Australia have capitalised on winning the toss for the first time in the series to take control of the fifth Ashes Test match at The Oval.
After putting England into bat, the Baggy Greens proceeded to bowl their hosts out for 283 before making 61-1 ahead of stumps on day one.
On an overcast morning with grass on the pitch, England would have been skeptical about making quick inroads, yet Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett put on 62 for the first wicket.
Duckett was first to go for a run-a-ball 41, Mitchell Marsh making the breakthrough, before Pat Cummins and Josh Hazelwood did for Crawley (22) and Joe Root (5).
Reduced to 73-3, England required a response, and Moeen Ali and Harry Brook delivered just that with a 111-run partnership either side of lunch before the former was bowled by Todd Murphy for 34.
🎙️ "England are falling apart here!" 😬
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 27, 2023
Mitchell Starc gets Harry Brook ⚡ pic.twitter.com/isV0ahJ0vH
At this point, it felt like the home side remained with the initiative, but Mitchell Starc and Hazlewood bowled Ben Stokes (3) and Jonny Bairstow (4) to turn the game in Australia's favour.
When Brook followed for 85, a knock that featured 11 fours and two sixes, England had their backs against the wall, with it taking a 49-run eighth-wicket partnership from Chris Woakes and Mark Wood to move them past the 250 mark.
However, wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, with Wood (28) and Stuart Broad (7) departing before Woakes' innings of 36 off as many deliveries brought an end to proceedings.
Despite being dismissed from just 54.4 overs, England would have fancied their chances of making early inroads into the Australia batting lineup, only to be repelled for almost 17 overs.
Crawley took a smart catch to dismiss David Warner (24) off the bowling of Woakes, but Usman Khawaja (26*) and Marnus Labuschagne (2*) came through the remaining 8.1 overs with minimal fuss to keep Australia in control of a Test that they only need to draw to win the series.
