David Warner and Usman Khawaja defy England amid 'pathetic' farce in fifth Test

Rain has once again thwarted England's hopes of squaring the Ashes series at 2-2, with David Warner and Usman Khawaja making a brilliant start in Australia's chase of a record target in the fifth Test. Chasing 384 to win and take the series 3-1, the Aussies were 0-135 on Sunday before rain washed out the final half of the fourth day.

Khawaja (69 not out) and Warner (58 not out) produced their highest opening partnership of the series to give Australia a sniff of a record run chase at The Oval. Pat Cummins' men were left with 249 more runs for victory on the final day with all 10 wickets in hand.

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An improbable win at The Oval would give Australia a 3-1 series victory - their first in England since 2001. A draw in the fifth Test will also be enough to win the series 2-1, particularly if more rain intervenes and the final day is shortened from the 98 overs currently available.

"We're in a great position at the moment," Australia's batting coach Michael Di Venuto said after stumps was called early. "There are a lot of guys who have been on Ashes series over here in the past and haven't managed to win.

"Twenty years is a long time. We're in a great position for some of the boys to get that on their resume."

Warner will be eyeing off a big score on the final day in the hope that he can prolong his career. The veteran opener is hoping to finish his Test career at the SCG in January, but might not get the chance if selectors go in a different direction for the Aussie summer.

Warner has never previously made a century in England and holds the unwanted record of scoring the most runs amongst overseas players on English soil without reaching triple figures. If the 36-year-old is able to push Australia towards victory at The Oval, it will almost certainly lock him in for his dream farewell retirement.

Khawaja looked composed as ever on Sunday, with his only moment of concern a short ball from Mark Wood that hit him on the back of the helmet. With England's tiring attack appearing otherwise unthreatening on a wicket that has slowed down significantly, Khawaja barely offered a chance in the opening two sessions.

The 36-year-old also passed 5000 Test runs just before the rain arrived, a remarkable feat given his career looked over two years ago when he hadn't yet reached 3000. "Outstanding start from our two openers," Di Venuto said. "They have put some starts together through the series. To get a 100-run start when we are chasing 380 was an outstanding effort."

Aussies eyeing record run chase in fifth Ashes Test

A win for Australia would mark the second-highest run-chase in their Test history and the eighth-best of all time. It was an emotional morning on Sunday, with the grandstands full to offer Stuart Broad a standing ovation following his retirement announcement on Saturday night.

After being given a guard of honour onto the field, Broad hooked Mitchell Starc for six - which ended up being the final shot he played in Test cricket. Todd Murphy (4-110) removed James Anderson lbw moments later to have England all out for 395.

“We don’t quite see the fairytales that we want to see at times but it would be lovely to dream of it,” assistant coach Marcus Trescothick said about England's prospects of winning in Broad's farewell. “If there was one more fairytale left it would be ideal if it was Stuart’s last five-for. One or two wickets to win and he runs in and gets his last five-for…something like that would be brilliant wouldn’t it?

“He’s going out right on top, isn’t he? To think you could hit your last ball for six, it was great. Most people finish when their stumps are knocked over or they’ve nicked one to slip.

“He got a great reception, it was really nice. For Stuart to get a just reward for the hard work and dedication he’s put in for such a long time was really nice to see.”

England fans were once again left fuming that the rain had intervened after the hosts were denied a likely victory in the fourth Test due to the weather in Manchester. The rain resulted in a draw that saw Australia retain the urn. The Aussies have also come under fire for their paltry over-rates throughout the series, which has seen a number of overs lost.

with agencies

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