Australia captain Michael Clarke has insisted that his side would have won the third Ashes Test match had it not been disrupted by rain.

The tourists had reduced England to 37-3 at lunch on the final day, with the home side still 294 runs adrift of their target, but Clarke has revealed that his side are in confident mood ahead of the fourth Test at Durham.

The 32-year-old told Sky Sports News: "All of the boys took a lot of confidence out of that last Test match. We believe that if the rain didn't come down, we would have won that Test.

"We have taken the positives. The guys have scored some runs, which is really encouraging, and the bowlers have continued to do a fantastic job for us."

Despite the draw in the third Test, England retained the Ashes with two matches of the series remaining.