‘Tough Pill To Swallow’: Ben Stokes After Rain Forces 4th Test To End In Draw Helping Australia Retain Ashes
When asked about a reserve day, Ben Stokes said that it might not be possible to have a reserve day in a Test series.
England’s hopes were shattered at the Old Trafford in Manchester during the 4th Test between the hosts and Australia. At the start of the fifth and final day in Manchester, England were comfortably ahead of Australia by 61 runs after having held them to 214-5 in their second innings. However, when the rain started pouring, England were unable to prevent a draw.
England Captain Ben Stokes expressed his disappointment at the way the Manchester Test ended and said it had been "a tough pill to swallow."
Stokes said, "a tough way to not be able to get the urn back", particularly given the quality of his side’s display. "The first few games we played some brilliant cricket, and we played some cricket that we knew we could have been better at," he said.
"Whereas this game I can’t actually look back and say: ‘We could have been better there’, because I think we were pretty much perfect throughout the whole game."
Also Read | Pat Cummins Reacts After Rain-Affected 4th Test Ends In Draw To Secure Ashes Retention For Australia
When asked about his views on a Reserve Day, Stokes told to sky sports: "I understand there being a reserve day for the World Test Championship final as you want a winner at the end of that, but I don't see there being a day for a reserve day in a Test series.
"It was a frustrating day when the weather dictates the outcome of a game. It's a shame. The draw was not fault of our own. We did literally everything we could and the weather didn't help us. It's a tough pill to swallow knowing that's the reason we sit here with a draw."
"We were completely and utterly dominant throughout the hours of play we had. It’s a shame but, oh well."
Stokes refused to concede that his team's chances of winning may have increased if they had declared their first innings earlier or increased their overrate to speed up the play.
"Regardless of what we did we would have ended up in the same situation," he said. "I think anyone who is going to question the [lack of] declaration probably doesn’t understand the game as well as we do. We got three hours of cricket in two days. I don’t think, whatever we did, we would have been able to force a result in this game and that is unfortunately due to the weather."
England’s approach will be the same for the next match. “It’s very similar to 2019, when we had to win at the Oval to draw the series,” Stokes said. "For us, we’ll have to get over the disappointment of today and then focus on that game. It is a massive game for us and 2-2 sounds a lot better than 3-1.”
"There’s no doubt if we managed to get a result in this game next week would have been a very, very special week in the history of not just Ashes cricket, but English cricket," Stokes said. "It would have elevated everything that the series has already done for Test cricket, especially in England.
"But I think what we’ve managed to do has already done wonders for cricket in England. I said in the dressing room that the reward for your work isn’t what you get, it’s what you become. And what we’ve managed to become is a team that people will remember.
"We’ve become a team that have been so unbelievably well followed and we will live long in the memories of those who have watched us.
"As much as I would love to be an Ashes-winning captain, I want this team to be a legacy team. Regardless of how the series ends up, people will always talk about us.”
England will be hoping to bounce back again after the heartbreaking draw for the 5th and final Test match against the Aussies, which will be held at Oval from July 27.
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