Australia edged another fluctuating day of Ashes cricket after bowling England out at an overcast Oval despite dropping five catches and Harry Brook hitting a superb 85.
England twice let a dominant position slip on day one of the fifth Ashes Test, losing three wickets in 21 balls after the openers put on 62 and four wickets for 28 runs after Brook and Moeen Ali added 111.
Brook’s belligerent 85 from 91 looked to have put England on top as they seek an Ashes-levelling win, but Australia fought back with the ball to limit the hosts to 283 before reaching 61-1 at stumps.
England are aiming to avoid a first home Ashes series defeat since 2001 after a frustrating draw in the fourth Test at Old Trafford ended their hopes of reclaiming the urn.
After winning the toss for the first time in the series, Australia initially failed to take advantage of favourable bowling conditions as England’s openers raced to 50 inside ten overs.
Zak Crawley, who smashed 189 in the fourth Test, and Ben Duckett both survived drops but were unable to make Australia pay, Duckett gloving behind for a run-a-ball 41 and Crawley nicking off for 22.
England had lost three wickets in the space of 22 balls when Joe Root played on to Josh Hazlewood and were relieved to see Alex Carey put down Brook on five in the next over.
Brook and Moeen were able to take the hosts to lunch without further damage and even inflicted a few blows of their own, Brook hitting Mitchell Starc for three successive boundaries before the interval.
The fluent partnership continued after lunch as Brook reached his fourth fifty of the series and Moeen pulled two sixes into the stands despite struggling with a groin problem that kept him off the field during Australia’s reply.
The fourth-wicket stand was worth 111 when Australia spinner Todd Murphy, recalled in replace of Cameron Green, bowled Moeen for 34 in his first over.
That sparked a batting collapse which saw England lose four wickets for 28 runs as Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow fell cheaply before Brook departed 15 runs short of a first Ashes century.
Starc produced the ball of the day to clean up England’s captain and Hazlewood removed Bairstow, who had returned to form with 99 not out at Old Trafford.
England slipped to 212-7 when Brook edged behind and were on course to be bowled out inside two sessions, but Mark Wood and Chris Woakes counter-attacked to frustrate Australia.
The pair clubbed 49 in 54 balls either side of tea before Wood was bowled for a useful 28 from 29.
Stuart Broad only lasted five balls and Woakes, the beneficiary of two drops, was finally caught for a run-a-ball 36 as Starc finished with 4/82.
Conditions still looked tricky for batting when the tourists began their reply but Australia’s openers looked assured, though a diving Bairstow put down a tough chance when David Warner was still on nought.
Punching and clipping England’s seamers to the ropes, Australia added 49 before Warner failed to convert another start, nicking Woakes for 24.
Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne saw Australia to the close, with the tourists trailing by 222 going into day two as they look to turn their Ashes retention into an outright victory.
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