Ashes LIVE: Latest score as England start strongly against Australia at the Oval

Todd Murphy is brought into point from the boundary as Pat Cummins finds the edge of Zak Crawley’s bat. Crawley turns the next delivery into the gap at square leg and gets himself off strike.

Cummins then moves one past Ben Duckett’s outside edge from a full ball and has a rye smile on his face as he walks back to his mark.

Another single comes for the left-hander before Crawley ends the over with a play and miss of his own. The first hour’s play belongs to England as the drinks are called for.

Ben Stokes has his pads on in the England dressing room. Moeen Ali isn’t allowed to come out to bat until after lunch – or five wickets have fallen – so it looks as though the England captain will be moving up the order.

Mitchell Marsh continues for Australia. Crawley and Duckett milk him for a single each and Marsh oversteps to add a no-ball to the tally too.

Crawley drives through point on the up and takes one to Travis Head on the deep point boundary which also sees England extend their lead to 50.

A late cut for Duckett brings him a couple before he wafts at a loose one down legside and misses it completely. Six runs come from the over.

Zak Crawley is now the leading run scorer in the series. His big century at Old Trafford helped a lot but the opener, who was under pressure before the start of the Ashes, has handled things beautifully. His test match average is now above 30 and he’s notched up 426 runs this summer as he takes Pat Cummins for a single.

Ben Duckett rotates the strike with one more and Crawley keeps the strike with a one off the last ball.

Here’s another bowling change. Mitchell Marsh comes into the attack to replace Josh Hazlewood. He’ll look for a bit of swing and should get a touch more bounce due to his height.

Marsh tends to bowl full and he’s got Zak Crawley out a couple of times in the series already.

A slightly shorter pitched delivery is sliced away off the back foot and brings him three more. England are scoring at 5.5 runs per over.

England’s lead is up to 40 already in just 45 minutes play. Australia have been slightly off this morning but the confidence of England’s batting has made it tough work for them.

Ben Duckett attempts an expansive drive against Pat Cummins just as the ball seams away from the bat. Duckett plays and misses which will infuriate the bowler.

Four! Cummins bangs one in short and Duckett takes it on. He goes for the hook, gets a thick edge on the ball and sees it fly down to fine leg for a boundary.

England’s fifty comes up in the ninth over!

Hazlewood decides to come round the wicket to Duckett now. There’s a touch of extra bounce which cramps the batter for room and forces an awkward looking defensive block from Duckett.

He gets in behind the ball and dinks one into the gap at cover to bring another single.

Crawley then takes on the pull but doesn’t catch it quite right. He finds the gap on the legside but the fielder at deep midwicket keeps it down to one.

Duckett rotates the strike once more. Three runs come from the over as this opening pair close in on a fifty partnership.

Pat Cummins continues. He hits a good length to Zak Crawley but the line is slightly off and the opener helps the ball down to fine leg for a couple of runs.

A more confident stroke from Crawley sees him drive down the ground. He calls Ben Duckett through for one but a misfield from Marnus Labuschagne at mid-off allows the batters to sprint through for two.

Close! Crawley pushes at another one outside the off stump and misses it. The ball skips past the outside edge and get the Australians excited.

It’s a good end to the over for the visitors.

Zak Crawley seems a little worried about the line from Josh Hazlewood who wants to hit a fourth or fifth stump outside off. To counter that bowling, Crawley comes across his crease more and attempts to work the ball into the legside.

He eventually manages to get to the non-striker’s end and looks to be focusing hard on his batting today.

Next up, Hazlewood decides to test out Ben Duckett with a bumper. Duckett thinks about the pull shot but drops the ball underneath the ball at the last minute.

Just one run comes from this over. Are Australia starting to gain a bit of control?

Zak Crawley’s first ball from Pat Cummins wraps him on the thigh pad and Ben Duckett calls him through for a legbye.

Duckett is seeing the ball well and eases onto the back foot to guide a late cut past the fielder at gully. The ball flies off the bat and rolls down to the boundary for another four.

Nine runs come from Cummins’ first over.