Having astutely managed their quicks this series, Australia have one final call to make: should they rest Pat Cummins? The "yes" case is compelling. The urn has been retained, Cummins has bowled a truckload of overs and Australia have two world-class pacemen, James Pattinson and Peter Siddle, desperate for a game. Can you imagine the criticism selectors will face if Cummins was injured as a result of playing once too often? The "no" case is also strong. The urn has been retained but there's a series to win. Cummins has had a few days off, Australia's next Test is more than two months away so there's plenty of time for rest, and he's the No.1 ranked bowler in the world. Can you imagine the criticism selectors will face if Cummins did not play and Australia lost? "You want your best players playing all the time, don't you," Langer said. "That's where the complexity lies, as much as how we're going to manage them."

The champion batsman

Can Steve Smith carry Australia again? There will come a day where Smith gets a low score and someone else will have to make the 134 runs he is averaging this series. Australian fans will be hoping that day does not come at the Oval because on what we've seen so far you cannot be confident there will be a someone else. Marnus Labuschagne has shown he is good for a 70 to 80 but the rest have struggled. Marcus Harris is averaging 11.5, Travis Head keeps getting out bowled or lbw and Matthew Wade has passed 50 only once. Warner's woes are documented above. "You've still got to perform whether you're young or a veteran but we also have to recognise they are young batsmen and it's a really tough school and hopefully they'll come through at some point," Langer said.

Steve Smith has been the difference between the two sides. Credit:Getty Images

The dead rubber?

It is, from the point of view of who takes home the urn. But there is still a series to win. Australia have not won a series in England since 2001 and they have been unsuccessful in their past five overseas missions. Tim Paine's men celebrated the retention of the Ashes with gusto on Sunday, as they should, but put the hand brake on festivities knowing they had only three full days between games. Regardless of the series situation, there are plenty of batsmen needing runs to hold down their place in the side for the summer to guard against any post-retention hangover. Ditto Pattinson and Siddle. The former has missed years in the baggy green due to injury while the latter is treasuring every game he gets at the twilight of his career. "That celebration was two out of 10 to some of the ones I have seen because we knew we had to play three days later," Langer said. "The boys are up and about, there is great energy in the group. I have said throughout the series there has been a lot of laughter in the group, great camaraderie, so hopefully that continues."