Australia, needing to win to retain the Ashes, resumed on 277 for two but crashed to 367 all out shortly after lunch, giving the home side an improbable six-run first innings lead.

The world champions, opting to bat in poor light in a last-ditch bid to force a result, lost their last seven wickets for 44 runs in 15 overs.

England then reached seven for one in their second innings, leg-spinner Shane Warne dismissing Andrew Strauss for a single, before the batsmen accepted the light during the afternoon session and the teams took an early tea.

All-rounder Flintoff, who had called on his team mates to put every ounce of their energy into the final two days, took five for 78, only his second five-wicket haul in tests.

Swinging the ball and jagging it about off The Oval surface, he bowled 14.2 overs unchanged on Sunday, taking four for 30.

Matthew Hoggard wrapped the Australian innings up with a burst of four wickets for four runs in 19 balls. He took four for 97 in all.

Australia began the day with a Catch-22 decision to take.

Bad light and rain had cost them the final session on Friday and half of Saturday. The light was no better on Sunday, but they could not afford to lose any more time in an attempt to contrive a result.

Out marched opener Matthew Hayden, having completed the 21st century of his career on Saturday, and Damien Martyn.

It was no great surprise that England, 2-1 up in the series and needing only a draw to claim the Ashes back for the first time in almost two decades, made the perfect start when Flintoff broke through with his seventh ball of the day.

Martyn never got himself into position to pull in spooning the ball gently off the splice to Paul Collingwood at midwicket.

That made it 281 for three and it should have been 287 for four only for Flintoff to miss a second-slip chance as Hoggard cut the new ball away from Matthew Clarke.

After 30 minutes, the sky turned darker but Australia's batsmen refused the light.

Clarke was seeing the ball well enough to bring up the 300 with a fine back-foot force off Flintoff through the covers. England's fielders, meanwhile, were also struggling in the murk.

Hayden pulled one boundary just backward of square and neither fielder at square leg and fine leg moved as the ball ran away between them. Later Clarke slashed a drive off Hoggard in the air towards Ian Bell at deep point. He did not move and the ball bounced a yard in front of him.