There is an even greater buzz to an Ashes decider when the issue lies open to the very end. The Oval is where the Ashes started in England back in 1882 (the first ever England-Australia Test was played at the MCG in 1877) when Australia were victors by seven runs. The venue is also where England were so feted last time that champagne flowed as much as confetti in 2005.

The Oval is where the action will be over the next five days. As enquiries started coming from India for tickets to the decider, friends in England said ‘please ask them not even to think about it’. Police are hunting for those who have offered tickets online for a prince’s ransom for the five days and a dragnet will be out for touts near The Oval station on the Underground.

Maybe, it’s just the pleasant, rich green of English turf that leads to such a visual treat, whether on-site or on television. The location of The Oval may not be great, its ambience nowhere near that of Lord’s but there is a modern look now to the stands where the beer can be cold and the cricket lovers warm.

England selectors have tossed away their conservative views by including the South Africa-born Trott in such a key game. But he is a batsman and not a potential Test match winning bowler who may be considered to be more likely to influence the result of the series. Being just level, England have to win to grab the Ashes while a draw would suffice for the Aussies who were typically quick to grab the upper hand at Headingley.

The cricket may not have been of the highest quality in the series but striking it has been with a swing of fortunes from Australia at Cardiff to England at Lord’s and perhaps Edgbaston and back to Australia at Headingley. Such swings ensure interest is never lost in a long Test series, especially such a traditional one like the Ashes.

In cricketing terms too there has been a lot of the swing factor with England dominant whenever the ball actually swung or reversed under cloud cover and in damp conditions while at other times the attack was flat. The Australian batting paid dearly for a happy hooking hour or two in an act of foolish bravado that reduced them for a part of the series into a disorganised lot.

England were soon back to form, their fragile middle order hopelessly exposed when the top men could not give them a start. A national debate has been on since then about the definition of Englishness in which capitulating in sport is seen as a symptom.

This could, however, be dismissed as Ashes fever caused by nothing but Australian domination over England since the late ’80s in which Gatting’s side won a treble Down Under.

Strangely, England’s chances in the final Test have been dismissed not only by the bookies but also experts on both sides of the Ashes divide. While Allan Border believes, naturally enough, that England have shot their bolt since Lord’s, Mike Atherton seems to think England don’t have the mental fortitude to face up to this task of having to win the Test to win back the Ashes. It was easier in 2005 when a draw sufficed.

It can’t be easy for a side that has lost its main batsman, Kevin Pietersen, while one of the main bowlers, Flintoff, faces the emotions of a farewell that could possibly affect his performance, certainly at the batting crease. Home teams have been known to struggle more with farewells as Australia itself seemed to with the brouhaha over Steve Waugh’s last series, against India in 2003-04.

Conditions in London over the next five days would, however, be the key to the climactic Test.

If there is some swing to be had, England are not to be discounted. If the deck is flat, Australia’s batting strength and brute strength in bowling should be in the ascendant. Best to buckle the seat belt and await the action on the small screen for what could be a classic event.