Cricket: England accused of dragging feet but say they are as keen to win as Australia

England's Alastair Cook, right and teammate Joe Root. Photo / AP

England have again been forced to defend accusations of Ashes time-wasting and insist they're out to win the dead-rubber fifth test rather than simply deny Australia victory.

The home side's over rate was reduced to excruciating levels as they managed to bowl just 11.5 in the 64 minutes after tea on a rain-affected second day at The Oval.

As one English reporter noted, it appeared they were trying to bore, rather than bowl, Australia out.

Having already endured a frustrating wait after rain delayed the start of play by 3 hours, almost 20,000 fans at the London ground were virtually left to entertain themselves at times.

England bowling coach David Saker admitted the game pace was painfully slow but denied stalling tactics, saying it was a necessary evil on a wet day in the English capital.

"You can't deliver the ball until the ball's dry," Australian Saker said.

"Most of the educated crowd would have known that. Some of them wouldn't."

England were also accused of trying to slow down the game in the drawn third test at Old Trafford. But Saker insisted England's ambitions at The Oval extended beyond sending Australia home without a victory.

England were 32-0 at stumps in reply to Australia's declaration at 492-9, with play called off in bad light seven overs short of the allotted amount for the day. "We still believe we can win the match from where we sit," Saker said. "They're desperate to win, we're desperate to win 4-0." Saker also blamed the rain for the fact debutant spinner Simon Kerrigan did not bowl a single ball on the second day.

The left arm orthodox bowler endured a horror opening day, as he felt Shane Watson's wrath and conceded 28 runs off his first two overs.

"Once the ball got wet, it limited what we could do with the ball and who we could throw it to," he said.

He insisted Kerrigan still had an important part to play on a pitch expected to favour spinners on the closing days.

"If he bowls us to victory on day five, it'd be a bit of a feelgood story for a lot of people," Saker said.

- AAP