ASHES NOTEBOOK: Australia muted celebrations after retaining the urn
ASHES NOTEBOOK: Australia set for muted celebrations after retaining the urn, England continue their customary keep-up in the rain and an Old Trafford statistic endures
- Australia retained the Ashes after rain forced the fourth Test to end in a draw
- Pat Cummins side will now target a first series victory in England since 2001
- The final day washout has preserved an extraordinary statistic at the venue
Australia retained the Ashes after the fourth Test ended in a draw due to a final day washout at Old Trafford.
Ben Stokes had been hoping that rain would hold off to allow his England side the chance to take the final five Australian wickets required to level the series at 2-2.
Australia had been 214-5 overnight, still 61 runs behind after another rain-affected day on Saturday.
Rainfall throughout Sunday meant that no play was possible, with Pat Cummins’ side retaining the urn due to Australia maintaining their 2-1 lead heading into the fifth and final Test at the Oval.
Here, Mail Sport’s Richard Gibson takes you through some of the stories you might have missed from the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford.
Australia retained the Ashes after the fourth Test was drawn due to a final day washout
Ben Stokes side had hoped to level the series but were thwarted by rain on the fifth day
James taken aback by India’s worship of Tendulkar
The fourth Test has attracted plenty of personalities from the football world including Peter Reid, Gary Neville and James Tarkowski, but one who is not a cricket aficionado David James tells a nice story of experiencing the level of worship for Sachin Tendulkar on the subcontinent.
Back in 2014, ex-England goalkeeper James was appointed player-manager of Indian Premier League side Kerala Blasters, co-owned by Tendulkar, and the pair were part of the Blasters entourage at the tournament’s opening ceremony in Kolkata.
Loud cheers greeted each team’s representatives as they emerged into the stadium, but James says he was completely taken aback by the deafening roar reserved for sporting superstar Tendulkar when he stepped onto the turf.
England continue their customary keep-up in the rain
England’s players defied the elements, and their coach Brendon McCullum’s phrase of the week, ‘we’re too lucky to get wet,’ to play their customary keep-up when rain returned to dash hopes of a 1pm resumption.
Earlier, McCullum was joined on his two and a half mile walk to the ground by captain Ben Stokes.
England players defied the weather to continue to continue their customary keep-up game
The game proved the only play possible on the fifth day of the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford
Pat Cummins’ side set for muted Ashes celebrations
Australian celebrations at retaining the Ashes were expected to be muted given a determination to complete a first series victory here since 2001 – something they can achieve by avoiding defeat at the Oval later this week.
And there was no suggestion Alex Carey would break his duck as leader of the team song, a role he inherited from the injured Nathan Lyon. Renditions only tend to mark wins.
Pat Cummins side retained the Ashes with the draw but have their eyes set on a series win
Old Trafford capacity to drop for Sri Lanka series
The capacity at Emirates Old Trafford reaches 22,500 for Test matches versus Australia, but it will be reduced when Sri Lanka tour in 2024.
Lancashire hire a much smaller temporary stand for such fixtures, in contrast to maxing out with the 8,500-seater monster for the Ashes.
Rain preserves long-standing Old Trafford statistic
The Manchester weather did help preserve one extraordinary statistic: no team has ever won a Test at Old Trafford after winning the toss and bowling.
Stokes side had been on course to end the statistic until rain intervened at Old Trafford
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