Live updates: The Ashes, fifth Test, day three, England vs Australia ...

He's around the wicket to Ben Duckett, who defends wide of off.

Solid defence from Crawley first up.

EDGED! Just short of gully - where he has guided a couple that way earlier in his innings, Crawley had no control over that one. Good bowling from Cummins.

Two slips, leg slip and gully in place, Crawley clips to square leg for a single. Duckett wanted two initially but was wisely sent back.

BEATEN! Terrific ball from Cummins, Duckett had to handle that fuller delivery and he just tentatively had the bat dangling invitingly for Cummins to find the edge of.

He gets a single now to scamper off strike.

BEATEN! What a ball from Cummins, just swinging away a bit from the prodded forward bat of Crawley.

That's drinks - a great first hour for England - will the short break bring a wicket as it has done so many times already this series? Jon Healy will tell you all about it if it does happen.

Must say I’m fairly over listening to Athers and other English commentators carping on about the relative run rates (as though this is the only important thing in test cricket)!

- dr spot

I agree to a point Dr Spot.

But the insane disparity between the two sides in terms of run rate is incredibly interesting in terms of this particular Test at this time.

England scoring quickly is giving them options that are not open to Australia if they score at less than 3 runs per over.

Two slips and a gully, Marsh is getting a bit of gentle swing away in his last over, and he starts the same way here, fended back down the pitch by Crawley.

Now a quick single to point by Crawley, nicely played.

Wide, Duckett cuts to deep backward point. Just a single. Scrap that, add another for the no ball.

Crawley drives on the up square to deep point for a single.

Another very nice cut for a couple this time by Duckett.

Wide down leg side, Duckett followed it with his bat but did not make contact.

A bit of extra swing there? Bounce? Either way Crawley is a bit surprised as he comes down the pitch and fends the ball the same way.

There is still blue sky over head, but there are some clouds brewing - and when there are clouds there is swing.

Outside off, left alone by Crawley.

Straighter so Crawley will take a single to fine leg, clipping the ball away.

Duckett now takes a no-nonsense single to cover.

Crawley defends.

Now he takes a single to backward square leg as Cummins goes full and straight.

Mitch Marsh comes into the attack.

Crawley defends the first.

Now he attempts a strange-looking fend to mid off. No run there either.

Swinging away, wide, Crawley couldn't help himself but have a swing, but he's missed out and can't time the ball at all. No run.

Straighter, no swing this time, defended nicely by Crawley.

Crawley slaps that away to deep backward point and he'll get three for it, a nice compact cut shot.

Hello Simon, is it too early for the big blustery Bison?

- Mike

Two slips and two gullies, Duckett defends solidly.

BEATEN! Good ball from Cummins, Duckett tried a drive and played down the wrong line.

Solid defence from Duckett next up.

FOUR! Short ball, top edged and it's a one-bounce four to fine leg.

BEATEN! Another lovely ball outside off, Duckett tentatively dangled his bat out at it as he tried to drive and it's just missed taking the outside edge.

Duckett is squared up a bit by a straighter one from Cummins, but defends it back down the pitch.

He follows Duckett towards the leg side and Duckett's attempted cut ends up being a leaping straight-bat defensive stroke that's very cramped into his body.

Duckett drives but there is no run to mid off.

Duckett takes a quick single to cover now. Nicely played.

Crawley pulls to deep square leg for a single.

Duckett gets another easy single to cover.

Crawley drives to mid off and there is no run.

Crawley clips off his pads and gets a couple to fine leg.

"NO RUN!" says Crawley as he fends to cover.

Driven beautifully to mid off by Crawley, they'll get one, no two as the fielder, Marnus Labuschagne, slides across and can't pick it up cleanly.

Solid defence from Crawley.

BEATEN! Outside off, that's a tremendous ball from Cummins. Unlucky not to get the edge.

Crawley drives but it is a bit uppish and there is no run to mid off and the Australians are a bit interested with the outcome to that ball too.

Too much to ask for a hat trick??

- Steph in Melbourne

Crawley clips to mid on and there is no run.

He defends the next one too.

Now he fends into midwicket and they take a single.

Bouncer to Duckett, who watches the ball all the way past his head, bat poised as if he was ready to pull it but he kept his power dry on this occasion.

Solid defence from Crawley.

Duckett can't get the ball away, it hitting him on the thigh.

Starc needed saving, in fairness. The skipper throws him the ring and takes his place in the firing line.

Solid defence first up from Duckett.

FOUR! There are two men at square leg for Duckett, and he's played that right between the pair of them and away for another boundary.

Ricky Ponting who has been calling for square leg to either be put back or for the line to change on the Channel 9/Sky Sports commentary "is going to explode" says Nasser Hussain.

Bit of extra bounce outside off, Duckett was a bit surprised and flinched back fending the ball past gully for a single.

Crawley gets a single off the pad, leg bye.

FOUR! Brilliant from Duckett, opening the face, sending the ball forward of gully and away to the deep backward point boundary.

Duckett drives to mid off for no run to end the over.

Duckett clips to the man at square leg - Head is there and saves what would have been a single on almost any other England batting day this series.

FOUR! Too straight from Hazlewood, Duckett clips past Head off his pads for a boundary to deep square leg.

Off side ball, Duckett pushes to deep point for a single.

No leg slip now to Crawley, who has a little sniff at a ball that is sent down the leg side.

Crawley plays the ball off the outside half of the bat and it flies just safe of gully. No run.

BEATEN! Great ball from Hazlewood, just outside off, the ball might have wobbled a little bit, but Crawley plays inside it and it flies through to the keeper.

 Two slips, a gully, a backward point and a deep point but square leg is up for Duckett.

FOUR! Past the man at square leg and he gets another boundary! It was in the air when it went past him though, so that's what that man is there for.

BIG APPEAL! Was it bat first or pad? A straighter, fuller ball almost traps Duckett here. Starc thinks it's bat first though, Marnus clearly thinks it's out - are they going to review? No. Good thing too, he's hit the cover off that.

Duckett clips off his hip for a single.

Crawley on strike, leg slip, two slips and a gully - he defends to mid off.

Solid defence.

FOUR! Driven and edged over gully and that's another four.

Starc is going for plenty here, 2 overs 0-22.

Crawley gets hit high on the pad and runs a leg bye for a single to square leg. It's actually a no ball.

Three slips and a gully in place for Duckett, who defends solidly.

Duckett clips to square leg and, because Australia has the field up, it is not an easy single to deep square leg, but cut off by the fielder.

Same again, straight to that fielder off Duckett's hip.

Now he takes a single to cover - good running. England might have to be a bit more clever about the way they take their runs with the field like this.

Cummins scoots round to cut the ball off at mid on.

Crawley defends the last.

This is a huge period in the game. If Australia can get a couple early here, things could go south very quickly for England given the way they play.

If England are allowed to get away though, then it could be a long day for Australia in the field.

There are some clouds overhead.

Two slips, a gully and a leg slip in place. Not too many out on the boundary either.

FOUR! That's where they're needed though if Starc is going to bowl like that, wide, full and Crawley cracked it through the covers.

Inside edge, a bit of inswing as Crawley attempts an expansive drive close to his off stump and they gets a single to square leg.

Ben Stokes is padded up. Is he coming in at three?

Duckett defends to midwicket for no run.

Duckett gets a bit squared up there but still fends away to cover for no run.

FOUR! Lovely on drive from Duckett, pushing past Starc and he diving Cummins for four.

FOUR MORE! Duckett is clipping off his pads for another boundary to deep midwicket!

Australia's lead is erased in an over.

With four and a half Tests in the legs, both teams are battered and bruised at The Oval, but a backward step is not an option given what is at stake.

Yet, as Dean Bilton writes, with things seeming to be spiralling out of control, this was a day for Australia to prove how much this Test means to it.

The answer was resounding.

Read the full analysis of day two here.

Stuart Broad engaged in a bit of mind games yesterday - and it worked.

Just before Labuschagne was dismissed, Broad went down to his end and switched the bails over.

Everyone had a little laugh.

And then Marnus edges to Root, and that smile went south real quick.

Here's the incident.