Australia 492-9dec & 111-6dec drew with England 377 & 206-5 Scorecard
Man of the match: Shane Watson (176)
ENGLAND were forced to settle for a 3-0 series win after an exciting final day run chase at the Oval was agonisingly cut short by the umpires.
Bad light ended the hosts' chase just 21 runs short of the required 227 with 24 balls remaining.
The chance of victory was set up by a somewhat sporting declaration made by Aussie skipper Michael Clarke after his side thumped their way to 111-6 in only 23 overs this afternoon.
But Clarke's gesture should not be seen as solely altruistic. It was also a rather desperate move by a captain looking to go into his home Ashes series on a positive note after a run this year without a Test win which has now reached nine matches.
Indeed, as England closed in on victory, Clarke's face was quite a picture and he anxiously stalked on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Kumar Dharmasena about the gloomy conditions.
Ultimately, the decision was down to the umpires, of course, but Clarke will be relieved not to become the first ever Australia captain to lose a series by a 4-0 scoreline.
In fairness, that result would have been a very harsh reflection on a much-derided Australian outfit which has improved as the summer has worn on.
At the Oval, with the benefit of winning the toss, the Aussies set about compiling their second big first innings total in the last three matches.
Shane Watson, batting at three having appeared previously as an opener and as low as a number six in this series, finally converted a start into a really big score.
Player of the match Watson has 23 Test match fifties but this was only the third time he managed to make it to three figures.
Just behind him already, then, is youngster Steve Smith who reached his maiden Test century by smashing a six over long-on, before Australia eventually declared on 429-9.
Under scoreboard pressure, England responded solidly with, amazingly, their first half-century opening stand of the series from Alastair Cook and Joe Root.
There were no big totals on the home team's scorecard as each of the top seven got in and got out, with totals of between 25 and Root's 68.
It was really slow going, though, with Kevin Pietersen's 50 coming off 133 balls in over three hours, the third-slowest of his Test career.
In fact, only 212 runs were scored in a whole day's play - and, on the fourth day, the match officially ground to a halt as rain and a soaking wet outfield prevented anything from happening at all.
Thus, day five began with England still batting and only four wickets down in their first innings, and the draw was heavily odds on with the bookmakers.
Indeed, it went as far as being 1/200 once some positive batting by Matt Prior had saved the follow-on. By contrast, at that stage, it was 40/1 for either team to win.
Nevertheless, after a fine cameo with the bat by Graeme Swann - 34 off 24 balls, Australia decided to thrill the fifth day crowd at the Oval by setting up a run chase.
Watson and David Warner made a cracking start - but, once that was broken by James Anderson's superb caught and bowled, the tourists struggled to build any other meaningful partnerships.
Stuart Broad bowled well again to take 4-43 and their total at tea of 111 - Nelson, of course - was probably less than they would have originally hoped.
From early on in their reply, England eyed their target with positive intent, and the first two overs went for 14.
Root, though, did not last long, the Yorkshire youngster caught behind by Brad Haddin off the tireless bowling of Ryan Harris for 11.
It was a wonderful personal moment for Haddin who duly entered the record books as the wicketkeeper with the most dismissals in any Test series. With 29, he finished the series one ahead of his compatriot Rod Marsh from the 1982-83 campaign.
The scoring rate then slowed and the asking rate increased but Cook's wicket, taken by impressive debutant James Faulkner, brought Pietersen to the crease.
And, while Pietersen's first innings 50 was an exercise in patience and frustration, the fireworks really flew in his second knock as he hit 10 fours to make 62 off 55 balls for his fastest ever Ashes half-century.
For much of his innings, Pietersen was ably supported by Jonathan Trott but, when England lost both men in quick succession, the chase had to be resurrected by man of the series Ian Bell and nerveless novice Chris Woakes.
Despite a lack of boundaries, the pair did well and rotated the strike to bring the target into sight.
But, just as it came within a few blows, the umpires checked their light meters and dictated that the conditions were unplayable, an unfathomable decision really, given the state of the match.
Just imagine if the destination of the Ashes had rested on the decision! And, even though they did not, the pub bore's old joke about cricket pointlessly lasting for five days without a proper result feels somewhat apt tonight.
Rightly, disappointment lasted but for a few brief moments for the England players, though, as ticker-tape and pyrotechnics filled the blackened skies.
These are glorious times to be a fan of the national team too, with four Ashes series wins from the last five fast wiping out the painful, desolate years of the 1990s.
Australia - credit to them - competed well, particularly in the last three Tests. But, by then, they were already 2-0 down and, in fact, this was the first time since 1977 that Australia had failed to win a single Test in an Ashes campaign.
Fortunately for the Aussies, they have an almost immediate chance for revenge - the first Test of the next series Down Under begins in Brisbane on 21 November.
In fact, England will leave these shores in just a couple of months - but they will do so rightfully confident of yet more success.
Captain Cook's men may have failed to get over the line this evening at the Oval, but their canny knack of winning has continued this summer. It is just a habit which Australia do not have, and long may that be the case.
THE ASHES 2013
FIXTURES
| 10-14 July | First Test: England 215 & 375 beat Australia 280 & 296 by 14 runs | Trent Bridge |
| 18-21 July | Second Test: England 361 & 349-7dec beat Australia 128 & 235 by 347 runs | Lord's |
| 1-5 August | Third Test: Australia 527-7dec & 172-7dec drew with England 368 & 37-3 | Old Trafford |
| 9-12 August | Fourth Test: England 238 & 330 beat Australia 270 & 224 by 74 runs | Riverside |
| 21-25 August | Fifth Test: Australia 492-9dec & 111-6dec drew with England 377 & 206-5 | The Oval |
CENTURIES (*not out)
187 Michael Clarke (Australia), third Test
180 Joe Root (England), second Test
176 Shane Watson (Australia), fifth Test
138* Steve Smith (Australia), fifth Test
113 Kevin Pietersen (England), third Test
113 Ian Bell (England), fourth Test
110 Chris Rogers (Australia), fourth Test
109 Ian Bell (England), first Test
109 Ian Bell (England), second Test
FIVE-WICKET HAULS (~ 10 wickets in the match)
7-117 Ryan Harris (Australia), fourth Test
~6-50 Stuart Broad (England), fourth Test
5-44 Graeme Swann (England), second Test
5-50 Peter Siddle (Australia), first Test
~5-71 Stuart Broad (England), fourth Test
5-72 Ryan Harris (Australia), second Test
~5-73 James Anderson (England), first Test
~5-85 James Anderson (England), first Test
5-159 Graeme Swann (England), third Test
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