We’re finally at The Oval. It’s been a long series.

Cricket Australia are desperate for success in the UK but we’ve won just three Tests on our last four tours there.

There’s a bit of a smell about that statistic, and it’s not great.

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We’re ranked second in the world and we probably are the second-best side but we’ve played very, very poorly on this tour.

My message to the selectors is clear – I don’t think we know how to pick a team that can win in England.

Peter Siddle hasn’t played a Test match yet he’s been over there for the whole tour, is experienced and bowls a good line and length.

It’s easy to say now that they should have picked him, being 3-1 down, but if the reports are true and they do pick Patrick Cummins for Josh Hazlewood due to injury, that will just sum our selections up.

Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson and Cummins are all what I’d describe as ‘with the wind’ bowlers.

It’s been a frustrating tour for paceman Peter Siddle. Photo: Getty

They’re quick and bowl well when everything’s going well, but they aren’t what I’d call crafty.

We don’t have a bowler who can kiss the pitch – those three bang it in to the pitch.

And banging it in just doesn’t work in England.

Ryan Harris, along with Glenn McGrath, have been our best two bowlers in England since Terry Alderman. Maybe throw Jason Gillespie in there, too.

But they’ve been the best-performed in the UK.

Harris has been hugely missed. He was an excellent bowler who bowled at a beautiful length.

If the replacement for Hazlewood is Cummins, then it shows you how the selectors act.

The selectors made a big call back in 1981 to tell Jeff Thomson ‘no, we don’t want you to go’ and pick Alderman instead.

Of course, that proved to be an amazing selection.

Retiring captain Michael Clarke would love a century to finish his Test career with but I can’t see it happening.

Unfortunately, his batting and win/loss ratio as skipper have gone downhill in the last couple of years.

He’s been an excellent player and in the last couple of Tests, particularly the last one, the fans were wishing for a fairytale hundred.

But I don’t think he’s got another big innings left in him.

He’s averaging 49.30 in Test cricket and while it won’t be his sole motivation, I’m sure he would like to leave the game with his average above 50.

But the way he has batted, it won’t happen. England have been all over him.

Of course, it’s the end for Chris Rogers as well.

Clarke and Rogers are poles apart. Clarke is all razzamatazz, flair and fast cars. Rogers is conservative and a quiet achiever.

The gates closed on him for one reason or another after his first Test but he has been superb since he returned.

He’s been a damn good Test cricketer.

The fifth Test is scheduled to begin on Thursday at 11am local time (8pm AEST).