Rain frustrates England after Heather Knight and Katherine Brunt stage remarkable comeback

The final day will start half an hour early and be extended to 109 overs to push for a result, although a draw now seems the most likely outcome which would leave England needing to win all three one-dayers, beginning on Thursday in Canberra next week, to take the Ashes from Australia.

England captain Heather Knight is part of a growing chorus of voices throwing their support behind the implementation of a fifth day in women's Test matches, following her career-best 168 not out that dragged England from staring down the barrel of following on to almost taking charge of the match.

"If you play in one Test per year I think five days is a bit of a no brainer really," Knight said.

"The last two Test matches we've had in women's cricket have been affected by rain. When there's rain involved it's never an ideal situation.

"Five-day cricket would be slightly better particularly when you lose the time to rain. It's set up to be a really good finish."

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The last four women's Tests around the world have been drawn. Not since 2015 when Australia downed England by 161 runs at Canterbury has there been a result.

Knight's fighting knock was the second highest innings in Women's Ashes history, while her 100-run, ninth-wicket stand with Sophie Ecclestone was also an Ashes record.

The pair helped reduce the first-innings deficit to 40 runs, before Katherine Brunt snared openers Alyssa Healy and Rachael Haynes to leave Australia reeling at 2-12 before the heavens opened and the rain settled, most likely robbing the match of a conclusion.

"[It's] a little bit frustrating, we're still holding out a little bit of hope, we've got 109 overs tomorrow so a little bit extra, we're going to have to bowl absolutely out of our skins and try and take a few early wickets and put the Aussies under the pump," Knight said.

"First and foremost our approach will be to be really aggressive in that first hour. The ball is still new and it's still doing quite a little bit. We feel like that's our best opportunity to take wickets."

Australia had been in cruise control up until shortly after tea on Friday, when Knight began gradually wresting momentum back for the visitors.

She resumed on 127 not out and picked up exactly where she left off, becoming just the second Ashes player in history to pass 150 twice in Tests.

When Ecclestone departed, Kate Cross took over, and added 28 more with her captain before Ellyse Perry broke through to grab her third wicket.

Australia's second innings started poorly as Healy fished for one outside off stump off Brunt, and fell for a second-straight duck.

Tammy Beaumont then reacted sharply at bat pad to help remove first-innings hero Rachael Haynes, as Brunt claimed her seventh wicket for the match.

"Brunty's having a brilliant Test match, and the way she bowled, the aggression and the skill - to pick up those two wickets felt like we could really break the game open, try to get them out for a cheap score and set up a chase," Knight said.

Australian all rounder Ashleigh Gardner, who won the Belinda Clark Medal earlier in the day as the country's best female cricketer, said her side would still chase victory on Sunday.

"The best way we can go about it is a really positive mindset and really positive intent with the bat to try and get us in a winning position," Gardner said.

"We'd love to get anywhere around the 200-mark [in the second innings]. So hopefully score some quick runs and get about 50 to 60 overs at them.

"In the three Test matches I've played, rain has affected every single one of them, so it's made it pretty challenging to get a result. Having that fifth day for the potential of rain would be handy."