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The commentators were on the money, Jack, though Graeme Wood's three successive ducks came against New Zealand (specifically Richard Hadlee) in 1980 - a pair at the WACA and then another blob in the Boxing Day Test.
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Freezin wrote: Understand your pessimism BH, but batting day 5 is always different to day 3 and 4....hopefully the new ball can talk and Aust can get a few early wickets....and then get Starc in, to sandshoe crush the tail....but yep pretty sure if Aust win and secure the Ashes, any prospective bonus attached to the feat should be split between a certain few.....Smith is unbelievable at present....

And have every right to be....Paine is clueless as a Skipper, Lyon continues to not be able to take a wicket on 5th day pitches .

Another classic Ashes finish...more relief than joy....could easily be 3-0 BH....but understand completely what you are saying....Great effort by Eng to push the match so deep on day 5...great effort by Cummins and Hazlewood with the ball...the former is surely heading towards McGrath and Lillee status by the time his career is done....Smith with bat needs nothing more said....and Aust has found a gem in Labuschagne....

Kudos to Paine for his bowling changes on day 5....good two knocks with the bat in this test match...long overdue tho....as for GOAT...yep couldn't repeat his first test match heroics, but probably trying too hard to redeem himself, after his run out stuff up at Headingley...

On to the Oval....Smith has two hundreds there from his past two tests...be great to see him get a hatrick....need more from the top six....way way more....does JL do a JL and pick Bancroft from the shadows to kick start his test career by scoring a 100 at Lord's?..'Warner needs a rest, Harris is deficient, Uzzie averages 98 as an opener apparently....

Bancroft, Uzzie Labuschagne, Smith, Wade, Marsh Pattinson Cummins/Siddle Hazlewood Lyon....Cummins must be spent...but has a huge heart and will be desperate to play all 5....yeah Marsh in over Head....Head like Harris needs to curb his knack of getting early double figures and get out...if Cummins plays Marsh bowling will help Paine use Cummins in smaller impact spells to save his workload....heard Lyon has a cut to his spinning finger...so perhaps play Neser or Siddle instead....let Labuschagne have a trundle perhaps

yardley was a better bowller than lyon
I not having stuart braod as a great bowller either --he has failed to get Smith out -- Woakes has the best average against him.

well done on retaining the urn

What has the likes of Joe Burns and Kurtis Patterson done wrong so far in their Test careers?
Give me those 2 any day of the week as batsmen over Harris, Bancroft, Khawaja, Head or Wade!

ArkRoyal wrote: yardley was a better bowller than lyon
I not having stuart braod as a great bowller either --he has failed to get Smith out -- Woakes has the best average against him.

well done on retaining the urn

Not many have got Smith to be fair AR but I think Broad (and Anderson) have been great bowlers for England especially on English soil over the last 12 years or so.
Sheesh to be honest without those 2 they would be on a par with the minnows in world cricket Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Ireland & Afghanistan!

AD: great post, the trick in those days, I think, especially in Australia and South Africa, was that test matches were played to the end. If you think about it, this has to improve batsmen ship, because, in simple terms, one just can't afford to get out. I would like to see this done in Shield cricket again, over time i reckon batting would improve no end. Your right AD there were fantastic players back then:

Compton
Mccabe
Ponsford
Hutton
Hammond

that without mentioning the big three

Bradman
Hobbs
Sutcliffe

bease, I might be a bit harsh, your, right, as you rightly said, he has a very high bowlling average in Australia.

Did Arthur Morris make three ducks against Bedser?
I remember those Wood ducks -- the selectors indulgged him a little at times, he had talent and in those days they always wanted a left handed opener

Lucky last test....bar that Paine DRS fluff, Lyons run out fluff or Umpire Wilson's LBW fluff Aust could be looking at a 4-0 series win....not sure a 2-2 scoreline would be a true reflection here....but could be a possibility...

no surprise Marsh is in TBH...sounds like Paddy could play, but more so as an impact bowler with Marsh picking up a decent workload....hopefully Paddy gets through after a huge English summer of cricket....am surprised Harris survives, especially with Warner in his current form....and JL persistent stubbornness with the lefties despite the obvious facts showing Broad has had a field day v lefties...and they have made fark all runs....but hey Warner and Harris are due....so this test may be theirs...Wade made all his shield runs at 4 or 5 from memory so I guess Wade to 5 and Marsh to 6 will be the go...still looks fragile....but touch wood Marsh can do a Langer and reignite his test career at the Oval with a 100....

Lets face it, it has looked a fragile batting line up all Ashes Series Freeze.
Head just gives his wicket away far too easily for mine and his demise is probably the selectors giving him the message that it will not be tolerated long term as with Harris, Wade, Paine and a totally out of form Warner without Smith & to a lesser extent Labuschagne we wouldnt have put anywhere enough runs on the board to support our bowling attack.
M.Marsh in is obviously to help the bowlers workload as on his batting alone he just adds to the Warner, Harris, Head, Wade & Paine level of frustration at their complete lack of runs!