Ashes 2013: Fifth Test Drawn But England Retain The Ashes After 3-0 Series Win

You may have been forgiven for thinking the fifth and final Test match at The Oval would be a damp squib, after all the outcome would not affect the series following Australia's capitulation at Durham, although England were in search of an historic and unprecedented 4-0 Ashes series win. This was not the case however. From England's surprise decision to hand all-rounder Chris Woakes and left arm off-spinner Simon Kerrigan their debuts, to an outstanding knock from Shane Watson, this match delivered more than what most expected. Australia won the toss on the first day and unsurprisingly batted first, with the aforementioned Watson in super touch scoring timely runs ahead of the return series down under which commences on the 21st November. In fact Watson - who had not hit a Test century since 2010 - batting at number three, drove the Australians into the ascendency hitting four after four with exquisite cover drives, serving a reminder of what he can do with bat in hand following an inconsistent series, all but ensuring his place in the starting XI in Brisbane in three months time. Playing an array of shots, Watson had scored at quicker than a run a ball and hit over ten boundaries on his way to fifty. Most of his runs came off of the hapless Kerrigan who was dealt a baptism of fire on his first Test appearance, seemingly suffering with nerves and unable to maintain a consistent length. Too short and the Australian vice-captain would dispatch it. Too full and it was the same result but not much should be drawn from the Lancastrian's performance, after all he only bowled eight overs in the entire match, and fellow debutant Woakes also found it tough going. Yet Watson had provided the tourists with a platform for victory racing to his first ton since reaching three-figures against India almost three years ago. He eventually went on to make a superb 176, though he had good support from Steven Smith who would go on to make his maiden Test century hitting an unbeaten 138 as Australia made 492-9 declared. In reply, England were criticised for their slow run rate in reply and so called time wasting tactics on the third day, and were helped no end by a complete washout on day four. Nonetheless, there were crucial runs for opener Joe Root who set England on their way with a hard fought 68, a half century for Kevin Pietersen and 47 from Matt Prior who with the bat has had a less than impressive series, like many of the hosts top order. Woakes managed 25 before he was dismissed by the ever impressive Ryan Harris who deservedly bagged Australia's Man of the Series award. Debutant James Faulkner bagged himself four wickets in England's first innings, although quick runs were the order of the day for England having resumed on 247-4 on the final day of the series. Australia could have then batted themselves into an unattainable lead and let the game Peter out into a draw, however Michael Clarke deserves a ton of credit for giving the spectators value for money by risking a 4-0 series defeat in order to try and force a win for himself. Australia went into one-day mode before they declared on 111-6 at tea - their second declaration in the match. This set England a gettable 227 from 44 overs, with just about all three results still possible at this stage. England lost Root who went after a delivery well outside off-stump and was duly caught behind by Brad Haddin, who in doing so broke the record for most catches in a Test series with 29. England's captain Cook was the next man to go as he was trapped lbw by Faulkner for 34, leaving England 86-2. That brought Pietersen to the crease who unquestionably revelled in his cameo to the delight of a jubilant crowd, many of whom possibly only there to see the famous old urn raised aloft at the end of the day. In fact, overcast and drizzly conditions that put back the start of play to 11.30am left the possibility of a draw almost inevitable, with few people believing such an intense day's play would follow. The Oval was treated to a master-class from Pietersen who showed 2005-esque strokeplay, providing flashbacks to his outstanding 158 eight years ago, and leaving the Australian bowlers bamboozled as to where to bowl to him. His 62 off of just 55 deliveries made the likelihood of an England victory and subsequent 4-0 series win a real possibility, though Harris would claim his 24th victim of the series - all the more impressive considering the 33-year old (who will be 34 by the time the Ashes re-commences in Australia this winter) only played in four Tests having missed out at Trent Bridge. Jonathan Trott provided good support as he made his half century, although when he was trapped in front by Faulkner to leave England 170-4, it was left to the Man of the Series Ian Bell and Woakes to reach the victory target. The batsman who received the moniker 'the Shermanator' from Shane Warne during the 2005 and 2006/07 series - which likened Bell to the geeky Chuck Sherman from the American Pie series - has rescued England at key times throughout this series. He made a run a ball 17 before he was superbly run out by Mitchell Starc who trapped the ball with his foot and then powerfully returned the ball to leave him just short of his ground. And with the light deteriorating rapidly, it wasted some much needed time as Prior made his way to the middle. However, with the light reading imminent, umpires Aleem Dar and Kumar Dharmasena took the players off amid a chorus of boos from the packed stands and that was that. A Test match that was set to meander its way to a draw, served up some great entertainment largely thanks to the Australian captain Clarke. Perhaps it was fitting in some ways that - in a series where mistakes from umpires and DRS controversy have created headlines, that the fifth Investec Test would end so abruptly due to bad light. While you might think some common sense would prevail with only 21 more runs required from the allotted overs of which 4 remained, a light reading was taken earlier in the Test match and once that is the case, that is the benchmark for any future readings the on field umpires take. As such, as frustrating as it was for everyone - particularly for the English contingent - they are only following ICC rules and regulations, something which the players rightfully acknowledged during their post match interviews. A delighted Alastair Cook, who became the first England captain to deny Australia a single victory in an Ashes series for 36 years said: "It is a shame for an amazing crowd we had here that we weren't allowed to play to a finish." "But the rules and regulations are there for a reason, and it was pretty dark. Cricket doesn't always work out that way. We knew what was going to happen." The 28-year old who replaced Andrew Strauss as captain last year, described it as the best moment of his life. He added "We've won 3-0 and it's there in black and white. We've won five Tests out of seven this summer and that's something we can be very proud of." It was a bit of a dampener to end the series on that note and while England deserved to win the series, the 3-0 scoreline might suggest Australia were comprehensively outplayed. Considering they entered the series with a less than ideal preparation following the sacking of Mickey Arthur, not to mention selection issues, the Australians - particularly their bowling attack - have shown glimpses that suggest the return series which starts unusually just three months down the line will be a closer affair. Arguably they deserved to win at Old Trafford and might have done had the heavens not opened, and played well at The Oval. The only match in which they were beaten by a considerable margin was at Lord's where England claimed victory by a massive 347 runs. England have issues - still - with their number six position. Is Jonny Bairstow going to play in Brisbane, will it be James Taylor or maybe Woakes? And England's top order, notably Cook, Trott, Pietersen and wicket-keeper Prior did not have the best series from an individual perspective. Nevertheless, England have achieved something very special. As several of the players made very clear when speaking to the assembled media at The Oval. An Ashes series win is an Ashes series win regardless of the quality of the opposition. England Team Director Andy Flower echoed this after the win at Durham which ensured England would win the series outright. "I don't think we've played our best cricket in this series. But what we have done is been resilient, held ourselves well in pressure situations." When England go to face Australia down under this winter, they will face a side who have learnt a lot from this series and had their moments of brilliance too. When Clarke and the team arrived in the UK for the ill-fated Champions Trophy earlier this summer he said they wanted to push England all the way, and if they couldn't win the series, then the second aim was to learn as much from it. England will have to decide who they take with them in what is likely to be a 16-man squad. Yet, as Jimmy Anderson told Sky's Ian Ward: "We haven't played our best cricket, but that should excite us as we have much more to give". That is a good sign, and England will once again carry the expectation of the nation, despite ludicrous media reports prior to this series that stated this Australian side was the worst of all time, and that the hosts would waltz to a 5-0 win. That did not materialise but it was still Alastair Cook and the England team who ended up lifting the famous urn and that might be the case in January 2014, a series that will also be a tough examination for this close knit unit that came oh so close to winning an Ashes series 4-0 for the first time ever.