Don't Miss

ENG

Cricket
Football
NDTV Podcast
Formula 1
Tennis
Golf
Badminton
- Kabaddi
- Boxing
- Athletics
- Chess
- Swimming
- Shooting
- Wrestling
- Table tennis
- Othersports
- NFL
- NBA
- NHL
- US Streamers
- MMA
- WWE

Dark / Light mode

Oct 9,2026 07:13 PM IST

"Tough" For Ben Stokes, "Strange" For Pat Cummins: Reactions To Drawn Manchester Test

facebook

twitter

Settings

Change Font Size

A A
Change Language

हिंदी | Hindi
Focus on Story

Select Language

Languages
हिंदी | Hindi

Dark / Light mode

Featured Links
Featured Sports
- Cricket
- Football
- Formula 1
- Tennis
- Hockey
- Golf
- Badminton
More Sports
- Kabaddi
- Boxing
- Athletics
- Chess
- Swimming
- Shooting
- Wrestling
- Table tennis
- Othersports
More from NDTV
- NDTV
- Business
- Hindi
- Movies
- Cricket
- Health
- Food
- Tech
- Auto
- Apps
- Trains

Ashes 2023 16 Jun 23 to 31 Jul 23

Scoreboard
News
Photos
Videos
Fixtures
teams
players
Venues
Results
More
- Stats

arrow-down reddit snapchat twitter facebook comments email printer search bell top-nav reddit-fill snapchat-fill twitter-fill facebook-fill share whatsapp-fill bookmark arrow-rgt arrow-next arrow-up refresh close link cog star book zap cricket football tennis formula-1 badminton hockey golf boxing ndtv-n check left-arrow right-arrow

Live Cricket Matches

Cricket Matches
Football Matches
All Matches

India Matches

Ashes 2023

Football Matches

Cricket Matches
Football Matches
All Matches

ISL

IPL 2026

All Matches

Cricket Matches
Football Matches
All Matches

India Matches

EPL

5th Test, The Ashes, 2023 at London, Jul 27, 2023

England

283 & 395

Australia

295 & 334 (94.4)

England beat Australia by 49 runs
4th Test, The Ashes, 2023 at Manchester, Jul 19, 2023

England

592

Australia

317 & 214/5 (71.0)

England drew with Australia
3rd Test, The Ashes, 2023 at Leeds, Jul 6, 2023

England

237 & 254/7 (50.0)

Australia

263 & 224

England beat Australia by 3 wickets

Sports Home Ashes 2023 News Tough For Ben Stokes Strange For Pat Cummins Reactions To Drawn Manchester Test

Story ProgressBack to home

"Tough" For Ben Stokes, "Strange" For Pat Cummins: Reactions To Drawn Manchester Test

The result ensured Australia, as the holders, kept the Ashes at 2-1 up with one match left in the series -- regardless of the result of the fifth Test at The Oval starting on Thursday.

Agence France-Presse
Updated: July 24, 2023 09:48 am IST

Read Time: 3 min

facebook

twitter

E-mail

Ben Stokes wasn't a happy man as the Manchester Test was washed out© AFP

Australia captain Pat Cummins insists his side's ambition to win a Test series in England remains undimmed after they retained the Ashes in a rain-marred draw at Old Trafford. Persistent rain meant Sunday's final day of the fourth Test was washed out without a ball bowled as England were denied the chance of a series-levelling win in a match they had dominated. The result ensured Australia, as the holders, kept the Ashes at 2-1 up with one match left in the series -- regardless of the result of the fifth Test at The Oval starting on Thursday.

Even so, Australia will still have to avoid defeat in London if they are to secure their first Ashes series win in England since 2001.

"It is a bit of a strange one," Cummins told reporters. "As a group, proud we have retained the Ashes but it has not been our greatest week."

The fast bowler added: "It is a pretty similar group to 2019 when we retained (the Ashes in England in a 2-2 draw) and we came away feeling OK, but it felt a bit like we had missed what we came over to achieve.

"In some regards whatever happened today, it wouldn't really change how we view next week -- we want to win (the series)."

Australia finished on 214-5 in their second innings, 61 runs behind England's first-innings 592, after Marnus Labuschagne kept the hosts at bay on Saturday with 111.

England restricted world Test champions Australia to 317 in their first innings before racing to 592 all out, thanks largely to Zak Crawley's stunning 189 and an unbeaten 99 from Jonny Bairstow.

Cummins said he hadn't "bowled very well at all" during a return of 1-129 in 23 overs -- the most expensive haul of his Test career.

He also conceded England's thrilling 'Bazball' batting had also made life tough for him tactically as a captain.

"We tried to throw a few plans at them and on another day they might have worked but, in all facets, we just weren't at our best this week and they played really well," said Cummins, who added any Australia joy at having retained the Ashes would be "muted".

- England 'legacy' -

Meanwhile, England skipper Ben Stokes claimed his side will be "a team people will remember" despite their failure to win the Ashes.

This was England's first draw in 17 Tests since Stokes joined forces with coach Brendon McCullum last year to oversee a revolution in the team's approach to red-ball cricket, with the emphasis firmly on entertaining the paying public.

"It's a tough one to take, a tough pill to swallow," said Stokes after a result that left England still searching for a first Ashes series win since 2015.

"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."

The all-rounder added: "I think what we've managed to become is a team that people will remember.

"As much as I would love to be an Ashes-winning captain, I want this to be a legacy team. Regardless of how the series ends up, people will always talk about us."

England now have just a few days to regroup before The Oval finale but Stokes said: "We have to get over the disappointment and focus on that game.

"It is a massive one for us and we know 2-2 sounds a lot better than 3-1."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)