“This was gonna be the end point” – Nasser Hussain opens up on the significance of 5th Ashes Test 

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has shared his thoughts on the significance of the fifth Ashes Test at the Kia Oval that got underway in London on Thursday, July 27.

The 55-year-old said that the Ben Stokes-led England must use the opportunity to level the series 2-2 to keep their home record intact since 2001. The veteran, though, called it a dead game, saying that England’s win in the fourth Test (drawn due to persistent rain on the last two days) would have made it a ‘sporting event of the summer’.

Ahead of the fifth Test, the cricketer-turned-commentator told Sky Sports:

“The effort that has been put in, the cricket that has been played, the buildup, the crescendo of certain games, and the series. This was gonna be the end point. If it hadn’t rain at Old Trafford, no one knows this urn...but it was a seriously good chance of England winning that Test match.

“Coming here 2-2, you could imagine the broadcast, media here..it would have been a sporting event of the summer. It would have been 2005 revisited, it’s not that, but it’s Australia, and it’s 2-1. It’s the Ashes and you can get it back to 2-2. So, I am not buying any of these. It’s a dead game.”

Hussain added that the result will speak for itself regarding England’s new brand of cricket - 'Bazball':

“Yeah, we’ve not regained the Ashes, England, but it’s still Australia, you get it back to 2-2 and then the style and brands and then the results. Ben Stokes can turn and say, ‘Not only have we won games of cricket, but we’ve done it the way we want.’

“If you lose 3-1, then people question the decisions that were made in the first two games. People will question the brand and style, and should it be just about winning. Win the game with the style they are playing.”

“Pat Cummins would love to emulate Steve Waugh” – Mark Taylor on relevance of fifth Ashes Test

Former Australian captain Mark Taylor, on the other hand, feels that Pat Cummins and Co. have a golden opportunity to emulate Steve Waugh’s side when the visitors last won the Ashes series in England in 2001. He added that the Aussies can silence England supporters after the fourth Test ended in a draw due to incessant rain.

Taylor said:

“I am sure there are people at home, here in England, probably saying, ‘C’mon Mark, you know, you have got them.' And the Australian players have said right from the word go that they wanna win the series. Australia have not won here since 2001, and they know that. They’ve talked about that from almost the World Test Championship even in the lead-up to this.”

The 58-year-old continued:

“Pat Cummins would love to emulate Steve Waugh’s side in 2001, they wanna win this series, and they’ve still got the opportunity either to tick that box and get rid of all these discussions, ‘Well, England had got unlucky in Manchester if we hadn’t had two days of rain.’ If England win here, people would have said they should have won the series 3-2. So, it would squash that.”

Australia won the toss and opted to field first in the fifth Ashes Test. They have brought in off-spinner Todd Murphy for all-rounder Cameron Green. Meanwhile, England are playing an unchanged XI.

At the time of writing, the hosts were 112/3 with Harry Brook and Moeen Ali at the crease.

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