Ball change had 'a significant bearing' on Oval result, says McDonald

The ball change which took place during Australia's second innings at The Oval continues be a significant talking point, with Australia head coach Andrew McDonald saying he had never seen a replacement ball have such an impact on a game.

When Usman Khawaja was struck on the helmet by a short delivery from Mark Wood in the 37th over of Australia's chase, umpires Kumar Dharmasena and Joel Wilson ruled that the ball had been damaged enough to warrant being replaced. The ball that was chosen looked considerably newer (England had been trying to get the previous one to reverse swing) and, after play had been curtailed on Sunday by rain, provided the quicks with considerable assistance on the final day.

Khawaja and David Warner were both removed by Chris Woakes after an opening stand of 140 while Wood claimed Marnus Labuschagne. However, Steven Smith and Travis Head got Australia down to needing 120 with seven wickets in hand when the defining collapse occurred after a two-hour rain delay.

"I've never seen tactics shift so dramatically on the back of a decision," McDonald said. "Went from catchers in front of the wicket to behind the wicket, and there's no doubt in some ways changed the shape of the game and the tactics within the game.

"So I will say that ball change did have a significant bearing on the tactics, the way that England went about it. But in saying that, I think we still should have been able to navigate that.

"There were two clumps where we lost 3 for 30 and 5 for 50, and that's part of us owning it. The umpires are out there to make a decision and they had a box of balls to choose from, and they made the best decision at that time from what they saw was there."

It ultimately meant that Australia had to settle for a 2-2 Ashes scoreline for the second time in four years, which allowed them to retain the urn but left them short of the ultimate ambition of a first series win in England since 2001.

"We didn't quite achieve what we set out to achieve," McDonald admitted. "We clearly wanted to come here and win the Ashes but the cricket we played, the cricket both teams played was fascinating.

"I think the whole series was fascinating. People should be proud of what they've been able to achieve, even if we didn't quite get to where we wanted to in winning the Ashes."

McDonald stood by the team's preparation and planning for a tour that included six Tests overall, including the World Test Championship final where Australia claimed the title with victory over India.

There was some rotation among the quick bowlers with Josh Hazlewood held back for the Ashes - where he played four games out of five and sat out at Headingley - but captain Pat Cummins was part of all six and Mitchell Starc, who was named Australia's Player of the Series against England, appeared in five.

Australia had a great chance to close out the series at Headingley when England were still significantly behind at lunch on the second day with only three wickets in hand. But England fought back, won that game by three wickets, then dominated at Old Trafford before two days of rain. The Oval Test was closely fought, but missed chances in the field by Australia and the lack of a sizeable first-innings lead was another opportunity squandered.

"We felt as though we were as fresh as what we could be," McDonald said. "The mental and physical toll of this tour, before we got here, what we were in for. And to have guys still running in and still hitting top speed late in the series I think was a true reflection we got that side of it right. And I wouldn't say that we dropped off.

"The Manchester [Test], we owned that result but Leeds and [The Oval] I think everyone was in the game and both teams had their chances, and we had a really good look at winning this series.

"And that's probably the part when we sit back and reflect, once we let it all settle down and go back through it, there was definitely some opportunities for us to win. And I think England can equally say the same. As it settles, two-all seems about right, and I think everyone's said that."