However, there will be a sense of what-if for the tourists if they end up losing the five-Test series 3-2 as expected.
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Spinner Nathan Lyon bowled England captain Alastair Cook for 22 just before tea to start the rot.
England fielded an unchanged team after all-time leading Test wicket-taker James Anderson was again ruled out with the side injury that saw him miss the fourth Test.
– This was the 23rd time that England have won the toss in an Ashes match at The Oval but just the second time they’ve chosen to bowl.
England, with Moeen Ali and Mark Wood both unbeaten on eight, still need 175 runs to avoid the follow on.
Siddle took centre stage, curiously in his first match of a series played on surfaces which might easily have rewarded his relentless seam and swing. Had he not overstepped in the 37th over of the England innings, he would have had four in his kitty. It was an ugly dismissal that became progressively uglier because of what followed. Rogers on 43, got one that bounced off a length and could only guide it to Cook at slip, who parried it up in the air before grabbing it comfortably on his next attempt.
In the (qualified) defence of Lyth he was not the only England batsman to depart to an bad shot.
Jonny Bairstow (13) was caught in the deep after failing to get over the top of an attempted pull off Mitchell Johnson, while Jos Buttler (one) was bowled through the gate by Lyon.
He was rarely troubled, and neither was Voges in a largely uneventful first hour as the hopes England had invested in the second new ball came to nought.
Starc fell lbw on review to Stokes before Lyth’s wonderful catch accounted for Siddle. It was the last chance England offered for the day.
Smith and Voges continued their overnight scores and added 146 runs together for the fourth wicket stand. Voges compiled a fine fifty before getting trapped in front off the stumps by Ben Stokes for 76.
Smith, meanwhile, offered a typical batsman’s response. The first example was Finn’s short and wide delivery. It is comfortable to at crease which is against to all England bowlers.
Australia took lunch on 82 for no wicket and the openers increased the scoring rate after the interval. It was 27 deliveries before he scored the next eight runs to reach his century, which he then celebrated with a heave over long-off for six.
Australia were 7-376 at lunch but not almost as well placed as they could have been after Ali stuck twice in the final over of the morning session.
While the bowling effort was right out of the top drawer, the platform was laid by Steven Smith, the man set to replace Michael Clarke as captain.
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Earlier in the day, Smith struck his second century this Ashes after a career-best 215 at Lord’s. That puts him in level with Dan Vettori to the most 50-plus scores made from No. 9 or lower in the order, with six.
