Cricket: "Final Ashes Test's Oval Pitch Under Suspicion"

Curator Bill Gordon was under heavy fire for producing a controversial pitch where balls were going through the top of the pitch, bringing up explosions of dust and bouncing randomely.

After England was bowled out for 332, opening bowler James Anderson sent down two deliveries in his first over that disturbed the surface and did not carry through to wicketkeeper Matt Prior on the full.

Even if Australia scores 500 in its first innings, they will face the fight of their life in the fourth innings of the Test as the dry pitch continues to deteriorate.

England need a win to steal back the Ashes and they have produced a fifth Test pitch that their batsmen admit resembles a dirtbed Indian surface. Even the normally reserved West Indian legend Holding fired up.

"I am very disappointed in this pitch,'' Holding fumed. "I have never been to The Oval and seen the ball going through the top (of the pitch) like this. Even on day one we have seen this. I played here back in 1976 - in one of the hottest summers ever in England - and it didn't play like this. It can't be the weather.''

Spin great Warne also stormed in. "He (the curator) overbaked it a little bit to make sure there is a result,'' Warne claimed.

As Andrew Flintoff surged to the crease in his farewell Test, Australian opener Shane Watson survived three huge lbw appeals in the first six overs.

The pitch was keeping low and Watson was continually struck on the pads, playing across the line, as Australia reached 0-22. The first two appeals, one off Anderson and the next off Flintoff, could have gone either way but the third appeal looked absolutely plumb.

Flintoff could hardly believe it when umpire Asad Rauf turned him down and stopped down on his knee to try to haunches to recover his composure.

Watson and fellow opener Simon Katich spent most of their time gardening in the early overs, trying to sweep dust and debris off the pitch.

England resumed at 8-307 yesterday but weren't at the crease for long as Ben Hilfenhaus (3-71) bowled beautifully to polish off the tail. Hilfenhaus, who edged past Peter Siddle (4-75) as the leading wicket-taker for the series, quickly ended Anderson's world record run of 54 Test innings without a duck.

In his first over of the day, Hilfenhaus knocked Anderson (0) over with a superb late inswinger that trapped him in front of middle stumps.

Siddle had a chance to take five wickets when Stuart Broad hooked a ball high on the bat and it flew towards Mitchell Johnson at fine leg.

As wicketkeeper Brad Haddin also zoomed in on the catch, Johnson hesitated and ended up spilling a tough chance and Siddle looked on angrily.

But the end wasn't far away when Hilfenhaus had Broad (37) caught at second slip by skipper Ricky Ponting. After the first innings, Hilfenhaus boasted 21 series wickets at 26 while Siddle had 20 wickets at 27.35.

Australia's bowlers generally performed well but blotted their copybook by sending down 18 no-balls with Johnson (2-69) the worst offender with eight.

Australia will also have to be careful with their over-rates during the Test as they finished the first innings about three overs down. However they can catch up in the second innings, especially with the prospect of part-time spinners Marcus North and Michael Clarke bowling a lot of overs on a crumbling pitch.

Former England skipper Mike Atherton believes Australia has erred by not playing frontline spinner Nathan Hauritz with the pitch likened to a surface from the subcontinent. Atherton also believes England should have played Monty Panesar as the second spinner.

"I think both teams have misread the pitch,'' Atherton said. "I am sure Australia would like to have a spinner. If you are not going to play a second spinner on this pitch, when are you?''

Meanwhile, the dodgy standard of Test umpiring is again under the spotlight with two England wickets falling to front-foot no-balls. England skipper Andrew Strauss (55) had been threatening to make a big score when he was caught behind off a Ben Hilfenhaus no-ball that had been missed by Kiwi umpire Billy Bowden.

Ian Bell (72) had been aiming to reach his first Ashes hundred until he played on off Australian bowling hero Peter Siddle. However replays showed that Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf had missed Siddle overstepping the crease.