they couldn't contain him, and he'll be looking for more of the same tomorrow.

When Burns and Root were adding 76 for the second wicket either side of lunch, it looked like Paine and the tourists would be punished for the decision at the toss.
Burns targeted the covers, scoring off his pads while Root favoured the front foot after a difficult series with the bat.
He was shelled on 24 and by wicketkeeprer Paine on 25 both off Pat Cummins, then again off Siddle at second slip on 30.
Burns departed when he shovelled to mid-on off Josh Hazlewood, but it was the Root dismissal when the slide started.
Root was in no position to play the ball that nipped away but clipped the off stump by Cummins, for just the latest in a number of wonderful deliveries to England's captain this series.
Buttler found a willing ally to stop the collapse, having seen most of it from the non-striker's end, in Leach, the man who supported Ben Stokes' miraculous innings to save the third Test and the series at Headingley.
Buttler had played some handsome cover drives, before back-to-back sixes down the ground off Hazlewood, and another off the same bowler that cleared the ropes on the leg-side.
Buttler took the majority of the strike, but at stumps Leach had faced 31 deliveries for his unbeaten 10, including against the second new ball.

All-rounder Marsh replaced Travis Head to play in his first Test since December to reduced the workload for the out-and-out pacemen in the Australian attack.
Swinging the ball on a full length, he outshone his team-mates at times.
First he had Stokes miscuing to point, before trapping Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes lbw.
Sam Curran - a childhood friend of Marsh - had survived an lbw when Cummins overstepped before he slashed his mate to second slip.
Marsh pulled up with cramp in his sixteenth over, just as Buttler was going up through the gears.
He returned to the field and managed one more over, but Buttler was already into his white-ball batting stride.

The Ashes Fixtures and Results
1-5 August
First Test, Edgbaston
Australia won by 251 runs (England 0-1 Australia)

14-18 August
Second Test, Lord's
Match drawn (England 0-1 Australia)

22-26 August
Third Test, Headingley
England won by one wicket (England 1-1 Australia)

4-8 September
Fourth Test, Old Trafford
Australia won by 185 runs (England 1-2 Australia)

12-16 September
Fifth Test, The Oval

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