Ashes 2017: Rain hands broken England stay of execution after Joe Root falls to Nathan Lyon's first ball

England 132-4 (trail by 127 runs): Australia racked up a record 662 – the highest single innings score in an Ashes Test down under – before knocking off some of England's top order

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Finally, Australia have discovered a worthy opponent. The Perth weather brought a premature end to the fourth day’s play here, a day on which England slipped ever closer to the Ashes trap door. In so doing, it managed to achieve what England have thus far been incapable of: thwarting Australia’s seemingly inexorable victory march.

One by one, two by two, the disappointed crowd filed out of the exits, along gangways still glistening from the rain. They had wanted to see an Ashes victory with their own eyes. Instead, they will have to wait, and even if there is more rain forecast for day five, it is unlikely to linger into the afternoon. At some point on Monday, England’s two-year grip on the urn will be loosened.

Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow, their stalwarts from the first innings, remain at the crease. There is Moeen Ali still to come, Chris Woakes and Craig Overton, a pitch that – with one or two notable exceptions – is still fairly good for batting. But the overwhelming suspicion remains that England checked out of this series some time ago: not in the sense of giving up, but in the sense of relinquishing any realistic belief in their own ability to compete.

That much was clear in the morning session, as Australia resumed their stately progress towards the sort of unassailable total that England might have been eyeing for themselves when they were 381-4 on the second morning, seemingly certain of keeping the series alive until Melbourne at least.

But throughout this series, they have never quite emanated the conviction that they can win the crucial periods. And now they are broken: Stuart Broad zapped, Craig Overton injured, James Anderson a floaty shadow, Chris Woakes the fast bowling equivalent of petrol station flowers. Moeen Ali is bowling like a guy who has found his ceiling, and is still stooping. All went for over a hundred runs. Not all, you feel, will make it to the end of this series.

At least England could claim a few tiny victories after their barren day with the ball on Saturday. Mitchell Marsh failed to add to his overnight score of 181, falling LBW to Anderson. The imperial Steve Smith finally shuffled across the line once too often and went the same way for 239. Mitchell Starc was run out after a calamitous mix-up with Tim Paine. At that point, Australia had lost three wickets for 12 and the innings was in danger of petering out.

Mitchell Starc celebrates the wicket of James Vince (Getty)

But they regrouped, as they always have. Paine, like many keepers, enjoyed his cuts and carves behind square, and got to 30 before anyone realised a third man might be a good idea. Anderson jogged in to claim two more wickets and the least exhilarating four-fer of his life. Australia’s score of 662 was the highest ever Ashes total in Australia. Well, Joe Root did say he wanted to make some history.

It was the calm before the swarm. England’s 180-over ordeal had scared and scarred them, shocked and shattered them, and against a well-rested Australian pace attack they were stationary targets. Mark Stoneman seemed almost to offer his edge for Josh Hazlewood to find. Six overs later, Hazlewood tumbled powerfully to his right to snaffle Cook’s leading edge. England’s hopes of batting for five sessions were evaporating fast.

Surely Root could dig in. But as Nathan Lyon stepped up to bowl his first ball of the innings, Root couldn’t help himself. Slash, snick, caught at slip. To loud cheers from the Barmy Army, a squally shower arrived at 3pm to bring a temporary halt to the slaughter. But an early tea was taken, the storm soon blew over and no overs were lost.

England’s hopes rested on James Vince, which is a bit like going all-in on a hand of jack-high. But Vince produced an innings of character and class, saving his place in the side for now at least with a fine 55. He looked good for more, too, until Starc cleaned him up with one of those deliveries that should really be pixelated for explicit content: spearing into Vince’s pads from around the wicket, only to hit a crack and demolish the off and leg stumps.

Vince was left playing a different ball entirely – a hypothetical delivery, one out of a parallel universe. Back in the England dressing room, you suspect their seamers were scratching their heads in puzzlement. Not in two days had a single ball misbehaved to that extent.

With an hour to stumps, another heavier shower emptied the grass banks at either side of the ground, and soon enough emptied the field too. Malan had played with the same poise he showed in the first innings, and Bairstow looked comfortable enough too. And if those two can whittle away the majority of their remaining 127 deficit, England may yet begin to believe in the miracle of Perth.

More realistically, England will need to bat for at least another 70 overs to save the game. The Ashes, technically, are still alive. But it would take a team with more resolve and more resilience than this England side to save them. The rain has sequestered them for now. But in the long run, you suspect it has simply given them one more night to dream of defeat.