England hand debuts to Woakes and Kerrigan

So much for conforming to stereotypes. Instead of following the presumed path of recalling Chris Tremlett in place of the injured Tim Bresnan, England have moved away from their usual balance by handing Test debuts to Warwickshire allrounder Chris Woakes and Lancashire's left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan for the final Investec Test at The Oval.

The decisions, which certainly comes under the 'surprise' category in terms of England selection, came clear when Ian Botham handed caps to the England pair about half an hour before the toss took place.

Jonny Bairstow has lost his place in the batting order as England play a five-match bowling attack at home for the first time since 2009. The pitch is starting very dry, Michael Clarke has won an important, but Alastair Cook stressed he still wanted a balanced attack.

Kerrigan's debut means it is also the first time England have played two spinners in a home Test since Cardiff against Australia in 2009. It suggests that if Monty Panesar's season had not come off the rails that he would have been in the side. Woakes, meanwhile, who has a first-class average of 37.67, is listed to bat at No. 6 although he may yet slot in behind Matt Prior.

Australia confirmed their team on Tuesday, which also included a new cap in James Faulkner along with a recall for Mitchell Starc. Further shuffling in the batting order means Shane Watson will be at No. 3 and it remains to be seen how much he will be able to bowl following the groin injury he suffered at Chester-le-Street.

The build-up on the first morning was also dominated by Darren Lehmann's remarks to an Australian radio station regarding Stuart Broad. All of a sudden, a dead Test match had been given an extra edge. And no England team has ever beaten Australia 4-0 at home.

England 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Joe Root, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Chris Woakes, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Simon Kerrigan

Australia 1 Chris Rogers, 2 David Warner, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Steven Smith, 6 Brad Haddin (wk), 7 James Faulkner, 8 Peter Siddle, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Ryan Harris, 11 Nathan Lyon