BREAKING NEWS: Australia LEFT the Ashes and ended England’s hopes after the final day’s game at Old Trafford was completely wiped out, leaving the visitors 2-1 up in the series with just one game remaining.
The fourth Test of the Ashes ended in a draw after heavy rain prevented play on SundayAustralia have retained the Ashes as they lead the series 2-1 with one match remainingEngland are now winless in the series and have not won the Ashes since 2015
Australia have retained the Ashes after the fourth Test ended in a draw without being able to play at Old Trafford on Sunday.
England had dominated the first three matches in Manchester and looked well placed to level the series at 2-2 heading into the weekend.
However, time had different ideas. With England needing six wickets over the final two days, they could only manage one in just over two hours of play on Saturday and were given no chance to close out the final five as Sunday’s game was completely scrapped.
It leaves Australia 2-1 up in the series heading into the Oval for the final Test, which starts on Thursday.
The visitors will now set their sights on their first series win in England since 2001.
England were denied the chance to push for victory after rain made play impossible
Thousands of fans turned up hoping to see an England win but the rain had other ideas
It was a frustrating day for England fans after the hosts had dominated the fourth Test
It’s a cruel way for Ben Stokes’ side to miss out on the Urn, having fought back admirably since going 2-0 down in the series.
Australia won two thrilling Tests at Edgbaston and Lord’s to move into a dominant position, but England gave themselves hope by coming out on top in another hard-fought contest at Headingley.
The momentum seemed to be with the hosts, and they did very little wrong at Old Trafford.
Having bowled Australia out for 317, Stokes’ men produced a brilliant attacking batting display to smash out 592 in reply as opener Zak Crawley led the way with a magnificent 189 off just 182 balls.
With a lead of 275 runs before the second innings, Mark Wood took three wickets on Friday evening to leave Australia 113 for four nights.
But rain came to Australia’s rescue on Saturday, with just one session of play completed before the skies opened up again.
During this period, England only took the solitary wicket of Marnus Labuschagne, but not before he had completed his maiden century for England.
The Australian No.3 was assisted by all-rounder Mitchell Marsh as the tourists moved to 214 for five before the final day amid a steady loss of time.
Marnus Labuschagne is congratulated by teammate Mitchell Marsh after scoring a crucial century on Saturday to help Australia avoid defeat and retain the Ashes
The Test match looked set for another thrilling finish, but the weather in Manchester scuppered those plans.
After heavy rain overnight, the day’s play was delayed, but there was hope when the covers were removed shortly after midday and the scheduled kick-off time of 1pm was announced.
However, it was as good as news for the thousands of loyal supporters who turned up at Old Trafford as the rain began to fall again at 12.30pm.
A steady drizzle and more intense downpours followed throughout the afternoon, until finally it was confirmed that there would be no play and the match ended in a draw.
It’s the first stalemate of the Stokes and Brendon McCullum era, with England doing their best to force results since the pair took over last summer.
Under Stokes and McCullum, England have won 12 Tests and lost four, and are now held to their opening draw at the worst possible time.
They must rise to the final Test of the summer, knowing that a win will mean a 2-2 draw, a repeat of the scoreline in the last Ashes in England four years ago.
Ben Stokes’ side came back from 2-0 down but couldn’t get over the line at Old Trafford.
