OTD: England retained The Ashes after a anti-climactic Old Trafford Test

A soggy ending at Old Trafford, Manchester. On August 5, 2013, England retained the prestigious Ashes. The intense rivalry came in anticlimactic surroundings, where, more than the England batting order, Australia bowlers faced more difficulties due to adverse weather conditions.

The umpire was forced to call the stumps earlier than the actual schedule. It was announced that the play had been abandoned at 4.39pm local time. The England cricket team was already 3 wickets down for only 37 while they were chasing a target of 332 when the match was called off.

Then the captain of England, Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, and Kevin Pietersen were returned to the pavilion, and Australia positioned themselves nicely to haul the match. But the weather in Manchester did not allow that to happen. After the match, during the presentation ceremony, Cook revealed his mixed feelings about retaining the title in this manner.

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Australia was on the driving seat

Michael Clarke, the former skipper of Australia, played a magnificent 187-run innings in the first innings of the match. Chris Rogers, Steve Smith, Brad Haddin, and Mitchell Starc completed their individual half centuries and helped their team to climb to 527/7d. Despite a ton from Kevin Pietersen (113 runs), England, in the first innings, was not able to match Australia's total as they claimed only 368. 

The home team bounced back in the beginning of the second inning with the help of their bowlers. By then, Australia got enough total on board to put England on the wrong side. Then, the doors of heaven opened and rain started to pour. The match ended in a draw, and England retained the Ashes.