Harry Brook was just two years old the last time Australia won an Ashes series in England and wants to ensure their wait goes on by securing a “moral victory” for the home side at the Oval.

The tantalising prospect of this week’s fifth and final Test being a do-or-die shootout for the urn disappeared in a downpour at Old Trafford, where England’s dominance was rewarded with a rain-ruined draw.

A 2-1 lead means the Baggy Greens retain as holders, but they remain intent on becoming the first Australian side to win outright on English soil since 2001.

Should they fall at the final hurdle, as they did from the same position four years ago, it would be a flat finish to a tour that started with a triumphant World Test Championship final against India.

And Brook, 24, is eager to press home the growing impression that England have enjoyed the better of this summer’s rivalry.

“We haven’t lost yet, they’ve only retained it. There is another Test match to be won,” he said.

“It’s a shame the weather ruined it for us because we’d have felt very confident going into this game at 2-2. We were dominating the game last week, so if the game had played out, I would like to think we would have won. If we can win this week, yeah, it almost can make it a moral victory.

“We’re not focused on winning as a side, we’re focused on making people enjoy watching and bringing Test cricket alive again. I think we’ve done a decent job of that in the last 12 months and it’s been exciting to watch. It’s definitely been exciting to play in.”

Asked if spoiling the Australian party was a motivating factor, he added: “That would be lovely. It’s not nice drawing, but it would be lovely to not give them that privilege.

“We’re just going to go out there and play the same way we have in this series.”

Brook is one of the least experienced members of a seasoned England squad and has embraced his first taste of Ashes cricket.

He has 271 runs, three half-centuries and a middling average of 38.71, but played a match-winning hand of 75 during a tense fourth-innings chase at Headingley.

“On a personal note, that is one of my favourite innings – a crunch game, at my home ground, so to have contributed a significant amount was nice,” he said.

“I’m learning every day and there are so many things I have learnt this series playing against some of the best bowlers in the world. Having grown up watching quite a bit of the Ashes, it feels like the pinnacle of Test cricket.

“There is a fine line between aggression and recklessness. I’d probably rather be on the reckless side than the tentative side. I’m not just there to survive. I like to score runs and I try to score them quite quick.”

There are some tired bodies in the England camp, particularly among the bowling group. Chris Woakes and Mark Wood are both battling stiffness and soreness, while Stuart Broad is eyeing the prospect of playing a sixth Test in just over seven weeks at the age of 37.

But while many of their group are looking forward to a well-earned rest, Brook’s youth and exuberance means he plans to turn out for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred just three days after the end of the Ashes.

“I’m going straight into it. I’m happy to play that first game,” he said.

Brook is well in demand on the short-form circuit, having won a £1.3million deal with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League as well as representing teams in the Pakistan Super League and Big Bash.

But he insists the international game is his overwhelming priority and has no intention of letting his head be turned.

Addressing reports that the England and Wales Cricket Board is preparing to introduce improved multi-year deals which would limit availability in T20 tournaments, he said: “I want to play cricket for England. I’m not bothered about all the franchise stuff.

“Obviously, it’s a bonus but I’m completely focused on playing cricket for England. I’m playing all three formats for England, I don’t really feel like there’s too much time to be playing any other franchise stuff, to be honest.

“The IPL is the only one that is really free, when you’re available for everything, so there won’t be much thought there.”

Harry Brook wants to end England’s Ashes summer on a high and believes levelling the series at the Kia Oval would represent “a moral victory” over Australia.

The tourists already know they will be lifting the urn at the end of this week’s fifth Test, with their current 2-1 lead enough to guarantee they retain as holders.

They are still aiming to pull off an outright victory to become the first Australian men’s side to win a series on these shores since 2001, but England can ensure their achievement rings hollow if they make it 2-2 in south London.

After winning at Headingley and dominating the first three days at Old Trafford before rain robbed them,  Ben Stokes’ men want to prove they have had the better of the contest.

“We were dominating the game last week so, if the game had played out, I would like to think we would have won. If we can win this week, it almost makes it a moral victory,” Brook said.

“That would be lovely. It’s not nice drawing, but it would be lovely to not give them that privilege.

“We’re just gonna go out there and play the same way we have in this series. It’s a shame the weather ruined it for us because we’d have felt very confident going into this game at 2-2. The rain won last week.

“We were thinking that (we deserved something) last week when it was pouring down in Manchester. It never seems to be sunny there.”

Brook has registered three half-centuries and scored 271 runs across seven Ashes innings, but would love a big score to finish the series.

On his match-winning 75 at Headingley, the Yorkshireman said: “On a personal note, one of my favourite innings, in a crunch game, at my home ground, to have contributed a significant amount was nice.

“There are so many things I have learnt this series and to play some of the best bowlers in the world, I haven’t got a big score but feel I have contributed in a few games now.

“I know I am at my best when I am trying to be positive, not just trying to survive. A couple of times I feel like I have been reckless, especially that innings at Lord’s in the first innings and then some innings where I’ve been tentative and not trying to score. It is just about getting it right.

“I have definitely got used to them (the Australian bowlers), I haven’t faced them before this series so it takes time but I feel I have watched enough and faced enough to go out there and feel confident now.”