Australia narrowly avoided defeat on Sunday as rain came to their rescue, allowing them to retain the Ashes series once more. Despite England's strong performance in the four days of action-packed cricket in Manchester, the weather prevented them from securing a victory on the final day. England needed just five more wickets with Australia trailing by 61 runs, but the rain washed out the entire fifth-day action, allowing Australia to escape with a draw and retain the urn.
Rain helps Aussies retain Ashes urn
England had a chance to level the series at 2-2 after facing two early defeats. Their win in the 3rd Test at Headingley fueled their determination to bounce back and equalize the series in Manchester. Scoring their highest Ashes innings total on home soil since 1985, England set an impressive score of 592 while dismissing Australia for 317. On a rain-affected fourth day, Australia managed to reach 214 for five, thanks to Marnus Labuschagne's century, but England remained in a strong position as they were yet to bat in the second innings.
The Manchester weather ultimately saved Australia, as the match ended in a draw without a single ball being bowled on Day 5, leaving England frustrated and extending their eight-year wait to win the Ashes.
During the post-match press conference, England captain Ben Stokes faced a challenging question from an English reporter about the team's "disappointment." Stokes was asked to compare the disappointment of going 0-2 down early in the series with the drawn fourth Test. He responded with a brief and succinct answer, leaving the question open to interpretation.
“No, not really,” he said with a blank face and a stare before smirking at the reporter.
Difficult to accept final outcome
In spite of England's outcome in the fourth Test, they remain determined to level the series, while Australia harbors high hopes of achieving their first series victory in England since 2001.
"It is a tough one to take," Stokes said. "Playing the cricket we managed to play over the first three days and get on the wrong side of the weather it is tough to take but it is all part of the journey.
“Coming into the game, knowing what we needed to do, played into our hands a little bit. It was another do or die game for us. It will be tough to look back on but there is one more game to go and we'll be trying to tie the series and a lot of pride to play for. We want to draw the series like in 2019.”
