'...maybe don’t be 2-0 down': Ponting, Vaughan, Finch feature as war of words erupts after Australia retain the Ashes
Australia retained the Ashes for a third consecutive time after the fourth Test ended up being washed out, leading to polarised reactions from the two camps.
England's dreams of winning the Ashes for the first time since 2015 came to an end with the fourth Test at Old Trafford getting washed out on Sunday. Inclement weather had been forecast well before the start of the match and a washout was the expected result if it went beyond the first three days. With Australia leading the series 2-1 and going into it holding the Ashes, they have retained the famous urn with this match ending in a draw.
While Australia ended on the winning side in the first two Tests of a series in which the momentum has swung back and forth in almost everyday of every match, England came back strong in the third Test and were on top for much of the fourth as well. Australia were 214/5 at the close of play, still trailing England's first innings total by 61 runs, which meant that the hosts were clear favourites to win the match had weather not interrupted the proceedings. With a chance to win the urn also lost, a bit of a war of words has erupted in the media between the English and Australian camps over the legitimacy of the latter's success.
Former England captains Michael Vaughan, Nasser Hussain and Mike Atherton were all of the opinion that this was a disappointing way for the series to be decided.
“It's no way to retain the Ashes, let's be honest, but Australia will take it,” said Vaughan on BBC. “They are in a similar position as they were in 2019. This feels different though. In 2019, I thought Australia were the better team. England hung on with the greatest innings of all time from Ben Stokes at Headingley got them that victory. This feels like, over the four matches, I know England are 2-1 down but they have been the better team.”
Hussain and Atherton both said on Sky Sports that this was a cruel way for the series' outcome to be decided.
“This is the worst possible way to end (England's chances of regaining the Ashes). Two days of rain in July after everything we have seen in a terrific series. There has not been a dull session. It's disappointing for spectators, viewers and players. Australia wouldn't have wanted to retain the Ashes like this,” said Hussain.
Atherton said that England were comprehensively beating Australia in the fourth Test. “You can look back at times in the series where England have missed opportunities with out a doubt … but just looking at this game, England have absolutely hammered Australia up until now,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Australian camp celebrated their side winning the urn, even though some agreed that a washout was a bad way to decide the affaif in what has been an evenly matched series.
Australia bowling great Merv Hughes has been engaged in a verbal tussle on Twitter with British broadcaster Piers Morgan and the two continued after the end of the series. Hughest pointed out how Morgan celebrated a washout in 2013 which decided the Ashes in England's favour.
Hughes, who was often seen sitting in the stands with Australia fans throughout the series, also responded to a number of other tweets targetting him and Australia. He made it clear to one such user that he is not celebrating a wash out but the fact that Australia retained the Ashes.
Former Australia captain and batting great Ricky Ponting, meanwhile, stated that England will regret a number of decisions they made in the series, particularly their puzzling declaration towards the end of Day 1 of the first Test despite being 393/8. “I think they will regret the fact that they declared. I think they’ll regret how hard they went with the bat in the second innings. A 280-run lead having been bowled out in the second innings, I think if you had asked straight after losing the toss, you’re going to be happy chasing 280. I would’ve taken that,” he said on Sky Sports.
While England's aggressive approach to Test under head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes is characterised by a freedom to bat aggressively, Ponting said that the declaration showed how they can sometimes ironically be boxed in by the approach. “I said right from the start, if they want to play that way, that brand of cricket and they’ve talked about it so much, they sort of back themselves into a corner where they’ve got to play that way,” he said.
“I don’t think they’re going to be able to do it all the time, and I think the fact that they went as hard as they did in the second innings at Edgbaston and then probably losing those wickets to the short ball at Lord’s were the reason that they found themselves 2-0 down after the first two games.”
