The final Ashes Test at the Oval is a bit like the anti-climactic closing seconds to the old game show Bullseye.
Contestants tested their darts skills and general knowledge on the teatime programme and if they fell short, the host would gleefully announce: ‘Let’s see what you would have won!’
The curtains would then draw back and a glum couple, usually from Birmingham, would mournfully stare at a gleaming speedboat.
Ben Stokes will know exactly how they felt after the last two days of an Ashes series which had been compulsive viewing until then.
The finale had all the hallmarks of being an all-time great until both the Saturday of the fourth Test hardly saw any play and Sunday was a total washout with England on the brink of levelling the series at 2-2.
That meant Australia retain the little urn because the best the hosts can do is draw a compelling series with victory in south London.
Imagine the butterflies every delivery would have produced if the big prize was still on the line.
Bazball, which has been fully vindicated following the battering it received after England suffered narrow defeats at Edgbaston and Lord’s, was devastatingly successful at Headingley and in Manchester until the heavens opened.
To their immense credit, Australia captain Pat Cummins and his players admitted that retaining the series because of the rain’s intervention was not the way they wanted to take the Ashes back home.
Hats off to them, they have played their part to the full in the wonderful turn of events.
But if England had won at Old Trafford their momentum going into the final Test would surely have been unstoppable. Now we’ll never know.
Ben Duckett is 5/1 with Paddy Power to bounce back from his Old Trafford disappointment by being England’s top runscorer in the first innings.
It’s going to be a tough watch, though, rather like witnessing Michael van Gerwen going for a nine-darter only to hit the wire and bounce out with the final throw.
• Australia are 5/4 with Betway to beat Nigeria by more than one goal in their Group B match at the Women’s World Cup.
• Sepp Straka can take the confidence generated at The Open by being one of four players to finish joint second into the 3M Open and he’s worth backing at 22/1 with Coral and Ladbrokes. Also go each-way on Emilio Grillo and Ludvig Aberg at 20/1 and 25/1 respectively with the same firms and Adam Hadwin, who is 35/1 with Betway.
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