After five weeks of disappointment, Australia's cricket fans may well have lost heart and interest in this Ashes series as the fifth and final Test approaches.

And while we have to admit there's little reason to smile, there are certainly plenty to keep you interested in proceedings, which begin at The Oval on Thursday (8pm AEST).

Here are five:

Australia can still out-rank England

There's a saying that goes: 'You're only as good as your last game'. It may have little real meaning to the Australians after handing over the Ashes, but if the ICC Test rankings are anything to go by, there's a grain of truth to it.

Win, and Australia will keep second place on the Test championship table behind South Africa, with 106 rankings points to England's 102.

Quick single: England could leapfrog Australia in rankings

Draw, and the Aussies still retain bragging rights, with both sides on 104 points but the men in Baggy Green fractionally ahead.

Lose, however, and the Old Enemy officially leapfrogs Australia, moving three points clear on 105 points and boasting not only possession of the little urn, but superiority in the wider context of Test cricket.

From the Ashes, a phoenix can rise

It's easy to forget that Australia were in a more dire position than they currently find themselves at the corresponding juncture of the 2013 Ashes.

Then, with Darren Lehmann taking over the coaching reins just a fortnight out from the start of the series, the tourists were 3-0 down heading into the fifth Test and staring down the barrel of an unthinkable 4-0 scoreline.

Enter Steve Smith, at that point a bits-and-pieces player with a funny technique who had threatened to come good on his obvious talent without ever truly doing so.

Smith had made scores of 77, 92 and 89 but it was at The Oval that he truly announced himself, crashing an unbeaten 138 to cement his place for the return bout in Australia and trigger an avalanche of runs.

Nine hundreds in 18 Tests followed, a run that saw the right-hander confirm his status as captain-in-waiting and rise to the No.1 spot in Test cricket's batting rankings.

Watch: Smith's double ton for the ages

So, can someone transform this 'dead rubber' into their personal launching pad this time around?

Mitchell Marsh and Pat Cummins shape as possibilities, with both youngsters so far high on potential without converting that into regular dominance at international level.

Quick single: Cummins ready, but realistic about call-up

Wicketkeeper-batsman Peter Nevill is another who will be hoping for more strong performances with both glove and bat as he looks to lock down his place in the side long term, with the Blues keeper undoubtedly aware of Matthew Wade's presence in the ODI squad for the series to follow the Ashes.

Josh Hazlewood has a commendable 16 wickets to his name this Ashes series to go with his excellent start to Test cricket, but with a glut of fast-bowling talent in Australia, the tall right-armer would love a bagful at The Oval to ensure he is among the first picked for the opening Test in Bangladesh.

Thanks for the memories, Bucky

Maybe it's because he's only been a fixture on the Test scene for the past two years. Maybe it's because he's an unassuming type on the field. Or maybe it's because he doesn't score his runs in the frenzied manner of David Warner or with the panache of Steve Smith.

Whatever the case, Chris Rogers' presence in Australia's Test team – and the role he played in returning them briefly to the top of the tree in March 2014 – has been undervalued.

Since being recalled in 2013 for his second Test, Rogers has scored more Ashes runs than anyone – 1,267 at 48.73 with four hundreds, to be exact.

No Australian – not even Sir Donald Bradman – has scored as many runs in Test cricket's oldest rivalry while aged 35 years or over.

There have been other highlights, too.

His run of seven consecutive fifties equalled that particular world record, he made a Test-best 173 at Lord's, while until his first innings duck at Trent Bridge he was also on track for the world record for longest Test career (45 innings) without registering nought.

Watch: Rogers racks up Lord's ton

Rogers will turn 38 on the last day of this month, which will be one week into his retirement.

Unless of course, he is persuaded to rescind his decision to call time on his belated international career in a bid to add some much-needed experience to an Australian team in transition.

Either way, it's only right to salute the veteran left-hander for his services to Baggy Green.

An unwanted slice of history

Through 138 years of Ashes cricket, there have invariably been countless swings and roundabouts. We've seen three five-nil whitewashes by Australian teams , plenty of absolute nail-biters, and a whole gamut of results in between.

But never has a touring Australian side surrendered four Test matches in an Ashes series.

Unfortunately for Michael Clarke, results so far this tour mean he is saddled with the burden of being the Australian captain to have lost the most Ashes Tests – seven in total.

Watch: England reclaim the urn

A double whammy of that and a history-making four-one defeat would seem somewhat harsh on the man who also boasts the much friendlier tag of being the only player in Ashes history to play in two five-nil whitewashes.

That being the case, there's motivation aplenty for the Australians heading into The Oval, and another reason for their supporters to get behind them.

Final act of a legendary career

Speaking of the skipper, and the focus will largely be on Michael John Clarke throughout this, the final Test match of a glittering career.

Clarke's teammates have already expressed their desire to send one of Australia's greatest cricketers out a winner, particularly after the disappointments leading up to this fifth Test.

Clarke is zero from four in his attempts to win an Ashes series overseas, and while nothing that happens at The Oval can change that, victory would at least be a consolation and afford him the opportunity to leave the game as a winner of sorts.

Australia's fourth-highest Test runs-scorer, Clarke will lead Australia in Baggy Green for the 47th time.

Watch: Clarke's amazing Test career remembered

Victory would give him an overall captaincy winning record of 51 per cent – the eighth-best in Test history (minimum 25 Tests), while defeat or a draw would see him slip under the 50 per cent winning ratio.

The 34-year-old has 28 Test hundreds to his name, meaning he needs one more to draw level with Sir Donald Bradman's mark in his final Test.

And having recorded a century on Test debut back in October 2004, Clarke is also in a position to become just the fifth player to post three figures in his first and last (separate) Tests.

"When he was on song with those double hundreds and that 300 in Sydney, that was as good as it gets," Glenn McGrath told cricket.com.au of Clarke's golden period in 2012.

"He's always been highly regarded and he will (continue to) be held that way."

Watch: Warne and McGrath pay tribute to Clarke