3 things England need to do to win 5th Ashes 2023 Test on Day 5

The 2023 Ashes will go down in history as one of the most competitive series. England and Australia will battle it out on the last day of the tour to decide the series outcome, which at the moment, remains 2-1 in the visitors' favor.

Even though the urn will remain with Australia irrespective of the result of the fifth and final Test at The Oval, there is still a lot at stake for both sides. Pat Cummins aims to become the first captain since Steve Waugh to win an Ashes series in England.

The hosts, on the other hand, aim to draw the series 2-2, which will be a huge endorsement for their already well-received approach.

At stumps on Day 4, Australia were 135-0 following an excellent opening partnership by Usman Khawaja and David Warner. Rain only permitted 38 overs to be played in the fourth innings on Day 4. The Men in Yellow need 249 runs to win the series outright while England need all 10 wickets to level the series.

The possibility of rain is an unwanted third element in the proceedings and Stuart Broad's final day as a cricketer will also bring forth a lot of intrigue. On that note, here are three things England need to do to win fifth Ashes 2023 Test on Day 5.

#1 Induce a collapse

Only a little over a month ago, Team India required 280 runs to win on the final day of the World Test Champinship (WTC) final and Australia required seven wickets. The Men in Yellow managed to bowl out India in the first session of the final day itself to win the mace by 209 runs.

India's hopes were dented early on with the help of a double strike by Scott Boland to dismiss Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja.

While the circumstances and the conditions are different in the fifth Ashes Test, the aforementioned example shows that England are still very much in the hunt. One single spell could turn thngs around for the hosts with the shaky form of the Australian middle-order also something that should be taken into account.

As usual, an early breakthough is very crucial and England have to put pressure on the new batters with aggressive fields. Since the entirety of the 98 overs is unlikely to be played out due to projected rain, Ben Stokes can afford to be a bit more aggressive for the sake of wickets.

#2 Bring Mark Wood into play

Mark Wood, one of the positives in England's 2023 Ashes campaign, surprsingly bowled only three overs on Day 4 amid Warner and Khawaja's vigil at the crease. England batting coach Marcus Trescothick stated during the press conference that the decision to introduce the right-arm fast bowler in the 33rd over was a 'tactical' one.

It is clear that England cannot afford to hold Wood for that long on the final day and his efforts will be crucial for them to come away with a win. He has had the better of several Australian batters, especially in the middle-order.

Also, with Wood ruling himself out of The Hundred, he can go all out on the final day and have plenty of time to recover for England's white-ball endeavours which includes the ODI World Cup.

#3 Give spinners enough time

The Oval is renowned for being one of the most spin-friendly venues in England, if not the best. The great Shane Warne picked up 32 wickets in four Tests at the venue, Nathan Lyon showed his prowess at the ground during the 2019 Ashes as well as the 2023 WTC Final.

Todd Murphy picked up four wickets during England's second innings on Day 3, which included key wickets like Ben Stokes and Joe Root. It is now upto England's spin duo of Moeen Ali and Joe Root to make the most out of a Day 5 surface as non-frontline spinners.

Ben Stokes will have to give them ample time with instant results mostly unlikely. Root made breakthroughs in the first innings with the ball, but the duo largely lacked conviction on Day 4, having bowled a combined tally of 14 overs in the final innings.

Will England claim all ten wickets on the final day of the 2023 Ashes to give Stuart Broad a memorable farewell? Let us know what you think.