Pat Cummins insists Australia feel a strong sense of unfinished business as they bid to cap retaining the Ashes by completing an overdue series success on English soil.
The tourists begin the fifth and final Test at the Oval with the urn already in the bag after last week’s Old Trafford washout frustrated England.
Australia have not won a series outright in England since 2001 and blew the chance to do so four years ago after paying the price for some over-exuberant celebrations ahead of their last visit to the Oval, when they also held a 2-1 lead.
Captain Cummins believes the circumstances are completely different this time around and says his side are determined to end the 22-year wait.
“I think the good thing is that it’s a really similar group to 2019,” he said. “That Manchester [in 2019] was a big win to retain the Ashes, which we hadn’t done for a long time off the back of Headingley, even Lord’s, where we probably missed a trick last series.
“I felt like that was a big exclamation mark on the end of that series with still one Test match to play. It feels really different here, this group has been really motivated to win the series.
“We know that it wasn’t our best week last week and at the end of the game it was a bit of a pat on the back, ‘well done, we’ve retained the Ashes’ but really it feels like the job’s not done.”
Australia, who went 2-0 up in the series, were spared a winner-takes-all decider in south London by a rain-ruined end to the fourth Test in Manchester.
England were well in control after piling up a 275-run first-innings lead but, with just 30 overs possible across the last two days, they were prevented from converting their dominance into a series-levelling victory.
The next five days could prove to be the end of an era for this Australia team, most of whom are aged 30 or above and may not be in contention for the next Ashes series in England in 2027.
“It’s a hard one,” said the 30-year-old. “I certainly don’t want to rush anyone out of the door. I think this is about the fourth Ashes series where [England bowler] Jimmy Anderson has said it’s going to be his last one, so you never quite know. It is just an age.
England captain Ben Stokes had no qualms about thrusting Anderson into this week’s fifth Test, insisting the veteran remains “the greatest fast bowler to play the game”.
Stokes named an unchanged XI at the Oval, keeping faith with a player who turns 41 on day four of the match.
“James Anderson is the greatest fast bowler to play the game and he’s still looking as good as he was two years ago,” said the skipper.
“Although he’s not had the impact or the wickets he would have liked to in this series, he’s a quality bowler and quality performer. To have nearly 700 Test wickets is phenomenal, and to be able to do it all around the world as well.”
