Incessant rain at Old Trafford robbed England of an opportunity to level the Ashes series 2-2.
The final day’s play at Old Trafford got abandoned due to incessant rain on Sunday (July 23), leaving the hosts frustrated as they needed only five wickets to clinch the Test match after having dominated Australia with both bat and ball over the course of the first three days.
After the Manchester Test ended in a draw, Stokes said that this result is a tough one to take for the home team.
"It is a tough one to take, playing the cricket we did over the first three days, but it is all part of the journey," Stokes told Sky Sports after the drawn Test.
"We knew what we needed to do and that played into our hands. It was another do-or-die game for us and I don't think we could have done much more - bowling them out and then scoring 590," he added.
England had entered into the penultimate Test with an aggressive approach, aiming to level the Ashes at 2-2. After bundling out Australia for 317, the Three Lions piled up a mammoth 592 on the board courtesy of Zak Crawley’s 189 and half-centuries from Jonny Bairstow (99*), Joe Root (84), Harry Brook (61), Moeen Ali (54) and Stokes (51*).
Despite securing a huge first-innings lead of 275 runs, England's bid to force a series-levelling win was spoiled by persistent rain. The Pat Cummins-led side, with a score of 214-5 in their second essay and trailing by 61 runs, was more than happy to finish the job in the dressing room instead of being on the pitch.
“We have got one game left and we want to go out with a win and draw the series, like in 2019. We know what this last game means to us as a team. We have been supported well and hope the crowd come out again and we win,” Stokes added.
The washout on the final day meant that Australia retain the Ashes heading into the fifth Test, slated to be held at The Oval from July 27 to July 31.