3 things Australia need to do right to win 5th Ashes 2023 Test

A long and hard-fought Ashes series will conclude at The Oval in London when England and Australia face off in the fifth Test beginning Thursday, July 27.

The visitors currently lead the five-match series by a 2-1 margin and have already retained the urn after rain aided them in securing a draw in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Manchester. The last time Australia won a Test series in England, however, was back in 2001 under the captaincy of Steve Waugh.

Pat Cummins and Co. will be looking to go one better than their last attempt in 2019, where they were held to a 2-2 series draw across five Tests. Given the resurgence that England have shown as the series has progressed, however, it is a task that will be easier said than done.

With this in mind, let's dissect three things that Australia have to do right in order to win the fifth Ashes Test.

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#1 Get the team selection spot on

Todd Murphy will fancy his chances of featuring in the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval.

Australia's selection for the fourth Test in Manchester came under intense scrutiny. Having dropped Todd Murphy and picked both Mitchell Marsh and Cameron Green as part of their five bowling options, it fell flat on their face the moment Moeen Ali extracted some purchase for England on the opening day.

The Oval is traditionally known to produce excellent batting tracks with assistance for spin as the game progresses. There's no denying the fact that the Aussies have had to grapple with Nathan Lyon's absence but now's the time to throw their weight behind Murphy, who was mighty impressive on the tour of India earlier in the year.

Picking the best combination that can see them bowl England out twice on time will be key to their quest of winning an away Ashes series for the first time in 22 years.

This is even more pivotal keeping in mind the heavy workload that Cummins and Mitchell Starc have been put under and while they got away at Old Trafford, they cannot gamble again to this end.

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#2 The top order has to step up

Australia's top order just hasn't stood up to be counted enough in this series. While Usman Khawaja enjoyed a good outing in the first two Tests, his returns tapering off has coincided with Australia's failure to register a win in the next two outings.

David Warner has got starts without converting them into big scores despite looking solid. Stuart Broad continues to have his number while Chris Woakes also nipped him out twice in Manchester, adding to the left-hander's woes.

Marnus Labuschagne's timely return to form will ease the load on the openers. But if there's one thing Australia haven't got enough of this series as far as their batting goes, it is a strong start.

The fifth Test could, for all we know, turn out to be the last time both Warner and Khawaja play on English soil. While time will give us an answer to that question, they'd want to leave nothing out in the park and sign off from the series with a solid partnership that just sets the tone for an Australian win.

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#3 Set more enterprising fields

Cummins' captaincy has come under the scanner despite Australia backing up glory in the World Test Championship final by retaining the Ashes. It has been the case ever since he pushed fielders back on the very first morning of the series at Edgbaston.

England's 'Bazball' approach has been a test of a different kind as far as field placements are concerned. Cummins has found it tough to keep enough catchers in when assistance for his bowlers has been hard to come by but if anything, it has only played into England's hands even more.

Australia have been guilty of conceding far too many easy singles and they have to find a way to stop that. The pitch at The Oval could certainly test them yet again but the visitors would have found enough evidence over the series that they must try something out of the box to stop England from scoring at the rate they have.

Reducing the number of boundary riders too early and having more close-in fielders won't be a bad way to go. After all, if the bowlers get their radar spot on, there's no reason why those fielders won't come into play and put Australia in the ascendancy to take the series 3-1.

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Can Australia secure a 3-1 series win in the Ashes? Have your say in the comments section below!

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