LONDON: We have not seen the best of Michael Clarke in the final Ashes Test, let alone in the entire series, but his astute captaincy was pivotal in Australia being just four wickets from a morale-boosting victory against England.

The retiring captain's regular shuffling of his bowlers at the Oval brought 10 of the 16 wickets Australia had claimed over days two and three. The last of those, of his England counterpart Alastair Cook, removed the biggest obstacle to Australia finishing the series with a second win, after Clarke enforced the follow-on for the first time in his career even though it meant he will probably not bat again in his international swansong.

Cook has struggled to lead by example with the bat against Australia since succeeding Andrew Strauss as captain three years ago. Nevertheless he was regaining some credits by demonstrating his best batting traits (patience and restraint) to force the match into a fourth day.

Having reached 85 and soaked up more than 230 deliveries he looked certain to be leading that defensive effort on day four - and having the opportunity to break his Ashes century drought stretching back to January 2011.

Clarke is renowned for his regular bowling changes. In the 29-degree heat in London he made a total of 25 changes, 22 of them in England's second innings. The 24th of them, in the third-last over of the day, was a masterstroke.

Steve Smith had only bowled two overs in the series, and when the leg-spinner's second delivery was a wide full toss it was a reminder of why he was used so sparingly. The last ball of that over  had Cook heading back to the change rooms. He lunged forward and squeezed a catch to Adam Voges at short-leg.

It was the first wicket Australia had taken in 25 overs as Cook and Jos Buttler had successfully stymied the specialist bowlers.

England will resume on the fourth day at 6-203, trailing by 129, with Buttler on 33 and nightwatchman Mark Wood on 0 and only one more over until the second new ball is available.

Australia's players took the field wearing black armbands, to honour Invincibles batsman Arthur Morris who died at 93.

England resumed their first innings at the Oval at 8-107 and survived for 38 minutes, during which they scored freely, before Mark Wood (24) and Moeen Ali (30) fell off consecutive Mitch Johnson deliveries on 149.

Despite the hot conditions in London and Clarke's historical reluctance to force an opponent to bat in consecutive innings the 34-year-old took up the opportunity to bowl again, with his team holding a first-innings lead of 332.

Clarke had declined the other four opportunities he had to enforce the follow-on: against India at Adelaide Oval in 2011-12, against England at Adelaide Oval in 2013-14, against South Africa in Cape Town in 2013-14 and against England at Lord's earlier in the series.

It was the first time Australia had enforced the follow-on in almost five and a half years, since facing New Zealand in Wellington in March 2010. It was the first time they had done so against in an Ashes series since the 2002 Boxing Day Test, when they led by 281 and lost five wickets on the way to chasing their second-innings target of 107.

Peter Siddle provided further justification of his selection for the match by removing hapless England opener Adam Lyth before lunch, for 10

, attempting to defend a delivery on his off-stump and squeezing a catch to Clarke at second slip, to provide Siddle with a deserved breakthrough. It took his Test wicket tally to 195, and you would be hard pressed to find anyone who would begrudge him reaching 200 before his career is done.

As he trudged from the Oval there was barely a sound among the capacity crowd, due to the widespread expectation - maybe even extending to the 27-year-old himself, based on his trudge back to the dressing room - that another cheap dismissal would seal his axing.

Lyth has averaged a paltry 12.77, having scored 115 runs across the five Tests.

No.3 batsman Ian Bell fell in the eighth over of the second session for 13. His scalp, caught at second slip by Clarke, was savoured by bowler Mitch Marsh because he had been dropped twice off his bowling beforehand: by Clarke when Bell was on 3 and a tough chance at mid-wicket by Chris Rogers when he was on 9.

Bell's was one of only two wickets to fall between lunch and tea as captain Cook remained defiant. The other was Joe Root, who became the fourth Englishman for the match to fall playing a pull shot. The chance he offered, after he top-edged Johnson, was well taken just inside the fine-leg rope by Mitch Starc.

When Jonny Bairstow (26) and Ben Stokes (0) fell to Nathan Lyon at the start of his fourth spell it meant nine of the 15 English wickets to fall had come in the first over of a spell, a tally later added to by Cook.

Those two wickets in the 52nd over were the last breakthroughs Australia made until Smith's scalp just before stumps.

Cook's late departure was a blow to the home supporters, but those of them returning to the Oval will be comforted that whatever happens they will still see the urn held aloft by their team.