Day one: As it happenedBaum: Australia show up too lateWarne lashes Cummins omission
London: Alastair Cook's attempt to force Australia into another batting collapse by sending them in backfired as a belated safety-first approach at the crease was the basis of their strong start to the series-ending Ashes Test at the Oval.
A strong platform laid by openers David Warner (85) and Chris Rogers (43) and a return to form from Steve Smith took Australia to 3-287 after day one against England. 
Smith finished the day unbeaten on 78 with Adam Voges alongside him on 47. They denied England a wicket in the last 45 overs of the day and in the process built a partnership of 101.
Bad light triggered an early end to the day mid-way through the 80th over. It means England will only need to bowl two more deliveries on day two until the second new ball is available to them.
Given both well-set openers departed without a century the Australian hierarchy were given reason to smile by the way Smith overcame his unconvincing start to look progressively more comfortable at the crease against all of England's bowlers. The incoming captain snapped a streak of four single-figure scores since his 215 and 58 at Lord's.
Departing captain Michael Clarke was given a guard of honour by England players, and a similarly respectful response from the near-capacity Oval crowd, on arriving for what could be his final international innings.
If there is to be a fairytale return to form for Clarke it will have to come in the second innings - should Australia need to bat again - after he fell for 15 in the second over after tea, continuing his miserable run of scores in the series.
Given Australia had not survived for 40 overs in the past two times they batted first, and Clarke's pre-match prediction the match would last only two or three days, it was explicable that England captain Cook chose to field after winning the toss.
Australia responded with a level of discipline rarely seen in this series. In the entire first hour they scored only 19 runs, and it was not until the 15th over that they notched their first boundary. Both, however, were clearly of secondary importance to thwarting England's bid for early wickets.
On paper Stuart Broad's first spell was impressive - he conceded only four runs from five overs, with three maidens - but in reality he barely troubled either batsman as he bowled too wide from around the wicket at the left-handers. At the other end Mark Wood similarly induced few nervous moments with the new ball, while Stokes was unable to replicate the vicious swing - both ways - he produced in the second innings in Nottingham.
The wisdom of Australia's strategy was reinforced by the way they scored much more freely in the second hour, particularly Warner, to reach lunch at 0-84. It was the first time in two and a half years they have batted first in a Test overseas and seen off the first session unscathed. The previous time was in   March 2013, when Warner and Ed Cowan did it in India against Mohali.
Warner's performance heralded a much-needed return to form in the first innings of Tests. He scored a century in the first innings of the last Test of the home summer, at the SCG against India, but since then had been averaging 10.83 in the West Indies and England.
Rogers and Warner brought up their century stand four overs into the second session. Even though their partnership has only existed for two years it moved them alongside Bill Lawry and Bob Simpson to third for most century stands from Australian openers, behind only Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer with 14 and Mark Taylor and Michael Slater with 10.
Their latest century stand improved their frequency of achieving the milestone to once every 4.6 innings, behind only Invincibles Sid Barnes and Arthur Morris with one every 4.3.
England's first breakthrough came in the 34th over, when Rogers fell to the 100th delivery of his innings. His replacement, Smith, again looked very scratchy to start, but nevertheless made it to double figures for the first time since Lord's, a point from which he improved significantly.
Even though Warner's dismissal was not due to aggression, the left-hander was nevertheless fuming at falling 15 runs short of his first century in England. After he edged Ali to Adam Lyth he swung his bat in anger as he began his walk back to the dressing room. It was the fourth time in the series the left-hander had fallen to the gentle off-spin of Ali.
Australia's decision to drop Shaun Marsh in favour of his all-rounder brother Mitch Marsh triggered the return of Clarke to No.4. The retiring captain called upon when Warner fell about half an hour before tea.
Clarke was walking back to the change rooms 10 deliveries into the third session, after being adjudged caught behind by Kumar Dharmasena attempting to defend a Stokes delivery outside his off-stump. After consulting non-striker and successor Smith he challenged the decision. It failed even though there was no indication of a nick on Hot-Spot, with Real-Time Snicko indicating the Sri Lankan umpire's decision was justifiable.
Australia's series defeat, and the expectation of a squad overhaul it has triggered, has clouded the future of Voges, the 35-year-old who failed in his first six innings of the series.
If Voges is in line to follow retiring veterans Clarke and Rogers out of the team he is making a late bid to get selectors to change their mind. The right-hander looked just as solid as Smith, if not more so, since arriving in the 55th over as Clarke departed.