Ashes 2013: bad light sours finale as Australia captain Michael Clarke fronts up to umpire Aleem Dar at the Oval

Clarke revealed he told Dar not to touch him after the official appeared to push him away as he was consulting his light meter.

Clarke was urging the umpires to take the teams off the field after seeing the reading on the light meter, which he said proved the light was darker than when the umpires suspended play in the third Test at Old Trafford as Australia pressed for victory.

“I remember him [Dar] touching me and I asked him politely not to touch me as if I touched him I would be banned for three games,” said Clarke. “There was no comparison with the light. I remember seeing the reading when we were told we had to go off in Manchester.

"There was a big difference. It was certainly darker out there then than in Manchester. We have to go on the umpires’ call. If they say it is safe to keep playing we keep playing.”

Boos rang around the ground when Dar and Kumar Dharmasena took the players off and suspended play. Giles Clarke, the chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board and an influential presence at the ICC, will call for the governing body to change regulations regarding bad light.

At the moment umpires have to take the players off the field if the light reading drops from a pre-agreed reading before the game. “It is totally unsatisfactory the way the game ended – the rules are unacceptable and I expect Dave Richardson to change it at the next ICC chief executives meeting,” said Clarke.

The Australian captain had a long conversation with the umpires when it became clear his fielders were struggling to pick up the red ball under the floodlights, which had been switched on for some time before the players went off.

“I just asked why we haven’t got the meter out here,” said Clarke. “It took a few overs to get it out. All the players could see it was dark. You could see your own shadows and around the time that happens is generally close to when the umpires take us off.”

Alastair Cook described lifting the Ashes urn as the “proudest” moment of his life and even though his side missed out on becoming the first England team to win an Ashes series 4-0 he defended the umpires and Clarke from criticism.

“I can understand the crowd and it would have been nice to finish,” said Cook. “It is tough but rules and regulations are there for a reason and it was pretty dark. The umpires had a decision to make and even though it would have been nice to finish it cricket does not work like that. Fair play to Australia for pushing the game and making it a spectacle.”

Ricky Ponting was booed at the Oval four years ago but Australia will be upset Clarke was targeted after attempting to manufacture a finish.

“It doesn’t surprise me [to be booed],” said Clarke. “But that is the way I would like to see cricket played. I like to lead the Australian team in that type of manner.

"We had nothing to lose at 3-0 down but to me even if we were not 3-0 down we would still do everything to win a Test. The risk of losing was there but it was what we had to try and do.”

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Bad light ends thrilling Oval Test

By Sam Sheringham BBC Sport at the Kia Oval

Fifth Investec Test, Kia Oval (day five):

Australia 492-9d & 111-6d drew with England 377 & 206-5

England were denied a probable victory over Australia in the final Test when bad light ensured the match ended in a draw which confirmed the hosts' 3-0 series win.

Set a target of 227 by Michael Clarke's ambitious declaration, England needed 21 more from 24 balls with five wickets in hand when play was called to a halt by the umpires at 7.36pm.

"This was always going to happen. Don't blame the umpires or the players... blame the ICC. It's an absolute disgrace. An absolute shambles. The final day of the Ashes has ended in a farce. Let's hope that finally those people in Dubai who run the game realise what a mess this is. It's NOT the umpires' fault."

The Oval crowd, who had been treated to an incredible final day in which 447 runs were scored and 17 wickets fell, booed in disapproval before gathering to watch England captain Alastair Cook lift the Ashes urn.

England, who have now won three Ashes series in a row for the first time since 1977-1981, celebrated with a lap of honour while fireworks blazed over the pavilion.

Cook said: "It would have been nice to finish with a win but the rules and regulations are there for a reason. The umpires have strict guidelines and, if it was day three, we would have gone off."

Such an absorbing and ultimately controversial conclusion to the series looked unlikely when England began the final day only four wickets down in their first innings.

But the hosts' aggressive approach on Sunday morning, and Australia's determination to give themselves a chance of a consolation victory, saw Clarke declare his side's second innings on 111-6 at tea and set England a tantalising target in 44 overs.

A partnership of 64 between Cook (34) and Jonathan Trott set England on course before a buccaneering 62 off 55 balls from Kevin Pietersen established the hosts as firm favourites.

After Trott (59) and Pietersen were dismissed in quick succession, Chris Woakes and Ian Bell kept up the pace, but with the light fading rapidly, Australia began to complain.

When Bell was run out by Mitchell Starc for 17, the umpires consulted their light meters, and took the unpopular decision to end the match, denying the full house the finale they desired.

Under International Cricket Council regulations, the umpires were obliged to take the players off once the light had faded to the same level it was when they had stopped play on Thursday evening.

The crowd subsequently jeered the umpires and Clarke during the post-match presentation before applauding Cook's triumphant team as they jogged around the floodlit outfield with flags draped around their shoulders.

The victory margin was their biggest in the Ashes since they won 5-1 in 1978-79 and their best at home since their 3-0 win in 1977 - the last time Australia failed to win a single match against their fiercest rivals.

The result also means England move above India into second place in the ICC Test rankings, while Australia drop below Pakistan into fifth.

Leading run-scorers

562 Ian Bell (Eng) - average 62.44

418 Shane Watson (Aus) - average 41.80

388 Kevin Pietersen (Eng) - average 38.80

381 Michael Clarke (Aus) - average 47.62

367 Chris Rogers (Aus) - average 40.77

Leading wicket-takers

26 Graeme Swann (Eng) - average 29.03

24 Ryan Harris (Aus) - average 19.58

22 Stuart Broad (Eng) - average 27.45

22 James Anderson (Eng) - average 29.59

17 Peter Siddle (Aus) - average 31.58

After widespread criticism of their obdurate batting on Friday, when they scored 215 runs in 98.3 overs, England set off in far more positive fashion as their final six wickets added 130 in 28.4.

Matt Prior made 47 - his highest score of the series - and Graeme Swann smashed 34 off 24 balls before he was the last man out to give debutant James Faulkner his fourth wicket.

If England's approach had been attacking, then Australia's was an all-out assault as they front-loaded their batting order with big-hitters and set out in pursuit of quick runs.

The result was 111 runs and six wickets in 23 riotous overs, with Stuart Broad taking 4-43 before Clarke, who top-scored with 28 not out, took the decision to declare.

England could easily have batted conservatively to guarantee they finished the series undefeated but they were positive from the outset and would surely have completed a 4-0 victory had the match not been brought to a premature, and farcical conclusion.

"This morning our job was to try and make it as difficult as possible to stop Australia from pushing on for a win and to make our chances of victory easier," added Cook.

"The crowds have been fantastic for all five Tests and I'm privileged to captain this group of guys. Winning this series is the proudest moment of my life."

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