Rain arrives to offer Australia hope at Old Trafford

Scott Bailey | July 22, 2023

Australia’s hope for rain in Manchester has been realised with the first session of the fourth day of the fourth Ashes Test washed out because of bad weather.

With Australia on the brink of a defeat at Old Trafford that would leave the series level at 2-2, rain has fallen for almost 18 hours in Manchester, with no sign of letting up.

Further rain is also forecast for Sunday, with the national weather service warning of heavy downpours that are “likely to cause some disruption, particularly to outdoor events”.

At this point in the match, it’s likely that the weather may be the only thing to save Australia, with the tourists 4-113 and still needing 162 more runs to make England bat again.

A draw would ensure Australia retain the Ashes as current holders, taking a 2-1 lead into the series finale at The Oval on Thursday.

That, however, would be an extremely hollow result for the tourists given they have been outplayed at Old Trafford.

Seamer Josh Hazlewood admitted on Friday night he was hopeful that rain could help Australia’s plight.

“It’d be great to lose a few overs here and there and make our job a little easier of hanging in there,” Hazlewood said. 

“That’s pretty obvious.”

Manchester is second only to Sydney for the most full days of Test cricket washed out, with 24 having been completely wiped out at Old Trafford compared to 25 at the SCG.

Even if the rain does clear briefly on Saturday, large puddles have now built up on the edges of the covers and would take some time to clear.

That has drawn the ire of England veteran Stuart Broad, who questioned on social media why the entire ground was not covered rather than just the square.

If the rain does continue, England may live to regret batting so long on day three after beginning the morning with a lead of 67.

Buoyed by Jonny Bairstow’s big hitting with an unbeaten 81-ball 99, England opted to bat out their innings and extend their lead to 275.

It limited the hosts to 41 overs of bowling at Australia on Friday afternoon, with slow over-rates throughout the match again not helping their cause.

England will believe they may need as little as one session to bowl Australia out and win the match, but the big question will be whether the Manchester weather allows that.