(Cricket news) Australia earned the right to be in this position with victories in the first two Test matches, but they must win at The Oval in order to argue with any certainty that they have been the superior team. A drawn series would raise many issues. Before the last Test, they should think about the following areas.

More generally, perhaps the focus should be on Australia’s strategies. They made it clear that they would not be coerced into playing England at their own game, and going into the final Test, they had successfully defended the urn for the second time in four years. At Edgbaston, their strategy was successful in the first two Test matches, albeit by a very small margin, but since then, cracks have appeared, and at Old Trafford, they were particularly complacent.

392 runs were given up amongst Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins at an average of 5.22 at Old Trafford. They still have good bowling skills, so the same three may line up at The Oval, but it might be worthwhile to consider trying out a different lineup.

The burden on Cummins, the sole quick on a tour that started with the World Test Championship final against India, is perhaps the largest area of concern. Cummins is the only quick to have played all five Tests thus far. It’s nearly unthinkable to imagine the captain not playing, and he made it clear from the start that he thought he could play all six, but it might be stretching him to his limits.

A five-wicket haul from Hazlewood and Starc of Australia, who had a shoulder issue after being hit hard on the second day, respectively, made it difficult to leave anyone out. The selectors might be hesitant to reinstate Scott Boland because England has overpowered him in this series as well. The only member of the squad who has not yet been utilised is Michael Neser, who was added earlier in the tour and has a stellar record in county cricket, notably recently with the bat.

Although it has been increasingly clear that losing Nathan Lyon in the middle of the Lord’s Test would be devastating for Australia, surviving his absence in the second Test’s closing stages has nonetheless been essential. Australia can’t possibly enter another Test without a frontline spinner, can they? At Old Trafford, their approach appeared one-dimensional, and England’s batters destroyed Travis Head’s off spin. Todd Murphy might have experienced the same thing, but Australia will need to support its specialist spinner. Therefore, the issue is how he enters the side.

The most vulnerable player would seem to be Cameron Green after he struggled in the first innings before losing to a questionable lbw call against Woakes, unless Mitchell Marsh, who has played three crucial innings out of his four knocks, is dealing with something more serious than the stiffness that kept him off the pitch on the third day. In this series, he has been unable to establish any fluidity with the bat, averaging just 20.60. The decision-makers, though, are determined to retain him on the team.

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