It’s hardly the question you would expect to confront the man who had just rescued Australia in the fourth Test, but it came anyway.

“I’m not retiring,” insisted Steve Smith after his 71-run lead helped lift Australia to a slim 12-run lead midway through the match.

“I have no idea (where it’s come from), because I haven’t said it to anyone. I am not going anywhere yet.”

With his form and future questioned before the match, Smith at The Oval on Friday to help Australia to 295 in reply to England’s 283.

Pat Cummins (36) and Todd Murphy (34) played crucial innings late for the tourists, putting on 49 for the ninth wicket after a frustrating day of missed opportunities.

Keen to wear down England’s attack and build a sizeable first-innings lead, Australia fell from 1-91 midway through the morning to 7-185.

But, as has so often been the case, Smith held the innings together.

The 34-year-old later offered further relief when he confirmed retirement was not on the cards, despite claims from former England captain Michael Vaughan that he’d heard this could be Smith’s last Test.

Smith’s comments followed that of David Warner, who also rejected similar claims about him from Vaughan before the Test, labelling it a joke.

Return to form

In a tour that included a century against India in the World Test Championship final last month and another at Lord’s against England, Smith had failed to reach 50 in all other innings before Friday.

But he looked fluent on Friday, driving James Anderson for back-to-back boundaries and bringing up 50 with another powerful shot down the ground.

“I felt pretty good,” Smith said.

“Today is the best I have batted maybe outside of the Test Championship.

“I would have liked more runs (on this tour) of course but two hundreds in six games for the winter here, I think it’s reasonable.”

Smith’s innings was not without drama though, after England believed they had him run out by substitute fielder George Ealham on 43.

But replays showed Jonny Bairstow had broken the stumps early and the bail did not properly dislodge in time.

Smith was then guilty of attempting to counter-attack too early, caught after he skied a leading edge when trying to hit Chris Woakes (3-61) over the legside.

With Cummins still looking solid down the other end, Murphy hit  Australia towards parity when he hooked Mark Wood for three sixes.

It was a result Australia would have taken halfway through the day given their collapse, but not early on given the foundation they had built.

Marnus Labuschagne chewed up 82 balls for his nine before being caught by a superb one-handed diving catch by Joe Root at first slip off Wood (2-62).

‘We can be a little disappointed’

Usman Khawaja was lbw after lunch to Stuart Broad (2-49) after using up 157 balls for his 47, before Travis Head (four) and Mitch Marsh (16) fell in quick succession.

Alex Carey was caught at cover when he attacked a tossed-up delivery outside off stump from Joe Root (2-20), before Mitchell Starc was caught on the hook.

Australia are still in front in their push for a win that will wrap up their first Ashes series victory in England in 22 years, but the path there is not as easy as it could have been.

“Overall we can be a little disappointed,” Smith said.

“A lot of us got starts and weren’t able to capitalise.

“If one of those partnerships that were 40 or 50 (turns) into 100 or 150, that gives us a decent lead.”

— with AAP