Ian Bell held firm as England advanced to 180 for three at tea on the first day of the fifth and decisive Ashes Test at the Oval here on Thursday. Bell was 72 not out after a second session where England lost both captain Andrew Strauss (55) and Paul Collingwood (24) in a match they had to win to regain the Ashes but one where Australia needed only a draw to retain them.
Test debutant Jonathan Trott, a Warwickshire colleague of Bell's, was unbeaten on three after taking 12 balls to get off the mark. England were 108 for one at lunch with Strauss, their best batsman in this series, 50 not out and Bell unbeaten on 41.
But in the third over after the interval England lost Strauss when the left-handed opener, dilligent in the morning session, limply hung his bat outside off-stump against Ben Hilfenhaus and was caught behind by wicket-keeper Brad Haddin. Strauss's stand of 102 in 142 balls with Bell had taken England from 12 for one, following the early loss of Alastair Cook for 10, to 114 for two His departure saw the experienced Collingwood come in at number four, one higher than his usual position.
However, with regular No 4 Kevin Pietersen out of the series with an Achilles injury following the second Test and England fielding a newcomer in Trott, in for dropped No 3 Ravi Bopara, Collingwood's promotion made sense.
Collingwood, along with the rest of England's victorious 2005 Ashes side, received the MBE (Member of the British Empire) medal despite appearing only in the Oval Test. Australia great Shane Warne wrote in his Times column on Thursday: "He owes England a match-winning hundred; perhaps then he'll deserve the MBE he collected for scoring seven and 10 four years ago." But Collingwood, rarely assured on Thursday, made 24 before slicing paceman Peter Siddle to Michael Hussey in the gully for 24.
England were now 176 for three. South Africa born Trott avoided a golden duck on his debut by playing a solid forward defensive shot against Siddle, a stroke cheered by England fans. But it was Bell, much criticised for failing to make runs when England needed them most, who rather than Collingwood or Trott was best-placed to deliver the big innings around which a significant total could be built.
His leg-glanced four, his eighth boundary, off Ben Hilfenhaus saw Bell, promoted to No 3 in place of Bopara, to a 73-ball fifty. However, what England wanted now from him was a maiden Test hundred against Australia in his 13th Ashes match. Bell then cover-drove left-arm quick Mitchell Johnson who was, as happened earlier in the series, struggling with his line, for a resounding four.
With England 171 for two, Australia - who in fielding an unchanged side hsd stuck with the four man pace attack that bowled them to an innings and 80-run fourth Test win at Headingley that levelled the series at 1-1 had again omitted off-spinner Nathan Hauritz - turned to part-time slow bowler Marcus North.
-- Scoreboard at tea on the first day of the fifth Ashes Test between England and Australia at the Oval here on Thursday:
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England 1st Innings
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A. Strauss c Haddin b Hilfenhaus 55
A. Cook c Ponting b Siddle 10
I. Bell not out 72
P. Collingwood c Hussey b Siddle 24
J. Trott not out 3
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Extras: (lb3, w2, nb11) 16
Total: (3 wkts, 53 overs, 240 mins) 180
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