England appear to be on the brink of losing the Ashes series with Australia after enduring a frustrating fourth day of the fifth Test at The Oval.
Rather than declare on their overnight score of 389-9, England surprisingly batted on and added a further six runs, setting Australia a target of 384.
With the rain that was forecast for the afternoon and evening, plus a mixed outlook for Monday's play, it was imperative that England made early inroads in Australia's second innings.
However, the Baggy Greens came through 38 overs of play unscathed, making 135-0 in the process and leaving England with a near-impossible task on a flat batting wicket on day five.
After announcing his retirement from cricket on Saturday, Stuart Broad had hoped to bow out in style, and he did to a certain extent with his final runs in the sport coming from a six.
What an effort from Harry Brook to stop that from going for a boundary! 👏
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 30, 2023
David Warner brings up 5️⃣0️⃣ 💪 pic.twitter.com/AUIdglU44A
Nevertheless, that was as good as it got for the veteran and his teammates who failed to create much of note with the ball as Usman Khawaja and David Warner dominated.
While the latter made 58 from 99 deliveries, hitting nine fours, Khawaja posted 69 from 130 balls, neither batsmen looking overawed as they edged Australia closer to their first series triumph in England for 22 years.
As it stands, a full session may be possible in the morning, but the afternoon looks likely to be disrupted before a clearer passage of play in the evening.
Darren Plant
