Ashes 2013: England retain the urn after rain forces draw

After 14 of the scheduled 25 days that constitute this series, England have achieved their primary objective of retaining the Ashes that they won back here four years ago and retained in Australia in 2010-11. The last time they secured the Ashes at an earlier date at home was on 29 July, 1972 but if England felt at all that this warranted exuberant celebration in Manchester, then they might have needed a rethink: a quiet reflective beer maybe rather than champagne and nightclub J?ger Bombs.Before the rain returned shortly after lunch to put paid to the match, Ryan Harris – the pick of the pacemen on display in these past two matches – and the indefatigably competitive Peter Siddle had England on the rack, struggling for survival at 37 for three from almost 21 overs. From an England viewpoint it was not pretty.Buy Cheap Juicy Couture Sunglasses-JC9026 Play was officially abandoned at 4.39pm.England and their supporters will take it, no doubt, just as they were happy to celebrate the rain that put paid to any Australia hopes on that last day at The Oval eight years ago. No other sport does rain quite like cricket. But if the Ashes are lost for Australia, the series most certainly is not yet done.Buy Cheap Tiffany Earrnings-TF4088 England are dormie with two matches still to play and will not be properly content until Australia have been beaten, or at least repelled, either at Chester-le-Street, in the fourth Test that starts on Friday, or in the final match at The Oval.Australia have avoided the whitewash about which there was far too much premature talk but Michael Clarke might well rue his decision to play scant regard to the weather forecast (which was a little more definitive than the prospect of a few showers) and instead bolster his second innings to a point where England would have been unlikely to win even in a full last day. Given how his bowlers responded when play began only half an hour late on the final day (and mindful that although not damp in itself, the pitch would have been tickled up a little) England would surely have had difficulty chasing 250.Australia had achieved that lead by the time Usman Khawaja was dismissed midway through Sunday afternoon. As it transpired it would have given them an extra 14 or so overs (assuming, not unreasonably, that their over rate was better than England's desultory "over-rate management" as Matt Prior called it),Buy Cheap Abercrombie Men's Sweaters still not sufficient to win the game, but a much better statement of intent from a captain who hitherto has been praised for his proactivity.More to the point, they will regret that they were unable to finish off the England innings by taking the last three wickets on the fourth morning at a time when, because of the gloom-laden forecast, they needed to make them follow on. Not only did England wipe out that 34-run deficit but they managed it with almost insouciant ease. Having been exemplary in applying pressure with the ball the previous day and finding sufficient reverse swing to make life awkward, Harris,Buy Cheap Dolce&Gabbana Men's Jeans-DG3012 a fine bowler as he has been demonstrating, was treated almost contemptuously while Nathan Lyon, while looking threatening with occasional turn and bounce,Buy Cheap Franklin Marshall Men's Shirts-FM6017 was in reality nothing of the sort, a little bit of smoke and mirrors.