Key events
It’s also the last day of the County Championship. Do keep a window open on your browser for Tanya Aldred, the queen of the county scene. Start at the bottom, with a post so succinct that it may one day be held up as a model at preamble school.
Preamble
Morning everyone and welcome to the last stop on a long and winding road. It’s the end of the home international cricket season, the final act of the drama, the fifth set of the match. It could be anything from a cliffhanger to a damp squib.
England have to beat Australia for the third time in a week to complete a barnstorming comeback. Australia have to remember how experienced they are and put these upstarts in their place. And both sides have to beat the weather, which is looking dodgy all day and downright dismal from mid-afternoon.
The captains should really meet in the middle now and agree to play a T25. But that would require a better relationship between cricket and common sense.
All being well, the toss is at 10.30am BST.
