LONDON— Rain was frustrating England and Australia in their hunt for a series-ending win on the last day of the fifth and final Ashes test on Monday.
Australia went to lunch on 238-3, chasing 384 for the victory to clinch the series 3-1, but rain has prevented any more play so far at The Oval.
The Australians need 146 more runs to win while the English require seven wickets in their bid to draw the series 2-2 and prevent the tourists from completing a first Ashes series win in England since 2001.
Rain denied England a likely victory in the fourth test at Old Trafford, with a draw there ensuring Australia would retain the urn.
At The Oval, Australia recovered from losing three quick wickets early on Day 5 and was mounting a recovery through Steve Smith (40 not out) and Travis Head (31 not out), with their partnership up to 69 runs.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]The English thought they had got Smith in the final over of the session but captain Ben Stokes, who took a fine, leaping, one-handed catch off the batter's glove, lost control of the ball as he brought his arm down and brushed his thigh. He was adjudged to have dropped the ball before having complete control.
Australia resumed on 135-0 and England finally found some seam movement and swing with a new ball, accounting for David Warner, Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne in an 11-over spell in which the tourists hit just 34 runs.
Warner went for 60 in his final innings on English soil, edging Chris Woakes behind. The left-handed opener intends to retire from test cricket after the Sydney test against Pakistan in January and there was some applause from spectators for a player English crowds have enjoyed giving some friendly abuse down the years.
Woakes then removed Khawaja for 72, trapping him lbw, and a review by the batter proved to be a waste with replays showing it was plumb.
Mark Wood then entered the attack with his express pace and found the edge of Labuschagne (13), with Zak Crawley taking a sharp catch at second slip.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]With cloud cover and the floodlights on, more wickets seemed likely but Head joining Smith in the middle counterattacked and was soon flaying veteran pacemen Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad to the fence.
A dreamy cover drive from Smith raced for four to bring up the fifty partnership and he survived Stokes' botched catch late in the session in what was another big moment in a series full of them. Australia is looking to complete the highest ever chase at The Oval. It would be the eighth highest in test history and the second highest by Australia.