Pat Cummins has won his first toss on Australia’s six-Test tour of the United Kingdom, electing to bowl first as Cameron Green was left out for the Ashes finale at The Oval.

Todd Murphy has been recalled as Australia kept faith in their main three pacemen – Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood – who will get first use of a grassy surface on an overcast morning in south London where scattered showers are forecast for Thursday’s opening day.

Australia XI: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Mitch Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Todd Murphy, Josh Hazlewood

England XI: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Moeen Ali, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Benjamin Stokes (c), Jonathan Bairstow (wk), Christopher Woakes, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, James Anderson

“There’s a bit of cloud cover but (I) think it’s a good wicket, it shouldn’t change much over the five days,” Cummins told the BBC, as his counterpart Ben Stokes confirmed he too would have bowled first.

It is a show of faith for Murphy, the youngest member of the touring party, as Cummins’ men look to become the first Australian team to win an Ashes series in England since 2001.

In the absence of Nathan Lyon who suffered a series-ending calf injury at Lord’s last month, the Aussies did not pick a spinner at Old Trafford last week and Cummins admitted there were times where they could have done with one.

“(I) would have loved a leggie, an offie, a few other options,” Cummins joked, before adding: “It might have made a difference, you never quite know.

“I think in those moments maybe a change of pace is helpful, obviously I had Trav (Head’s part-time off-breaks) there to use a couple of times. You never quite know, but someone like Nathan Lyon does that role so well.”

It marks the first time Green, who played in a five-man seam attack last week after missing the Headingley Test through injury, has been overlooked for a Test when available since his debut in 2020.

Mitch Marsh’s assured performances (who took a first-innings five-wicket haul in the corresponding Oval Ashes contest four years ago after Tim Paine also inserted England) with the bat have been seen him leapfrog Green as the first-choice allrounder.

Marsh was under an injury cloud after being unavailable to bowl for the latter part of England’s first innings in Manchester but proved his fitness on match eve.

Starc too has been carrying multiple niggles, hurting his shoulder at Old Trafford while also carrying a leg complaint, but has been backed in to play his fifth Test of the tour.

“His pain threshold is high as I’ve ever seen, and his resilience, not only through injuries but everything he goes through,” Cummins said of the left-armer.

“He’s someone who loves playing and you know he’s desperate to be on the team-sheet each week, which as a captain I absolutely love.

“He’s the complete package and he always competes. He’s been great (in this series).”

Cummins himself will complete a feat of endurance this week, becoming the first Australian paceman since Glenn McGrath in 1997 to play six consecutive Tests on a UK tour.

England had confirmed on Wednesday that they would field an unchanged side from the one that dominated Australia in the fourth Test in which they were denied a series-levelling victory due to rain.

2023 Qantas Ashes Tour of the UK

First Test: Australia won by two wickets

Second Test: Australia won by 43 runs

Third Test: Thursday July 6-Monday July 10, Headingley

Fourth Test: Match drawn

Fifth Test: Thursday July 27-Monday 31, The Oval

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, David Warner

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood