England came close to pulling off a famous victory in the fifth Test at The Oval—only for bad light to have the final say in the series.

Michael Clarke's bold declaration looked to have set up a thrilling finale, with England making a fine effort of chasing 227 runs to win.

But with four overs to go the light meters came out, the players came off, and England had to settle for coming away with a 3-0 series win.

Morning session - England 350-7

The wet outfield delayed the session by half an hour, but England did what they needed to—move past the follow-on target and into a position of strength to avoid defeat on the final day.

Australia chipped away with wickets, but Matt Prior, with his best score of an otherwise disappointing series, kept England going, along with 11-ball cameo from Swann just before the lunch interval in which he added 24 runs.

Afternoon session - England 377, Australia 111-6

England eked out another 27 runs before they were bowled out—it represented their largest innings of a series in which they have not dominated with the willow—conceding a lead of 115 runs to the tourists.

Australia, with two extended sessions left in the day, set about forcing a declaration, opening with Shane Watson and David Warner in a shuffled lineup.

They struggled to get going. Stuart Broad picked up four quick wickets as Australia struggled to 111 for six wickets, but Michael Clarke's declaration at the tea interval gave England the opportunity to chase 227 in 44 overs late in the day to win the series 4-0.

Evening session - England 206-5

A match and series, which had threatened to peter out to a limp conclusion, got a thrilling injection of life on the final day as England chased after 227 runs—only to end up 21 runs short with four overs left to bowl, when bad light intervened.

Alastair Cook and Joe Root got off to a brisk start, before Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen combined to bring the total within sight.

England hurtled towards their total as the light faded, but Australia slowed things down just enough for the light in London to have the final say on a strange series.

Here is the scorecard, via the BBC: