LONDON (AP) — Australia recovered from losing three quick wickets and was mounting a recovery through Steve Smith and Travis Head in its bid for a series-clinching win over England on the final day of the fifth Ashes test on Monday.
Chasing 384 for the victory and a 3-1 win in the series, the Australians were 238-3 and needing 146 more runs over the last two sessions of Day 5 at The Oval.
Smith was unbeaten on 40 and Head was 31 not out, with their partnership up to 69 runs.
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.
Rain stopped play starting on time for the morning session — there was only a 10-minute delay, however — and returned just before the second session began after lunch, raising doubts about whether either team can force a win.
England resumed with Australia on 135-0 and finally found some seam movement and swing with a new ball — and it accounted 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.
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.
The Australians are assured of leaving England with the urn but haven’t won an Ashes series in England since 2001.
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