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London - Chris Rogers and David Warner batted with dogged determination to lift Australia to 82 for no wicket at lunch on the first day of the final Ashes Test against England at The Oval on Thursday.
The openers adopted a risk-free strategy after being asked to bat in overcast conditions with memories of their collapse to 60 all out on the first morning of the last Test fresh in their minds.
Rogers and Warner scored only 19 runs in the first hour and the first boundary came in the 15th over, the pair trying hard to lay a platform for their team to secure a consolation win after England regained the Ashes last week in Nottingham.
Rogers, playing his final Test, was unbeaten on 27 at the interval with Warner on 53.
Stuart Broad, who took 8-15 in the first innings at Trent Bridge, was the pick of the England attack and conceded only eight runs in his six overs but he was unable to extract much movement.
Warner flayed Steven Finn to the extra cover boundary to reach his fifty just before lunch, taking 76 balls to get to the milestone.
England named an unchanged team and Australia, for whom captain Michael Clarke is also playing his last Test match, recalled Peter Siddle and Mitchell Marsh in place of Josh Hazlewood and Shaun Marsh.
The hosts are 3-1 up in the series.
