Australia dare to dream of a famous Ashes Test and series victory. With David Warner playing for his future and Usman Khawaja the most productive batsman on tour, they have laid the foundation to chase down what has been a historically unobtainable target.

Set 384 to win the fifth and final Test at the Oval for a 3-1 series triumph, Australia’s veteran opening pair had taken the score to 0/135 when steady rain washed out play midway through the fourth day, with Khawaja unbeaten on 69 and Warner 58.

This has left Australia needing 249 to win on the last day after rain forced early stumps. It’s less than the 282 they chased to win the first Test in Manchester by two wickets, and less than the 251 England ran down to win the third Test at Headingley by three wickets, which appeared to turn the series.

The best successful fourth innings chase at the Oval, which has hosted Test cricket for 143 years, was 9/263 by England against Australia in 1902, and the best by Australia was 5/242 in 1972. There has been just one better run chase in England than Australia’s daunting target - the 3/404 Don Bradman’s team ran down against England at Headingley in 1948.

Khawaja’s half century took him back past Zak Crawley to be the leading run scorer in the series (493), and he also passed 5000 runs in Tests - having made more than 2000 of those runs at an average of more than 62 since his recall in January 2022.

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Such productive opening partnerships have been a scarce commodity as Warner has struggled for consistency over the past 18 months. Their only other century opening stand since Khawaja was recalled then promoted to the top of the order early last year, was 156 against Pakistan in Rawalpindi 36 innings more than a year ago. The one before that was at the SCG in early 2020, when Warner and Joe Burns put on 107 against New Zealand, 54 innings ago.

It was the fourth time the former junior clubmates have compiled a half-century partnership in this series. But while Khawaja, 36, continues to blossom as an opening batsman in his twilight years, it is just the second time Warner, also 36, has passed 50 on this tour and the third time in 27 innings. The outlier of course in this difficult sequence is his double century during the Boxing Day Test against South Africa at the MCG.

Playing his 18th Ashes Test in four tours over a decade, this is the ninth time Warner has passed 50, but he has never made a century in England, leaving this uncompleted innings as his last, tantalising opportunity. Such a performance would further reduce the lingering negativity around his ball tampering suspension from five years ago and his difficult run over the past 18 months.