Australia hoping 'long game' pays off in Ashes finale

Steve Smith hopes the longer time spent in the field will hurt England's bowlers in the fifth Test. (AP PHOTO)

Australia hope the miles they have put through England's bowlers legs will pay dividends in a tight Ashes finale, after defending their go-slow tactics early on day two at The Oval.

The tourists took a 12-run lead into the third innings of the fifth Test on Friday evening, bowled out for 295 in reply to England's 283.

In what has been a regular theme of this series, Australia faced an extra 48.2 overs than their rivals to make almost the same amount of runs.

So slow was Friday's batting, the 47.4 overs it took them to reach 100 was Australia's slowest crawl to the milestone in a Test in England since 1981 at Edgbaston.

Ricky Ponting was among those to question the tactics, noting on commentary Australia had allowed England back into the game by being so defensive.

But while Australia insist the overly conservative tactics were not deliberate, they are hopeful there will be an upside.

"There was no real game plan as far as I know," Steve Smith said.

"They bowled pretty well, the clouds were in, there was a bit of swing away. They bowled short and didn't give many scoring options.

"The one positive out of the game so far, with it being essentially a one-innings game now, is we have put more overs into their bowlers than the 50 ours bowled.

"That's a positive for us I think. But we can't read too much into it."

Deliberate or not on Friday, Australia's players have often referred to playing "the long game" on this tour in a bid to win their first Ashes series in England in 22 years.

Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc both skipped the IPL in the interest of fitness, while Australia's bowlers have had far less work to do so far during the series.

Likely to be without Moeen Ali (groin) for the rest of this Test, England's four remaining frontline bowlers have sent down an average of 119.1 overs each in this series.

That includes efforts from James Anderson, who will turn 41 on Sunday, and 37-year-old Stuart Broad.

Australia's workload is much lighter due to England's shorter batting innings, with the tourists' five bowlers averaging 77.4 overs each for the series.

That could prove crucial in what looms as a tight finish to decide whether Australia win the series 3-1 or it ends in a 2-2 draw. 

But Broad doesn't have an issue with England's aggressive batting tactics that gives the bowlers less time to rest.

"I had the feet-up stage (a decade ago)," Broad said.

"It's probably why I am still playing at age 37.

"But ultimately the past year has been the most enjoyable I can remember. 

"Because it's not about batting time. It's playing entertaining and putting pressure on the opposition."

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