It was the awkward second that mentioned all of it after an exhilarating Ashes collection.
England had simply pulled off a surprising victory to degree the collection after happening 0-2.
Australia, licking their wounds after lacking out on a primary collection win in England since 2001, nonetheless had an Ashes urn to gather and rejoice.
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The consequence. One of the extra uncomfortable trophy shows you will note and one which raised a tough query.
Just who had extra cause to rejoice?
Cummins and Stokes checked out one another with uncertainty earlier than finally holding the collection trophy collectively and posing for images.
Stokes then departed to permit a reasonably sheepish trying Australian facet to carry aloft the well-known urn having retained the Ashes.
Sky Sports commentator Ian Ward summed the temper up.
“Slightly strange feeling there just after the presentation,” he mentioned.
“The trophy is shared and it was certainly not lifted aloft with champagne going everywhere.”
Ward then questioned Australian legend Ricky Ponting on how the Australians might be feeling.
“I can’t imagine, Ricky, there will be any champagne thrown around here by Australia,” he requested.
“Australia obviously won the World Test Championship so if you look at the tour on a whole they would be reasonably happy but also a little bit hollow,” Ponting replied.
Speaking after the match, Stokes unhappy he hopes England’s thrilling comeback will encourage a brand new technology of cricket followers.
Australia, chasing a mammoth 384 to win at The Oval on Monday, collapsed from 264-3 to 334 all out, that means England received by 49 runs to sq. the five-match collection.
“I think 2-2 generally is a fair reflection of two very, very good teams going at it over a five-match series,” mentioned delighted England captain Stokes.
“Obviously, Australia being world Test champions leading into this series, the cricket that I think has been on show has been of the highest quality.”
The 32-year-old all-rounder mentioned he was pleased with the best way his workforce — who recovered from defeats within the first two Tests at Edgbaston and Lord’s — had performed all through the collection, sticking to their attacking template.
“Coming here and playing in the way in which we did, I couldn’t be any more proud of the team and what they did,” he mentioned.
“We’ve continued everything in the style of play in which we’ve done over the past 14-15 months and it’s basically been everything I think I could have asked for minus getting the urn back.” Stokes, who hit a surprising 155 in a shedding trigger at Lord’s, mentioned he hoped kids can be impressed by what that they had witnessed.
“I definitely think that over the past seven weeks in particular that we’ve managed to drag a new audience towards Test cricket,” he mentioned.
“And I think the series is generally what Test cricket needed — two high-quality teams going at it toe to toe for six, seven weeks and the cricket that’s been played is something that you really couldn’t take your eyes off.
“I really hope that we’ve inspired a new generation.
“I look back to 2005 (when England beat Australia 2-1) and what that series did for me as a young person and I really hope there’s someone at my age in 2005 who’s looked at this series and said ‘that’s what I want to be doing when I’m 21, 22’.” Stokes paid one other tribute to retiring paceman Stuart Broad, who leaves Test cricket with 604 wickets after taking the ultimate two scalps on Monday.
“Seeing him run off and all the slips go up and celebrate was one of those moments that was just like ‘this was always going to happen’,” he mentioned.
And the skipper additionally praised all-rounder Chris Woakes, who took 4-50 on the ultimate day and was named participant of the collection, though he was not chosen for the primary two matches.
“I don’t know if there’s ever been a player who has only featured in three games of an Ashes series who has walked away with man of the series.”
Originally printed as Awkward trophy second raised evident query after thrilling Ashes finale
Source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au
