The Ashes remain in Aussie possession after the fourth Test at Old Trafford was disrupted by rain.
It was England’s first tie with Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes at the helm of its Test team.
“It’s a bitter pill to swallow,” Stokes said after the match referees decided to finally snuff out England’s flame of hope.
“Still, it’s all part of an international player’s cricket journey. In the end, we couldn’t do much more: We bowled them out and then scored 592 runs at almost six runs per over.”
The versatile player is nevertheless proud of his team’s fearless approach to the game.
“Of course I would have liked to have been a captain who could have won the Ash series, but I would much prefer it if people remembered this group’s legacy. Regardless of what the future holds for us, the past 18 months have shown us to be one of the most exciting teams ever to play for England.”
However, former captain Michael Vaughan believes that the selectors’ decision to make James Anderson part of the action may have backfired.
Although the 40-year-old fast bowler impressed with his accurate bowling, he could only take one wicket in 37 overs.
“James Anderson is undoubtedly a legend of the game, but Josh Tongue is an exciting young fast bowler who made the Aussies shine at Lord’s – I know they don’t like to face his bowling,” Vaughan told the BBC.
“In contrast, James has not yet been able to put his stamp on the series at all. In fact, he hasn’t dropped one important wicket yet and it’s certainly not something we’re used to.”
The fifth and final Test in the series begins on Thursday at the Oval.
- Scorecard Summary:
Australia 317/10 in 90.2 overs: Marnus Labuschagne 51, Mitchell Marsh 51 and Chris Woakes 5/62.
England 592/10 in 107.4 overs: Zak Crawley 189, Jonny Bairstow 99* and Josh Hazlewood 5/126.
Australia 214/5 in 71 overs: Marnus Labuschagne 111 and Mark Wood 3/27.
