Il Nuovo Postiglione - Rain frustrates England bid for fourth Test win against Australia

This a must-win match for England, currently 2-1 down with two to play, if they are to regain the Ashes.

They headed into the fourth day of five in a commanding position with Australia 113-4 in their second innings, still 162 runs behind England's imposing first-innings 592.

England are effectively six wickets away from a win that would square the series at 2-2 heading into next week's fifth Test at The Oval in London.

But persistent rain was still pelting down on Old Trafford, with the pitch and square fully covered, when play should have resumed at the scheduled start time of 11:00 am (1000 GMT).

There are now fears that rain on both Saturday and Sunday could scupper England's bid to draw level, with Old Trafford notorious for weather interruptions -- the Manchester ground has had 24 complete days rained off in Test cricket, plus an additional two entire Tests abandoned.

England restricted world Test champions Australia to 317 in their first innings at Old Trafford, with Chris Woakes taking 5-52.

Then, scoring rapidly, England passed 500 in a home Ashes innings for the first time since their 1985 series win over Australia.

Opening batsman Zak Crawley's 189 laid the foundation in an innings where six of England's top seven all made fifties, with Jonny Bairstow left stranded on 99 not out when last man James Anderson was lbw on his Lancashire home ground.

- 'Weather is the weather' -

Fast bowler Mark Wood, a key figure in England's three-wicket win in the third Test at Headingley, then ripped through Australia's top order late on Friday with a superb burst of 3-17 as he dismissed Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith and Travis Head.

"The weather is the weather," said Bairstow after Friday's close of play. "What comes will come and we can control what we have done so far in the game which is score at a rate that puts us in a position that hopefully forces a result."

Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood added: "It would be great to lose a few overs here and there and make our job a bit easier hanging in there.

"We're well behind and it's easy to see that."

England are bidding to become just the second side in Ashes history to win a series from 2-0 down. The Australia team of 1936/37, inspired by batting great Don Bradman, overturned that deficit to win 3-2.

If the weather does condemn the fourth Test to a draw, England may be left to rue a couple of key moments in the opening two matches of the series.

In the first Test at Edgbaston, England captain Ben Stokes declared on 393-8 on the first day when star batsman Joe Root was 118 not out and in a position to take the hosts to an impregnable total.

Australia went on to win a thrilling match by two wickets.

And in the second Test at Lord's, England were well-placed at 188-1 in their first innings only to collapse to 325 all out.

Australia eventually completed a 43-run despite Stokes's stunning second-innings 155.

M.Dodaro--INP