In a disappointing outcome for England, Australia has retained the Ashes following a rain-affected draw in the fourth Test at Old Trafford. The final day, Sunday, was cancelled due to inclement weather. This result ensures that Australia will retain the Ashes with a 2-1 lead, no matter the result of the fifth Test next week at The Oval.
The outfield was soaked from overnight rain, pushing back Manchester’s scheduled start time of 3:30 PM. Despite the fact that it was stated that play would resume at 5:30 PM if it stopped raining, the ground experienced another downpour that lasted for several hours. At 9:54 p.m., the referees formally ruled that the game was a draw
According to Cricket Live Score, Australia’s second innings ended with a score of 214-5, 61 runs behind England’s first-inning total of 592. Only 30 overs of play were possible on Saturday due to the rain, and during those 30 overs, England only managed to take one wicket when part-time off-spinner Joe Root got Marnus Labuschagne caught behind. However, Labuschagne had already angered the hosts with his outstanding 111-run innings.
At Old Trafford, weather-related postponements are infamously frequent, with two complete tests and 25 complete days of Test cricket being rained out. England originally restricted Australia, the reigning world Test champions, to 317 in their first inning. A total of 592 runs were scored by England’s batsmen, who were headed by opener Zak Crawley’s superb 189-ball innings and Jonny Bairstow’s unbeaten 99.
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