Manchester, Jul 22 (IANS): Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood said that he would welcome relentless rain, as it would tilt the odds in their favour, making it easier for them to secure a draw and retain the Ashes.

England find themselves in a favourable position in the fourth Ashes Test with Australia (113-4) trailing by 162 runs at the end of the third day's action. The hosts have a chance to take control of the game, but the weather forecast for the fourth day adds a twist to the match.

"I'd be very pleased," Hazlewood when asked about his thoughts on two days of relentless rain. "It's obviously forecast, and forecasts can change all the time (but) rain and light plays a big part in cricket and has done forever. So it'd be great to lose a few overs here and there and make our job a little easier of hanging in there. It's pretty obvious.

"Obviously we're a long way behind as you can see on the scoreboard, but we're just slowly spent the next two days trying to grab back a little bit of momentum. That (winning) is still the mindset I think of all the time when playing cricket."

The weather conditions on day four could impact the amount of playing time available for England to take the remaining six Australian wickets and chase any required runs if the visitors manage to take the lead in the second innings.