The fourth Test at Old Trafford rained out on Sunday, ending England’s hopes of recapturing the Ashes for the first time since 2015. The match was supposed to get washed out if the bad weather persisted past the first three days, but Australia, which entered the game holding the Ashes, is currently leading the series 2-1. At the end of the fourth Test, Australia was 214/5, 61 runs behind England’s first-innings score. If the weather hadn’t intervened, the hosts would have been heavy favorites to win the game.
Former England captains Mike Atherton, Nasser Hussain, and Michael Vaughan thought this was an unpleasant way to end the series. Australia’s camp celebrated their team winning the urn, despite some agreeing that a washout was a poor way to decide the match in an evenly-matched series. Merv Hughes cleared that he was not celebrating a washout but that Australia kept the Ashes.
Australia preserves the Ashes after the fourth Test is a washout, sparking a verbal conflict
The legendary Australian bowler Merv Hughes and British broadcaster Piers Morgan had an argument that continued after the series. Hughes brought up Morgan’s celebration of a washout in 2013 that gave England the Ashes.
The Ashes: Fourth Test
The fourth Test at Old Trafford rained out on Sunday, ending England’s hopes of recapturing the Ashes for the first time since 2015. The match was supposed to get washed out if the bad weather persisted past the first three days because they already predicted that long before the game began. Australia, which entered the game holding the Ashes and is currently leading the series 2-1, has kept the illustrious urn.
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The fourth Test was in control of England
While England returned strongly in the third Test and was in control for the fourth, Australia won the first two Tests of a series in which the momentum moved back and forth in nearly every match. At the end of the play, Australia was 214/5, still, 61 runs behind England’s first-innings score. If the weather hadn’t intervened, the hosts would have been heavy favorites to win the game.
Former England skippers expressed displeasure
Former England captains Mike Atherton, Nasser Hussain, and Michael Vaughan thought this was an unpleasant way to end the series.
Michael Vaughan: “Let’s be honest: It’s not a way to keep the Ashes, but Australia will accept it,” Vaughan states on BBC. “The situation is comparable to where they were in 2019. But this feels different. I considered Australia to be the superior team in 2019. Ben Stokes’ historic innings at Headingley gave England the victory, and they managed to hold on. Although England is down 2-1 after four games, it feels like they have been the superior team.”
Nasser Hussain: “This is a terrible manner to conclude (England’s chances of winning back the Ashes). After every detail we have seen in a fantastic series, there are two days of rain in July. Not a single session has been monotonous. Players, viewers, and spectators are all let down. The Ashes would not have been retained in this manner by Australia,” according to Hussain.
The Australian camp celebrates its success
Even though some people agreed that a washout was a poor way to decide the match in an evenly-matched series, the Australian camp continued to celebrate their team winning the urn.
Ricky Ponting on Ashes 2023
Ricky Ponting, a former captain of Australia and legendary batsman, said: “England would regret many of its choices throughout the series, particularly its perplexing declaration near the end of Day 1 of the first Test despite being 393/8.”
Merv Hughes argued with a British broadcaster
The legendary Australian bowler Merv Hughes and British broadcaster Piers Morgan had an argument that continued after the series. Hughes brought up Morgan’s celebration of a washout in 2013 that gave England the Ashes.
Throughout the series, Hughes, who frequently found himself in the stands with Australian supporters, reacted to many other tweets that targeted him and Australia. To one of these users, he cleared that he was not celebrating a washout but that Australia kept the Ashes.
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