Ashes 2023: Manchester draw tough one to take for England, says disappointed Ben Stokes

England skipper Ben Stokes admitted Manchester draw is a tough pill to swallow for his team after Australia retained the Ashes. The fourth Ashes Test match ended in a draw after the rain gods played killjoy on the final two days of the game. It could have been a different story if rain had not intervened on the last two days.

Only 30 overs were bowled on the penultimate day whereas no play was possible on the final day of the Test match. England was in a dominant position as they needed five more wickets with Australia trailing by 61 runs. However, rain washed out any hopes of England leveling the series at 2-2.

The home team posted a gargantuan score of 592 runs after Zak Crawley played a majestic knock of 189 off just 182 balls as he batted at his absolute best.

“It is a tough one to take, playing the cricket we did over the first three days, but it is all part of the journey,” Ben Stokes told Sky Sports after the drawn Test.

“We knew what we needed to do and that played into our hands. It was another do-or-die game for us and I don’t think we could have done much more – bowling them out and then scoring 590,” he added.

England ticked the right boxes throughout the fourth Test but didn’t have the rub of the green on their side. Stokes also showered praise on Zak Crawley for his brilliant knock in the first innings.

Stokes added, “Very pleased with everyone’s effort. I have been vocal about Crawley, what Zak does is he changes the game, the way he plays and the way he takes the bowlers on. That was an incredible innings, we knew an innings like that was not far away.”

The fifth and final Test match will be played at Kennington Oval, London from July 27.