England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick has warned Australia they risk being beaten mentally on day five in Manchester if Pat Cummins’ men arrive at the ground hoping for rain while chief agitator Stuart Broad claims it would be an “unjust” result if the tourists retain the Ashes because of rain.
Broad, who infamously claimed the previous series in Australia was a void series because England had to put up with biosecurity measures during the pandemic on the way to their 4-0 thumping, said they need “a bit of luck from the Manchester weather gods”.
They enter day five with rain forecast and Australia clinging on to the hope of forcing a draw at Old Trafford at 5-214, still needing another 61 runs to make England bat again in the fourth Test.
“Sitting in the changing room watching the rain fall yesterday, there was definitely a feeling it would be unjust if weather had a decisive say,” Broad wrote in his Daily Mail column.
“Brendon McCullum has come up with a phrase this week to keep us calm. We were due to play a bit of golf on Tuesday and the forecast was horrendous, but he said to me: ‘Boss, we’re too lucky to get wet’. Guess, what? There was much less rain than we thought.
“Saturday lunchtime, he was lying down doing the crossword and said: ‘Boss, we’re too lucky for it to rain all day.’ He was right again. Now we just need another window to open to complete the job on Sunday.”
Broad, who took his 600th Test wicket earlier in the Test, said winning this match would mean much more to him than his milestone.
“If we can get to 2-2 it would set up the series just as I’d hoped it would. I said I would love to go to the Oval at 2-2, and I genuinely meant it.”
With heavy rain forecast around Manchester again, England know they must first rely on the weather clearing before having any chance of staying in with a chance of winning the series.
Australia have been realistic about the fact they would be happy with rain to save them in this Test and ensure they retain the Ashes with a draw.
And while Trescothick is not surprised Australia are hoping for rain, he believes it could work to the hosts’ advantage.
“It’s a natural thing to say. When you’re trying to save the game and there’s an opportunity of rain, everyone’s going to say the same things,” the former Test opening batter said.
Marnus Labuschagne is caught by Jonny Bairstow. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
But he warned: “It can be a little bit dangerous.
“If you start looking for other ways than internally in your team to stop games happening, or to not lose a game, potentially it becomes a dangerous point.
“At the end of the day you have to go out and earn that victory whatever way it is.”
England are also preparing for the possibility of needing to rely on spin to win the match, after Joe Root and Moeen Ali were asked to bowl close to half the overs on Saturday due to bad light.
England staff remain adamant the quicks should have been able to continue bowling, but the concern would now be that the precedent is set for the same decision to be made on Sunday.
The change ended up working to some extent for the hosts, after Joe Root had Marnus Labuschagne caught behind for 111 – the only wicket of the day.
“We were sat on the balcony and we didn’t think it had deteriorated that much to not allow the seamers to bowl,” Trescothick said. “The umpires out in the middle deemed it was too dark and they’ve got to make that decision.
“And tomorrow, if that’s what we’re given, then that’s what we’ll take. Any opportunity that we can get out in the middle tomorrow we will be grabbing with both hands.”
Goalsonly
Roar Rookie
I carry the scorecard resultsaround in my head ... but there are incidents and on field happenings that give more to the heart.... There's the Royal Family... then there's those elite we aspire to we personally carry around in our heart.... sort of our own true royalty..... I like to think Bazball is like Angeball in Soccer..... Ange stands in the middle at early trainings and gives each player the energy or vibe he is after... it's not a theory... you have to be brave intrepid and fearless.... Because it's the soccer he likes to watch... do it and it works and you generally win.... go back into your shell and play scared and you will generally lose.... Watching Aussie Rules can be frustrating because the only real cause of fumbly play is fear and it happens a lot ....for a variety of highly questionable reasons but fear of losing is a big one..... I am selfish I'm like Ange I want to watch games played in a fearless style simply because it is more fun to watch.... There is no proof that playing scared leads to more wins anyway... In life you get to name your own poison... watching fumbly and fearful athletes ain't mine.... Such is the low general IQ of emotional intelligence in sport there is not much mention of the Fear word.... it's a dirty word..... How could our elite athletes possibly be scared?.... Winning is the province of those who dare... Would they have chosen Bazball if pitches and bat tech was not favourable?… it’s a hypothetical you can muse on.. but it’s all academic… To say they thought it would win games is just stating the obvious.. Did they do it just to entertain? Sounds like a silly question.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
Australia shrunk down in its almighty flare….. .. OK I'm not Australian ..Never been there actually ..But I do know that the current series results reads 2 matches won , one lost ...to Australia . ..I'll challenge your theory that England embraced Bazball to primarily entertain .. No they saw it given the propensity globally of cricketing nations to prepare batting wickets as well as bat technology which has given a distinctive edge to batsmen , ..to WIN matches ...Forget the weather that's Gods fault not Australia's , England are behind on the scoreboard.... and that is what matters .
Goalsonly
Roar Rookie
There are reasons why artists and writers reputation generally eclipse the longevity of any sporting legend... to label them merely as entertainers indicates you might not have considered this.. What are you contributing? How do we keep more kids (and adults) playing competitive sport? Do you have an answer to that question? Bazball has made this series unmissable. It's head and shoulders better to watch than the pre Stokes era.... (Bar some Steve Smith Generational heroics ) ... As a connossoir (not a businessman) this a appeals to me.... I love winning but really you do learn more when you lose.... just don't make a habit of it...Look at our Captain... the winning should have him riding around on a white horse... but he had no answer to Bazball And Australia shrunk down in its almighty flare..... In a way with Bazball England have already won by taking the fear of losing off the table.. The Aussies have played the perfect sneaky' and clever villain ( and I truly admire the gamesmanship they applied) to the Bazball Righteous Poms. It kinda shows that even hollow victories beat losing... I just love fearless sport... it's emotional and unstoppable... If you've ever played the game (any game) and been in the zone for any amount of time.. there is no thinking no fear and noone to prove anything to... it's pure.... sitting in judgement of win/Loss results robs the game of just about everything else it has to offer. We don't have connossoirs of Sport in Australia.... that's our great loss in a way.....that winning is the only thing we can enjoy is kinda sad.... I don't believe it's wholly natural and I think it kicks a lot of kids out of sport because it simply ceases to be a pleasurable pursuit. So save your cold and hard reality of the way the world is and dream a little about the way it could be... I hope Ben Stokes get's to read this from an Aussie... If not for Bazball Test cricket might not survive.... It has lit up the Cricketing world...The Commonwealth games are gone... nothing is truly secure.
AJ73
Roar Rookie
"know we have been the better team , more entertaining and the team dictating even if they have contributed to our own downfall." Sounds like the quote "PRIDE COMETH BEFORE A FALL". You can say all that, yet they lost the chance to regain the Ashes. Not sure England are the better team. They have certainly ridden their luck. Crawley himself could have been out several times 1st ball - gloved just wide of Carey (Crawley 0 at the time) 8th Over - edge just wide of Warner (12) 12th Over - edged past his stumps (20) 22nd Over - edged just past Carey (42) 26th Over - Chopped past his stumps (62) are some of his chances, then he chops on anyway. If he doesn't make 189, England don't find themselves in the position they were. The English cost themselves in the first test by declaring. Then couldn't get Lyon or Cummins out. They lost the 2nd test to the better team 3rd Test - Australia lost the plot in bowling short when the English were still 120 runs behind with only 3 wickets left to allow England to get within 29 runs. 4th Test - Arrogance cost them, Stokes chose not to declare when 120 in front. It would have given them 3 full sessions to bowl the Aussies out and then chase with their Bazball "spirit". Not sure they are the better team across the series, else why are they 2-1 down? It could easily have been 3-0 Australia, 3-0 England which indicates there is no better team. As for playing in the right "SPIRIT", accepting the Umpires decision is the right SPIRIT of the game. Australia accepted Starc's catch wasn't out and haven't brought it up again, yet the English are still talking about a wicket that happened in the 2nd Test. The English still bring up Starc's catch. SPIRIT of cricket has Root not claiming he caught Smith, as it is in the SPIRIT of Cricket "If in doubt, give not out". The SPIRIT of Cricket has Stokes pulling his troops in and telling them to move on, yet in some cases he is the most guilty.
U
Roar Rookie
You mean you’re not going to start wearing a headband Ben?
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
The Lower Classes are Germanic, in origin, their language is Germanic.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
Not sure one has anything to do with the other. There's no doubt about Trescothick's calibre as an opener, but I still think he was talking out of school as a coach. England have consistently worried about what Australia's saying or doing in this series and his comments are another example of that. What he should have been doing is making sure his own guys were in the right mindset first (which, based on Broad's comments, they weren't), before opining about Australia.
E-Meter
Roar Rookie
Their royal family is already German!!!
Rusty Brooks
Roar Rookie
You should consider moving to Sydney. We have this really nice bridge that you could live under.
Curmudgeon1961
Roar Rookie
Wodehouse could approve of some of the funny language pre and this series from his countrymen.And if you want spirit of Cricket the applause for Crawley from the fielding team and when Australia stayed out against Archer in pretty bad light. Karma 1 England 0
Noel
Roar Rookie
Same old Ashes. Always Down Under.
Rusty Brooks
Roar Rookie
“Boss, we’re too lucky…”. That pretty much sums up the whole Bazball strategy.
Rusty Brooks
Roar Rookie
We’ll, Broady is a genuine guy.
Aussieconscious
Roar Rookie
Well done Aussies. A country seeded by criminals sent by us lives up to expectations. Bairstow incident you can now proudly claim this was the difference and won the series, mark my words Broad was right Carey will only be famous for this event. Good luck. Happy the best team lost , morals and playing the game in the right spirit can deliver a hard cost but as you said we will suck it up , we know and all neutrals know we have been the better team , more entertaining and the team dictating even if they have contributed to our own downfall. Pat yourselves on the back , enjoy your beers and hallucinate some more on how great you are !!
Richard POWELL
Roar Rookie
Think back to day 1 of the series and England's arrogant declaration. Had they batted on and got a decent lead they may have won or drawn the first test, and then rain at Old Trafford would not have mattered. Pure arrogance. Then at Lords, the way all and sundry carried on with the Bairstow (fair) dismissal, they could have been a little bit humble and admit they got it wrong. But No. They chose the moral high ground. Pure arrogance. What goes around, comes around. Another Ashes series win Australia.
PeteB
Roar Rookie
And tell me if its still raining there in Manchester ??
Opeo
Roar Rookie
Great point. There is so much more professionalism about the Australians.
Doctor Rotcod
Roar Rookie
Thanks to P.G.Wodehouse for that gem.
Ouch
Roar Rookie
anything that annoys or upsets the English is right and good
danwain
Roar Rookie
Third test in 2013 had some pretty handy day 4 & 5 rain for England. Believe they needed 300 odd on the last day and were 2 or 3 down, no more than 20 overs were bowled on day 5…