Australia built a lead of nearly 300 against England when rain forced an early tea on the fourth day of the third Test at Old Trafford on Sunday.
But the tourists had yet to declare in a match they have to win to stand any chance of regaining the Ashes.
Australia were 137 for five in their second innings, 296 runs in front, with captain Michael Clarke 14 not out, following his superb first innings 187, and Brad Haddin yet to score.
The most any side have made to win in the fourth innings of an Old Trafford Test is England's 294 for four against New Zealand in 2008.
A draw would see England, 2-0 up in the five-Test series, retain the Ashes and Clarke would have been mindful of the need to give his bowlers enough time to take 10 second innings wickets.
Another factor he had to take into consideration was the weather, with more rain forecast for Monday.
England complicated Australia's victory bid by avoiding the follow-on earlier Sunday after resuming on 294 for seven following Kevin Pietersen's impressive 113 on Saturday.
They needed 34 runs to make Australia bat again and the eighth wicket duo of Matt Prior (30) and Stuart Broad (32) knocked them off with a flurry of boundaries in an eighth-wicket stand of 58.
Indeed it was Broad's back-foot drive for four off fast bowler Ryan Harris that saw England avoid the follow-on.
Broad scored all but four of his runs in boundaries before he was caught behind off spinner Nathan Lyon.
