LONDON: Steve Smith’s maiden Test century and some spirited batting by the lower order led Australia to 492 for nine declared after tea on a rain-affected second day of the fifth and final Ashes Test against England at the Oval on Thursday.
A cautious England batted out 17.3 overs at the end of the day before bad light stopped play, accumulating 32 runs for no loss.
They will start day three a massive 460 runs behind.
Smith lofted Jonathan Trott for six to bring up three figures and had moved on to 138 not out when skipper Michael Clarke decided to have a run at the England batsmen before stumps.
The hosts have already taken the series 3-0, with Australia left to seek a consolation victory to end their Ashes campaign.
Australia resumed on 307 for four when play started three and a half hours late due to rain and England fast bowler James Anderson soon bowled nightwatch-man Peter Siddle for 23 with a peach of a delivery.
But Smith and Brad Haddin shared an untroubled sixth-wicket partnership of 65 as the England fast bowlers failed to take full advantage of overcast conditions and a ball that was swinging and seaming a fair bit.
Smith, 66 not out overnight, continued to find the boundary at regular intervals and England captain Alastair Cook was forced to turn to part-time medium-pacer Trott.
Smith launched Trott over long-on with a crisp strike to get to his first hundred in his 12th Test, an innings spanning five hours and including two sixes and 14 fours.
Trott did force Haddin, on 30, to chop the ball on to his stumps but Smith was joined by James Faulkner, making his Test debut, and the pair took the touring side safely through to tea.
Their seventh wicket partnership was worth 37, important for the rate at which the runs were scored.
Australia pushed on after tea, with Faulkner (23) finding four fours in his cameo, which was a better than a run-a-ball effort.
Faulkner fell to fellow debutant Chris Woakes, who picked up his first Test wicket with a sharpish delivery that cramped the Australian for room, with Trott taking a good catch running round from deep on the square leg boundary.
Mitchell Starc added 13 runs from eight balls, but the cameo of the day belonged to fast bowler Ryan Harris, who belted 33 runs from 27 deliveries, including two walloped sixes off Graeme Swann.
Just one ball after he fell – caught and bowled by Anderson – Australia declared with the hope of making quick inroads into the England line-up with just over 20 overs remaining in the day.
Clarke rotated his bowlers in a desperate attempt to get at least one wicket before the close, but Cook and Joe Root batted well to see out the day. (Reuters)