Something special happens every time the Ashes are played at Old Trafford.
Recall that the Ashes were played in England in 2013.
At that time, England was in possession of the Ashes after claiming victory in the first two Tests played at Trent Bridge and Lord’s Stadium. Old Trafford in Manchester played host to the third and final test of the series.
In their first innings, England scored 368 runs, which came after Australia’s 527/7 and before their own 172/7. With England sitting at 37 for three in the last over of the match with Root and Bell at the bat, the ball had been bowled four times.
Old Trafford saw the opening of the sky. There was no further play after that. At 4:39 o’clock in the afternoon, the match was called off.
After the third test, which took place at Old Trafford, England led the series by a score of 2-0. It was impossible for Australia to win back the Ashes, which England kept after the series and went on to win 3-0. There were five matches total, and England won all of them.
Let’s fast forward to the Ashes match in England in 2019. The ashes were in Australia’s possession this time. The away team prevailed in the first test that was played at Edgbaston, but the score was tied in the second test that was played at Lord’s. The next test match will take place at Headingley not so far in the past. Ben Stokes and Jack Leach were mostly responsible for England’s victory, which they achieved by a razor-thin margin of one wicket.
Old Trafford served as the venue for the fourth test match. The match was won by Australia, who now hold the urn containing the Ashes on English soil for the first time since 2001, when they were the last team to win an Ashes match in England. Both sides competed in the fifth and final test match, which was held at the Oval. Australia led the series 2-1 going into the match. The match was won by England at the Oval. The score of the series is now tied at 2-2.
When English broadcaster Piers Morgan tweeted that it would be the “greatest travesty in the history of Ashes cricket” if rain rescued Australia to retain the Ashes, Morgan both had a point and didn’t have a point at the same time.
This is the situation due to the fact that rain has traditionally been considered a ‘neutral’ player in a set of five Test matches played in England. It is quite unlikely that rain won’t have a role in the result of at least one test match throughout the English summer. People who support an idea often overlook the fact that rainfall is unpredictable. At this point, Australia has every reason to be happy. The year 2013 belonged to England.
Having all that, Piers does have a valid argument to make this time. When was the last time that England and Australia played such a thrilling game of cricket in a test match? after was the last time that the audience in England was so supportive of their side that even after they lost, they cheered for them with all of their heart? When was the last time that Australia was playing from behind for such a significant portion of a series?
Up to this point, the results have been favorable for Australia. This is due to the fact that Australia’s players have shown more intelligence than England’s throughout the series. They had faith in the meteorologist’s predictions. They took a strong batting lineup to Old Trafford with them and waited for it to start raining as they played. They were blessed with rain.
Given the way England have been playing, a tie at the Oval, where the last match of the series will take place, seems quite improbable. In order to win the Ashes in England for the first time since 2001, Australia will need to compete and win matches there. In the meanwhile, England will play with the intention of leveling the series, just as they did the previous time in 2013.
Regardless of the result, England’s fresh approach to the game has elevated the interest level of test cricket.