Ashes LIVE: England chase wickets against Australia to avoid series defeat

Bad news – the covers appear to be coming on at the Oval, with rain starting to fall during the lunch interval.

Ben Stokes was not at all happy with the umpires as he walked off for lunch, believing that he should not have had to burn a review to check his catch. I think that’s harsh on Joel Wilson – to give the umpire the benefit of the doubt, I think he picked up that Stokes hadn’t held it cleanly live, and was therefore perfectly entitled to not consult Nitin Menon in the third umpire’s chair. Given it was his own blunder, it’s odd that Stokes was persuaded around to reviewing by his close-in colleagues.

Here is the wording of Law 33.3, which concerns the cleanliness of a catch: “The act of making a catch shall start from the time when the ball first comes into contact with a fielder’s person and shall end when a fielder obtains complete control over both the ball and his/her own movement.”

Heavens. This extraordinary Ashes series just keeps on giving, another session ending – you guessed it – perfectly poised. England were excellent for an hour, taking three for 29, but Steve Smith and Travis Head have rebuilt with a well constructed partnership that looks like it might have plenty more to give with 146 more needed. The catch that wasn’t was Smith’s only real scare; the Australia batter has never made a fourth innings ton in his Test career, and this would be quite the time to do it.

Slightly concerningly, the radar I’m looking at suggests some soggy splodges are about to slide over the Oval, which might spoil things for a time – fingers crossed for a fantastic finale.

Lunch: It had all started so brightly for England when the first three wickets fell in quick succession, but Travis Head and Steve Smith managed to both dig in and increase the run rate.

They put on a 50 partnership in just 10 overs to swing the momentum back in favour of Australia, with Head on 31 and Smith on 40 at the break.

Despite all the fanfare surrounding Stuart Broad and James Anderson, it was Chris Woakes who looked the most dangerous.

He had bowled well the day before to little reward, but took two wickets to dismiss the openers, leaving Australia having lost two wickets for just six runs at the start of day two.

But Australia will be confident that their chances of winning the series 3-1 are firmly in play, after going into the lunch break 273 for three.

There was a final moment of action just before lunch when Ben Stokes dropped Steve Smith on 39, England reviewed, the ball was shown to come off the glove, the England captain caught it but dropped it in his follow through.

This series. How big a moment might that be? Smith plays out four more dots from Moeen before pushing a single up to long-on. Lunch.

And that would be why Stokes was so uncertain – he’s lost control of the ball trying to throw it up in celebration! A horrible moment for the England captain, having leapt up so brilliantly to grab it at full extension. It’s clearly off the glove and initially appears to have gone cleanly into the hand, but he’s never fully in control, and a flick of his leg as he tries to toss the bouquet poops England’s party.

What’s happened here? The ball loops to Ben Stokes at leg slip and the rest of England’s close-in fielders are convinced it came off the glove. Stokes seems confused – but eventually decides to review…

Harry Brook offers Travis Head a bit of advice from short leg on how to play Mark Wood’s bouncers, the general gist, seemingly, to whack it. Head, unhurried with Wood’s pace down, chooses to bob and weave instead.

One more before lunch with the clouds closing in and forecast rain due to arrive in the next half-hour. England would love to break this partnership.

A similar ball to the one he left alone earlier is this time worked around the corner by Smith, the ball trickling away to the vacant fine leg fence. Ben Stokes installs himself at leg slip, with Smith adjusting his stroke, playing with a straighter bat into a legside gap to nick the strike.