England need Ashes magic and may turn to Ben Stokes as Australia frustrate hosts

This was never going to be simple and rain which washed out all but 38 overs of the penultimate day of this Ashes summer has certainly taken ‘cakewalk’ well and truly off the menu. A combination of stubborn quality from Australia’s openers and an anaemic display with the ball in what play the rain allowed left England no nearer winning this match and levelling the series.

Having started the day needing 10 Australian wickets after setting the chase at 384 to win the match they finished needing 10 Australian wickets. Through the rain which arrived at 2.42pm bright lights of the scoreboard showed Usman Khawaja and David Warner unbroken under the figures 135-0.

Make no mistake, their opening stand has already taken a huge bite out of a target which, should they reach it, would not only beat the biggest previous chase on this ground by 121 runs but land them a first Ashes series win here in 22 years.

Just 249 runs are required with a powerful batting line-up yet to pad up and on a pitch that England’s bowlers failed to get anything out of despite much huffing and puffing. With Jimmy Anderson again lacking impact, Chris Woakes looking jaded and Mark Wood underused – he did not come on until 33rd over – England were looking for inspiration from somewhere.

Spotlight fell – just like he likes it – on Stuart Broad. Yet after setting up his big finale with his mid-Test retirement and a crowd-stirring six with the bat early in the day, England’s leading Ashes wicket-taker missed his chance. Not here the 8-15 of his most famous Ashes moment but 0-15 in half a dozen frustrating overs.

If Broad’s retirement had lent a sense of destiny or even entitlement to England, Anderson’s 41st birthday had added to the sense of occasion. The homemade sign which read ‘Happy Birthday Dad’ was visible on a window in a corporate box high in the Bedser Stand where his family watched on.

But the signs out on the field were less heartening. His most notable moment was a beamer which slipped from his hand and nearly clobbered Warner on the head. Instead the fairytale steadfastly refused to reveal itself, Khawaja and Warner motoring serenely in the face of everything an increasingly frustrated England threw at them, sometimes literally.

Wood’s underuse was as puzzling as it was concerning given his importance to the cause with England insisting that holding him back was a “tactical” decision. He bowled just three overs despite being the only England man to really take the Aussie openers out of their comfort zone.

Their thinking appeared to be that England were waiting for the ball to show signs of reversing before they deployed him. But allowing Australia to reach 99-0 before letting loose your attack dog did not seem a Ben Stokes style move and the suspicion is that Wood is carrying a niggle which could limit his output today.

Joe Root bowled nine overs of spin from the Vauxhall End to Moeen Ali’s five and both got occasional rather than regular turn or bounce. With Moeen also struggling with a groin injury it was Root who came closest to a wicket inducing a Khawaja under-edge which scuttled through Jonny Bairstow’s legs.

It was that sort of day but England need to make it a different one on Monday if they are to level the series. Stokes was wearing the heavy strapping on a left knee that he admitted earlier this weekend will need surgery.

But it is inconceivable that he will not put his knee, shoulder and everything else to the wheel if his bowlers cannot make a breakthrough. England needs a moment of magic from somewhere.

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