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Ashes 2023 | Pat Cummins And Ben Stokes Express Mixed Responses To Manchester’s Drawn Test

image-lkfr84juBen Stokes looks on as rains abandon fifth day's play in Manchester (Twitter)

Ceaseless rains denied hosts England a chance to level the Ashes 2023 series in Manchester. As many as five sessions worth of play were washed out on the final two days to rescue Australia in their uphill second innings task.

After the match, Australia captain Pat Cummins acknowledged his team’s good fortunes as they stay 2-1 ahead in the series with a match still left in the bank. On the other hand, English skipper Ben Stokes admitted that a drawn result was a tough pill to swallow for his team, considering how they dominated the proceedings until the washed out fifth day.

Pat Cummins says team proud of Ashes retention

Australia won the first two Tests of the series before losing momentum in the third. They looked settled for another defeat in Manchester before rain played spoilsport for hosts England.

As it turned out, the visitors’ 2-1 lead ahead of the series-decider has helped them retain the Ashes.

Australian skipper Pat Cummins acknowledged the occasion by saying that his team is proud of its achievement. He admitted that England outplayed them in Manchester, and the unit overall is looking to put up a better performance at The Oval in the series-deciding fifth Test. Cummins said:

“It’s not the best circumstances but the group should be proud of themselves. Our preference is to come over here and win the Ashes but it is nice to retain. We’ve turned up motivated and it will be a very special moment at The Oval and even more special if we get a win. It was tough for us this week. They batted really well and we tried a few different things and it didn’t come off.”

Meanwhile, English captain Ben Stokes admitted that a drawn result was “tough to take” for his team. The dynamic all-rounder added that they did everything as a unit, only to fall on the wrong side of the weather on the decisive day.

“It’s a tough one to take. Playing the cricket we managed to play over the first three days and get on the wrong side of the weather it is tough to take but it is all part of the journey. We have got one game left and we want to go out with a win and draw the series, like in 2019.”

The two sides will now collide in the fifth Test of the series at The Oval in London. The match is scheduled to commence on July 27.