The talk from both teams heading into this Fifth Test had been that, in spite of the Urn’s destination already being assured, there would be no drop in focus or desire as the Ashes reached its climax.
This, however, was a day that gave the game away, one very much in the last-week-of-term mould, every bit as action-packed as the classics that have preceded it, but, unsurprisingly, lacking some of the high-stakes edge with players wearied as a gruelling schedule nears its end.
