Ben Stokes says he is “devastated” by the decision to deny cricket fans in the north of England a men’s Ashes Test in 2027.

After back-to-back defeats at Edgbaston and Lord’s, England kept their hopes of regaining the urn this summer alive with a memorable victory at a bouncing Headingley.

That was just the latest in the venue’s list of famous Ashes days, which also includes Stokes’ innings of a lifetime in 2019 and Sir Ian Botham’s heroics in 1981.

England are hoping to square this summer’s series at 2-2 in front of a sold out Emirates Old Trafford this week, but there is increasing disquiet about the allocation of matches for the next Australian visit in four years.

Yorkshire and Lancashire have both been overlooked, with Nottingham’s Trent Bridge the most northerly host.

The Ageas Bowl, near Southampton, has been added to the Ashes roster for the first time, with other matches at Lord’s, The Kia Oval and Edgbaston.

Headingley will host the women’s Ashes Test that summer, but Stokes was clearly frustrated by the uneven geographical split in the men’s series.

Speaking on the eve of the Old Trafford Test, the England captain said: “I think it’s always a loud atmosphere here.

“You know the crowds we get in the north – and I say ‘the North’ quite bluntly there – are very good. We get a lot of support.

“I think we perform well in the northern grounds, especially at Headingley. So yeah, I’m a bit devastated that there won’t be any Ashes cricket here in 2027 in the north. It’s a shame.

“I don’t make those calls but, if I was involved, I would have said ‘please keep at least one game in the north’.”

Moeen Ali should think of the possibilities his elevation up England’s batting order presents rather than the pressure that comes with the upgrade, according to five-time Ashes winner Ian Bell.

A shoulder injury to Ollie Pope initially led to Harry Brook batting at three in the third Ashes Test, but Moeen volunteered to assume the mantle in England’s successful chase of 251 at Headingley.

His contribution was just five off 15 balls, but it allowed Brook to settle back into his normal role in the middle order, where he underpinned England’s three-wicket victory with an assertive innings of 75.

The hosts have announced they will continue with Moeen at first drop, a scenario Bell is familiar with given he was catapulted from five to three in the middle of England’s triumphant 2015 Ashes series.

Bell suggested a freewheeling Moeen – who is just 23 away from 3,000 Test runs to go with 200 wickets, a twin landmark only 15 men have reached in Tests – should focus on the positives of his promotion.

The former England batter told the PA news agency: “I wouldn’t say it’s the perfect solution, but we’ve got selfless cricketers who are trying to do the best for the team.

“The temptation is to think of the pressure and that’s normal, but you look at it as an opportunity. It probably is a free hit. We know if Moeen gets in, he’s going to score at a rate.

“It will be a challenge, but it’s something that we know ability-wise Moeen has. It allows (Joe) Root to stay at four, Brook looks better at five and then (Ben) Stokes at six – those match-winners are still in those positions that can cause the most damage to Australia.”

Similarly to Moeen, Bell was up and down England’s order during a distinguished 118-Test career, although nine of his 22 centuries came at number five, a position which Brook now occupies.

Brook averaged an astonishing 81.8 coming into this summer and, even if that has since dipped, his knock last time out under pressure went a long way to cutting Australia’s lead to 2-1 with two to play.

The Yorkshireman is only 24 and less than a year into his international career, while Bell was only 23 and just a few months on from his England bow before being thrust into the cauldron of the 2005 Ashes.

Bell, who coached Brook when the pair were at Hobart Hurricanes in Australia’s Big Bash League 18 months ago, said: “You can’t teach that knowledge. You can get advice from people who have done it in the past, but until you’re out there and feel that for yourself, it’s very hard.

“Harry will be such a better cricketer and more understanding of Test cricket after this series. He’ll understand his game more than he ever has done at the end of an Ashes series and what he needs to do to be the best version of himself going forward.

“He’s an immense talent, but he does have a defence to go with the attacking options as well. At times, he should trust his defence as well because he’s technically very, very good. He’s a naturally attacking player and he’s going to be a fine, fine player for England.”

With England needing to win at Emirates Old Trafford and the Kia Oval to regain the urn, Bell, speaking in his role as a Betfair Ambassador, also backed Jonny Bairstow following a difficult series so far.

The Yorkshireman has struggled since retaining the gloves on his return from a badly-broken leg, missing a host of chances, with a lack of confidence behind the stumps seemingly seeping into his batting.

But Bell pointed to Bairstow’s track record of excelling when he feels under pressure, adding: “Jonny is someone when, if the game’s on the line or if there is a chase, we could see the best of him.

“We do need to see that and, if there’s two games to win which we have to be perfect to win this series, Jonny’s going to have to have a big hand in hopefully getting us to an Ashes victory.”

:: For more from Betfair Ambassador Ian Bell head to https://betting.betfair.com/cricket/

New Zealander, Devon Conway, hit 74 to help the Texas Super Kings get their second win in three games in Major League Cricket with a 17-run win over MI New York at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Monday.

The Super Kings won the toss and posted 154-7 off their 20 overs.

Conway’s innings lasted 55 balls and included eight fours and a six. Conway’s countryman, Mitchell Santner, hit 27 in support. Trent Boult and Kagiso Rabada each took a pair of wickets for MINY.

MI New York’s chase then failed to get going after a slow first powerplay where they only scored 32 in the first six overs.

The innings sauntered along before, eventually, they were restricted to 137-8 after 20 overs.

Shayan Jahangir top scored with 41 while Tim David hit 21 and Nicholas Pooran made 19.

Daniel Sams was excellent with the ball for Texas, picking up 2-15 in his four overs.

The Super Kings are now on top of the table with four points from three games.

David Warner will be retained by Australia for the fourth Ashes Test at Emirates Old Trafford despite his struggles against Stuart Broad, although off-spinner Todd Murphy could miss out.

As Australia weigh up whether to go into a Test without a frontline spinner for the first time in 11 years, captain Pat Cummins announced Warner would keep his spot and open alongside Usman Khawaja.

Warner amassed just five runs at Headingley before being snared twice by Broad, whose 17 dismissals of the left-hander is the joint-third highest by a bowler against an individual batter in the Test format.

Broad could equal the record – held by Australia great Glenn McGrath, who claimed the wicket of former England captain Mike Atherton 19 times – if he does the double over Warner again in Manchester.

But Cummins argued Warner’s three 50-plus stands in this series have been invaluable to their 2-1 lead and is backing the 36-year-old, who is averaging 23.5 after six innings, to come good this week.

“Davey didn’t have his best game last week at Headingley but prior to that, I think he’s looked really good – he’s had three fifty-run partnerships which can be rare over here in England,” Cummins said.

“Steve Smith got a great hundred at Lord’s, a lot of that was off the back of a really important first session from the openers.

“We back Davey, absolutely. We know how tough it can be to open over here. He’s doing all the right things, he’s shown some great signs and I’m sure a big score is just around the corner.”

Cummins revealed Josh Hazlewood would replace fellow seamer Scott Boland, who has taken just two wickets in two matches at an eye-watering 115.5 average, while fit-again all-rounder Cameron Green seems set to replace Murphy after the rookie spinner bowled just 9.3 overs in the third Test at Headingley.

Green lengthens Australia’s batting alongside fellow all-rounder Mitch Marsh if Murphy drops out, having come in at Leeds for Nathan Lyon, one of Australia’s greatest spinners who played 100 Tests in a row before injuring his calf in the second Test at Lord’s.

Australia’s last Test without a recognised spinner was in January 2012 against India at Perth – a match they won by an innings – although Old Trafford has a reputation for offering help to slow bowlers.

“Nathan Lyon is the greatest off-spinner we’ve ever had so it’s not quite apples for apples (in comparing him to Murphy),” Cummins said.

“We are really excited by Todd, we think he’s fantastic. He’s got a big future. It was more conditions or the way I used him, as opposed to how he bowled.”

England’s victory last time out narrows the deficit to 2-1 in a gripping, seesaw series but Australia are still the box seat, knowing they only need to draw one of the final two Tests to retain the urn.

However, Cummins – who played in the drawn series in 2019 – insisted the clear aim of this trip was to claim a first Test series win in England since 2001.

Ahead of the penultimate match, where rain is forecast for the weekend, Cummins said: “The first preference is always to try to win.

“We drew the 2019 series and we’ve all come back pretty clear we want to win this one.

“We’re prepared for anything, really. We’ll see how it plays out. We’ve already seen a lot of different things from both teams this series. I’m sure this one will be another cracker with some random stuff thrown up.”

Ben Stokes admitted England’s predicament in the Ashes means keeping one eye on the weather forecast and the possibility of an even bolder approach in the fourth Test.

England battled their way back into the series at Headingley with a three-wicket win to now trail 2-1 but they must prevail at both Emirates Old Trafford and the Kia Oval to regain the urn from Australia.

Complicating matters for the hosts is the heavy rain predicted in Manchester on days four and five this weekend, which could hasten England to try to push the game along to make sure of a result.

Under captain Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum in the last 13 months, England have frequently thrown convention out of the window in an effort to win not only matches but also hearts and minds.

Aggressive batting and daring declarations have been among the distinctive features in the reign of Stokes, who would not rule out getting even funkier in his approach if the weather intervenes.

“You never want to look too much into the weather but in the position we find ourselves in, we find we might have to,” Stokes said.

“We know we have to win this game to take it to the last game for us to have a chance of getting the urn back.

“Going into the last game 2-0 down, we knew we had to win that so I think that helped us a little bit.

“Maybe again with the weather that’s predicted, it might bring more out of us again knowing that we might have to push the game on even more than we normally do. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

The Women’s Ashes are running concurrently and while England are out of the running to beat Australia, Heather Knight described a series that has captured the public imagination and drawn record crowds as the “best ever”.

The momentum in the male equivalent has seesawed – not only from day to day but often from hour to hour – and Stokes acknowledged victory this week which would set up a decider would go a long way to determining how fondly this series is remembered.

“If we win this one then going into the last game at 2-2, it would be hard not to say this is the best men’s Ashes series in a long time, if not the best,” he said.

“Overall, take away Australia and England, the cricket that’s been played has been absolutely brilliant.

“Everyone who’s watched at the ground or at home on TV has just really enjoyed the cricket that’s been played.

“There have been some pretty special moments out on the cricket ground, some special individual performances as well. I guess that’s what you want from sport.”

England’s record wicket-taker James Anderson will return at his home ground and where he has an end named in his honour, as he replaces Ollie Robinson in the only change from Headingley.

He has took just three wickets at an average of 75 in the first two matches before missing out in the third Test, but Stokes has no concerns about the Lancastrian, arguing his value cannot be measured in wickets alone.

“When you’re quality performer like Jimmy has been for the last 10 years, he is going to be disappointed that he’s not contributed to the team like he normally does,” Stokes added.

“But I did say to him ‘even if you’re not taking wickets like you want to be doing, at the other end you see the pressure you’re putting on the opposition’.

“He holds an end up without that being his main obligation with the ball. You don’t get as many wickets as him without having the odd bad game here and there – there’s no issues whatsoever with Jimmy.”

The men’s Ashes is tantalisingly poised with Australia 2-1 ahead with two to play and England on the up after a stirring victory at Headingley.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the key issues ahead of the fourth Test.

Eyes on the skies

While it is never wise to stick too slavishly to the British weather forecast, it is impossible to ignore the likelihood of rain intervening in this match. Showers are predicted to play a part throughout but there is a particular concern over the weekend, when things are set to get extremely wet. That could play into Australia’s hands given a drawn match would see them retain the urn. England, on the other hand, need two more victories to win it back and are likely to be open to generating a result even if it means taking a gamble. With different motivations it remains to be seen whether there will be enough time and enough will to reach a fitting conclusion.

Australia to bin the spin?

The tourists are leaving it late to settle an unexpected selection quandary, with first-choice all-rounder Cameron Green fit again after Headingley and his temporary stand-in Mitchell Marsh effectively undroppable with a brilliant century as understudy. There was speculation that off-form opener David Warner could be the man to make way but it increasingly seems that spinner Todd Murphy is the man at risk. Australia have not gone into a Test without a frontline slow bowler since January 2012 but with Nathan Lyon injured and his deputy considered more dispensable they are pondering a significant change to the balance of their side. Deploying Green and Marsh would bolster their batting and make them harder to bowl out twice but leave their options in the field much diminished.

Three is the Moeen number

The number three position has caused plenty of headaches for England over the years and familiar questions resurfaced when incumbent Ollie Pope dislocated his shoulder at Lord’s. After a one-innings experiment with Harry Brook, Moeen Ali volunteered for a surprise promotion in the Headingley chase. Despite being bowled for just five he has now been inked in at first drop, allowing the likes of Brook, Joe Root and Ben Stokes to bat in their preferred positions lower down. It is a big ask for the all-rounder, who initially agreed to return from retirement as a number eight and averages 15.75 from his four knocks this summer, but this England side are not averse to a gamble.

Age concern for England?

When it comes to taking wickets England have made sure they will not lack for experience in Manchester. Their five main bowlers for this Test have a combined age of 180, with James Anderson returning to the fray less than a fortnight before his 41st birthday. Their side is the first to go into an Ashes Test with four pace bowlers aged 33 or above since the Australian class of 1928, but few England fans would argue with the composition of the attack on current form. Moeen suggested the hosts are hoping to prove the adage that “old is gold” and Anderson would love nothing more than making that point. He has never taken a Test five-for at his home ground and is unlikely to have too many more shots at the honours’ board.

Will Jonny be good

England have rowed in hard behind Jonny Bairstow as wicketkeeper, rendering Ben Foakes’ imperious glovework surplus to requirements. Bairstow has had an eventful series as he continues to feel his way back from a badly broken leg – locking horns with a Just Stop Oil protester, being controversially stumped by Alex Carey and facing constant scrutiny over his keeping. But the bare facts are that he has let eight chances pass him by. That has materially hindered England’s prospects and nobody will know better than him that he needs to reach a higher level this week. He has a long track record of performing best when under pressure and his fight-or-flight response will be needed again.

The Ashes series resumes on Wednesday at Old Trafford with another must-win clash for England, who trail 2-1 to Australia after three Tests.

Ben Stokes’ side kept the series alive at Headingley thanks to 75 runs from Harry Brook before Chris Woakes and Mark Wood’s thrilling partnership saw them over the line to seal a three-wicket win.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the biggest moments in Ashes history at Old Trafford.

Results

England and Australia played their first Test at Old Trafford in 1884 and the match finished in a draw, which is a common theme when it comes to Ashes Tests held in Manchester.

The hosts won for the first time in 1886 and Australia’s first success at the ground came 10 years later in 1896.

Following England’s innings victory in 1905, Manchester’s Ashes Tests then ended in stalemate for 51 years as eight consecutive matches were drawn.

England eventually broke the streak in 1956 in style thanks to Jim Laker’s astonishing 19-wicket haul, but the 1960s saw Australia earn two wins at the ground before the hosts exerted a nine-year period of dominance with three successive Ashes wins.

Ian Botham steered England to victory in 1981, but that is their last taste of Ashes success at Old Trafford as the momentum shifted in Australia’s favour with three consecutive wins in the late ’80s and ’90s.

Overall, Australia’s win in 2019 gives the visitors an edge with eight Ashes victories in Manchester compared to England’s seven, but the draws reign supreme with 15 in total.

‘Ball of the Century’

Old Trafford Ashes Tests have thrown up plenty of magical moments and some wizardry from the late Shane Warne to dismiss Mike Gatting in 1993 ranks right up there.

A young Warne, aged just 23, announced himself on the world stage with his first ever delivery in Ashes cricket.

The ball released by the spinner looked to be well outside leg stump, but twisted and turned to bamboozle Gatting as the bails came away from his off stump.

Later dubbed the ‘Ball of the Century’, Warne’s incredible wicket kicked off a 15-year playing career for the Australian great, ending with 708 Test wickets.

Old Trafford heroes

Warne is not the only spinner to have stunned crowds at Old Trafford after Jim Laker etched his name in the history books with his incredible 19-wicket haul in 1956.

The off-spinner took nine for 37 in the first innings as Australia were reduced to 84 all out and after England enforced the follow-on, Laker went one better, earning 10 for 53 to seal victory by an innings and 170 runs.

Botham also enjoyed his share of success in 1981, scoring a magnificent 118 alongside half-centuries from Chris Tavare, Alan Knott and John Emburey, setting Australia a mammoth target of 506 in the second innings.

Three wickets from Bob Willis and two from all-rounder Botham then saw England retain the Ashes in Manchester.

The great 2005 Ashes Test also produced some tense moments with the match going down to the wire as last-wicket pair Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath survived four overs to keep the series level.

Last time out

The last Ashes Test staged at Old Trafford saw the visitors retain the urn, their first time doing so on English soil in 18 years.

After winning the toss and opting to bat, Steve Smith returned from his concussion absence to put Australia in the driving seat with an astonishing 211 from 319 balls in the first innings, and some impressive batting from Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon kept the scoreboard ticking before declaring three runs short of 500.

Despite efforts from Rory Burns and captain Joe Root combined with the Manchester weather which delayed day three, England fell 196 runs short of their target thanks to some tidy bowling from Josh Hazlewood.

Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer rattled through the Australian top order before Smith was dismissed by Jack Leach and the tourists declared with a lead of 382.

A tense final day saw England attempt to bat for an unlikely draw, but Australia sealed their 185-run victory when Craig Overton was out lbw from Hazlewood after facing 105 balls for 21.

The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Senior Men’s Selection Panel today announced the squad for the second Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Match powered by YES BANK against India. The Panel named 13 squad members and two traveling reserve players for the match which will be played at Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad from 20 to 24 July.

Kevin Sinclair, the off-spinning allrounder has replaced Raymon Reifer in the squad. Reifer will however travel to Trinidad as cover in case of injury. Sinclair was among the leading players in the West Indies Championship four-day first-class competition earlier this year. He also played a significant role with bat and ball in the recent West Indies “A” Team series win in Bangladesh.

Overall, he has so far played 18 first-class matches with 54 wickets including three five-wicket hauls at an average of 23.98 each. With the bat he has scored 756 runs at an average of 29, including six half centuries.

The upcoming second Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Match powered by YES BANK will be historic – marking the 100th Test Match between West Indies and India, since the two teams first met at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi in 1948. Play starts daily at 10am (9am Jamaica/7:30pm India). 

Fans can purchase tickets in their preferred viewing locations from the Windies Tickets service, presented by Mastercard, at tickets.windiescricket.com – where they will be able to download tickets securely to their mobile device, or print out their ticket to present for scanning at the entrance point.

FULL SQUAD

Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain)
Jermaine Blackwood (Vice Captain)
Alick Athanaze
Tagenarine Chanderpaul
Rahkeem Cornwall
Joshua Da Silva
Shannon Gabriel
Jason Holder
Alzarri Joseph
Kirk McKenzie
Kemar Roach
Kevin Sinclair
Jomel Warrican

Traveling Reserves:

Tevin Imlach
Akeem Jordan

FULL MATCH SCHEDULE – Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Series powered by YES BANK 

12-16 July: 1st Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test powered by YES BANK, Windsor Park, Dominica – India won by an innings and 141 runs
20-24 July: 2nd Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test powered by YES BANK, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad

• start at 10am local time (9am Jamaica/7:30pm India) 

Former West Indies all-rounder, Dwayne Bravo, rolled back the years to hit a career-best 76* but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Washington Freedom from defeating his Texas Super Kings by just six runs in their Major League Cricket fixture at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Sunday.

The Freedom first posted 163-5 from their 20 overs after winning the toss.

Australian opener, Matthew Short, did the bulk of the scoring for Washington with a 50-ball 80 including 10 fours and three sixes.

He was supported by hic countryman and Freedom Captain, Moises Henriques, who hit 21 and Mukhtar Ahmed who scored 20.

South African quick, Gerald Coetzee, took 2-26 from his four overs for the Super Kings.

Texas, in their chase, were reeling at 78-6 at one point before Bravo gave them a glimmer of hope with some fireworks.

The 39-year-old hit five fours and six sixes in his innings that took just 39 balls.

In the end, they fell agonizingly short of their target at 157-8 after 20 overs.

Akeal Hosein took 2-25 off his four overs for the Freedom while Marco Jansen took 2-31 from his four.

Nat Sciver-Brunt feels drawing the Women’s Ashes series would reward the progress that England have made this summer.

Australia, the world’s number one side, retained the Ashes on Sunday with a tense three-run victory in the second ODI at the Ageas Bowl, taking an unassailable 8-6 lead in the multi-format series.

But England would level matters by winning the final ODI game in Taunton on Tuesday and secure a second series win to boot after prevailing 2-1 in the T20 matches.

“For the series to be drawn on points it would bring some pride to our performances and the way we’ve gone about things,” said all-rounder Sciver-Brunt.

“It would definitely be (consolation for not winning the Ashes) and another series win would certainly have a nice ring to it.

“The way we’ve gone about things has been positive and our mindset doesn’t change too much from that.

“We’ll make sure we’re in a good place and park our feelings from Sunday, using that ODI series win potentially as a motivator.”

England captain Heather Knight described this Women’s Ashes battle as the “best ever series” after England’s heart-breaking defeat in Southampton.

Sciver-Brunt, who almost got the hosts over the line on Sunday with an unbeaten 111 from 99 balls, believes the series has left a lasting legacy on women’s cricket in England.

She said: “It’s the first time we’ve played at big grounds and there has been a new strategy of going about marketing. It has been a bit of a game-changer.

“Hopefully that can continue when it’s not such a big series on the line and we can draw that same excitement about our team and the way we play, not just depending on the opponent.”

Australia’s Alana King responded to the tourists retaining the Ashes by saying she did not see the gap between the two sides “closing any time soon”.

Sciver-Brunt insists the margins are smaller – “we’re not that far apart but on the pressure moments they’ve got the edge on us a little bit” – and believes England have exceeded the public’s expectations, if not their own, by making the series such a competitive affair.

Her heroics on Sunday almost kept England’s hopes alive and she said of that fabulous knock: “I’m not really sure it’s sunk in for me yet.

“When you get a good score and end up on the losing side it’s a bit of a weird feeling, you’re not really sure how to respond to it.

“I looked up at the scoreboard and suddenly I was on 40. It felt like it was just happening, I wasn’t focused on the score or anything like that.

“I was just in the moment. It seemed to pass me by until the last 10 or 12 overs when I needed to switch on to the scoreboard a little bit more.

“We want to put on a performance like that in such a big moment, so I was happy in that context. But you’re pretty disappointed not to get over the line being so close and not to win back the Ashes is another layer of that.”

Following what could only be described as an abject display of batting, Sunil Narine’s Los Angeles Knight Riders were skittled out for 50; that’s right, 50 runs to lose by 105 runs to Kieron Pollard’s MI New York in their Major League Cricket encounter in Dallas, Texas on Sunday night.

Neither side would have been proud of their efforts with the bat after Pollard won the toss and elected to bat. It was not long before they were in dire straits at 54-4 in the ninth over. Nicholas Pooran’s 38 and Tim David, the Player of the Match, who top scored with an unbeaten 48 got them past 100 and onto a final score of 155-8.

Corne Fry was the best of the Knight Riders’ bowlers with 2-10. Adam Zampa chipped in with 2-25 and Ali Khan 2-28.

With a relatively modest target of 156, Knight Riders would have been licking their chops in anticipation of an easy night. It was anything but as only Onmukt Chand was the only batter in double figures with his score of 26.

Andre Russell faced six balls for two runs and Narine faced four for his two as the Knight Riders collapsed to 50 all out in the 14^th over.

Ehsan Adil and Nosthush Kenjige each took 2-7 while Pollard, who made only five when New York was at the crease, took 2-10. Trent Boult and Kagiso Rabada also took two wickets each.

The win elevated New York up to second in the table with one win and a loss while Los Angeles sits at the foot of the six-team table after consecutive losses.

Needless to say neither captain was particularly happy, Pollard only more slightly so.

“Happy with that (the end result). Not happy with the performance, though. Losing five wickets in the 10-11 overs is unacceptable from our team. We lost a lot of wickets in the first game as well and that can cost us,” said Pollard.

Responding to whether his openers were going too hard at the start, the former West Indies white-ball captain replied, “I do not think so. Some of the guys playing this level of cricket for the first time in franchise cricket. We need to give them time but it is about understanding what needs to be done. You cannot win the game in the first six overs

James Anderson has got the nod to return to England’s Ashes line-up on his home ground of Old Trafford, while Moeen Ali will bat at number three in an otherwise-unchanged side.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the statistical significance of both decisions.

“Bowling from the James Anderson End…”

Anderson took only three wickets in the first two Tests of this series before sitting out at Headingley but his return at his home for his 23-year county career, where he has even emulated fellow Lancashire and England seam bowling great Brian Statham by having an end named after him, was surely inevitable.

His Test record on the ground adds to his case, with 37 wickets at an average of 22.03 in his 10 previous appearances.

That does not include any five-wicket innings, though he took four for 38 – and seven for 54 in the match – against South Africa in 2017 and another four-wicket haul against New Zealand in 2008.

It will be only Anderson’s second Ashes Test at Old Trafford. The first, a decade ago, saw him toil at the hands of centurion Michael Clarke in the first innings before picking up two wickets in a frantic second innings of declaration batting as Australia tried in vain to beat the rain.

Ollie Robinson’s back spasms during the third Test made him the obvious fall guy, though he has a creditable 10 wickets at 28.40 in the current series and took four for 43 in last year’s Old Trafford win over South Africa.

Stuart Broad has an even better record than Anderson in Old Trafford Tests, with 44 wickets at 19.25 including two six-wicket hauls, and is the leading wicket-taker in this series with 16 at 24.93.

That is one wicket more than Australia captain Pat Cummins, while Mitchell Starc has 13. Nathan Lyon (nine) and Josh Hazlewood (eight) follow Robinson on that list, with the next places occupied by two England seamers who only came in at Headingley but quickly cemented their places.

Mark Wood produced astonishing pace to take five for 34 in the first innings and seven in the match, while he blazed 24 runs in England’s first innings and 16 in the second to see them over the line along with fellow series debutant Chris Woakes.

The Warwickshire all-rounder took three wickets in each innings and finished unbeaten on 32 as he struck the winning runs. Woakes also has 23 wickets at 18.48 in five Old Trafford Tests, with Wood set to play his first.

Promotion for Moeen

Moeen put his hand up to bat at number three in the second innings at Headingley and though he made just five, the experiment will be repeated.

It solves an England conundrum in Ollie Pope’s absence, with Harry Brook having made just three in the first innings, while Joe Root is most comfortable at number four, but has not been a productive spot for Moeen in Tests.

He has batted everywhere in the top nine in his 66 games, but mainly at six, seven or eight. That means some small statistical samples elsewhere but at number three he averages 13.14, consisting of 92 runs in seven innings. A strike rate of 32.39 is also hardly in keeping with England’s aggressive philosophy.

September 2018’s Test against India at the Oval accounts for 70 of his runs at number three, with scores of 50 and 20. He made nine against them in the previous Test and five in 2016, batting at three for the second innings only on each occasion, and a first-ball duck followed by three against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2018.

He averages 12.75 at number two but taking his six innings as an opener overall, that average of 14 leaves number three as his lowest anywhere in the order. His best is 51.20 at number four, while in his regular positions he averages 21.50 at number six, 33.48 at seven and 25.93 at eight, with an overall Test average of 27.82.

England have recalled James Anderson for the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford.

The 40-year-old Lancashire seamer will feature on home turf as he returns to the team in place of Ollie Robinson, the only change to the side that defeated Australia at Headingley in the third Test.

England kept the Ashes alive in Leeds after Yorkshireman Harry Brook steered the hosts to victory with 75 runs before Chris Woakes and Mark Wood’s match-winning partnership saw them over the line.

Ben Stokes’ side are 2-1 down in the series with another must-win game on the line in Manchester.

Another tweak to the side sees Moeen Ali promoted to bat at number three, with Ollie Pope ruled out for the rest of the series.

Brook had originally occupied the vacant spot, but all-rounder Ali, who was dismissed for five while batting at three in the second innings, was unexpectedly promoted after asking head coach Brendon McCullum if he could bat there.

“When I took the role on I asked for 10 other selfless cricketers,” England captain Stokes said post-match at Headingley.

“And that little moment of Mo going to Baz (McCullum) and saying, ‘I want the opportunity’ is everything that we’re about as a team.”

Captain Heather Knight urged England to bounce back to draw the “best ever series” after Australia retained the Women’s Ashes with victory by three runs in the second ODI at the Ageas Bowl.

Nat Sciver-Brunt hit an unbeaten 111 in Hampshire but it was not enough to guide England to victory in pursuit of 283 with the hosts finishing on 279 for seven after a thrilling sixth encounter of the multi-format series.

After trailing 6-0 following defeats in the one-off Test and opening T20, England had stormed back to win three matches in a row and keep alive their faint chances of winning back the Ashes for the first time since 2014.

Only victory in the final two ODIs would be enough for Knight’s team, but the tourists proved too strong with Ellyse Perry’s 91 and a game-changing knock of 37 not out from Georgia Wareham, with 26 runs coming off the final over bowled by Lauren Bell, helping Australia make 282 for seven.

Sciver-Brunt was able to produce more heroics against Australia, after she hit 148 not out in last year’s World Cup final, but with 15 runs needed from the last six deliveries, Jess Jonassen held her nerve and England will aim to level the series at 8-8 in Tuesday’s final ODI in Taunton.

“God it was an unbelievable game again wasn’t it? It has got to be the best series there has ever been in the history of the women’s game,” Knight reflected.

“Two sides going toe-to-toe, fighting it out and every game has been pretty close. Yeah, obviously disappointment but real pride as well over the fact we got so close.

“The way Nat played was unbelievable. To nearly marshal the tail in that chase was brilliant, but probably left a little bit too much to do.

“Overall, we’ve put in another thriller of a performance, but the Ashes are gone which is disappointing.”

Before Sciver-Brunt’s third ODI century against Australia, the big momentum-swinger occurred in the final over of the tourists’ innings.

With Australia on a below-par 256 for seven after 49 overs, England would have fancied their chances but Wareham proceeded to hit seamer Bell for three maximums, two over midwicket, and another brace of fours.

The 26-run over went a long way to deciding the latest nail-bitter in the series, but Knight backed her young bowler to learn from the experience.

“No, not for me (the most decisive moment). Lauren has been outstanding at the death for us all series, but she is a young bowler, she will make mistakes and have days like that sometimes where it doesn’t quite go right,” Knight added.

“I think she will learn a lot from that experience.

“There is a one-day series victory on the line and it would be a really good achievement to win the T20 series and ODI series to draw the series 8-8.

“We have to rally around people, it is obviously quite a quick turnaround and there will be some emotion in that dressing room.

“But we head to Taunton tonight, down to the Holiday Inn and we have a day to regroup and go again. I think if we can end the series on a high, we can have huge pride in how we’ve played throughout the series.”

Knight had got England over the line in Wednesday’s opening ODI match in Bristol and admitted it was “horrific” to have no control in this chase.

Reflecting on Sciver-Brunt’s innings, Knight added: “It was kind of written in the stars for her to do it today.

“Unfortunately just a little bit too much but great character by her to get us even anywhere close.

“It was another unbelievably entertaining game of cricket and unfortunately we’ve been on the wrong side of this one.”

Australia spinner Alana King, who claimed three for 44, was delighted to retain the Ashes but insisted they want to win the series 10-6.

She said: “We have retained it, which is awesome but as we have said all along, we have come to win it so we have one more game to win the Ashes.”

Australia retained the Women’s Ashes after Nat Sciver-Brunt’s excellent innings of 111 not out could not prevent England suffering an agonising three-run defeat in the second ODI at the Ageas Bowl.

Victory in Bristol on Wednesday had levelled the multi-format series at 6-6, but Heather Knight’s side knew only a fourth consecutive win over the world champions would keep alive their hopes of winning back the urn.

Put into bat first in Hampshire, Australia posted 282 for seven with Ellyse Perry hitting 91 and Annabel Sutherland adding 50, but it was Georgia Wareham who changed the momentum with 24 runs off the final over.

Tammy Beaumont ensured England’s chase started strongly with 60 but wickets fell regularly with the recalled Alana King claiming three for 44 from her 10 overs.

Sciver-Brunt’s presence kept alive England’s faint hopes and she reached another century against Australia, but could not get the required 15 runs from Jess Jonassen’s final over.

It puts Australia 8-6 up in the series with only one ODI left to play in Taunton, which means the urn will remain with Alyssa Healy’s side.

England captain Knight had won the toss and saw her decision to bowl first immediately pay dividends with Lauren Bell able to claim the early wickets of Phoebe Litchfield and Healy in windy conditions in Hampshire.

Litchfield was pinned in front lbw and Healy inexplicably cut straight to Alice Capsey, but Perry and Beth Mooney rebuilt the innings and put on 61 for the third wicket.

Spin duo Sophie Ecclestone and Sarah Glenn kept Australia in check with Mooney sweeping the former to Bell at short fine leg for 33 and Tahlia McGrath out cheaply after edging behind.

The outlook could have been even better for England with Perry dropped on 50 when Glenn put down a tough caught-and-bowled chance, which occurred the ball after the Aussie number three had survived a close lbw appeal.

Perry was given another life on 63 when she chipped Ecclestone to Kate Cross at mid-on, but the England seamer put down the opportunity and injured her right leg as a result.

Ashleigh Gardner was already out for 33 to Bell by this point, but Australia were able to kick on from 158 for five with Sutherland improving their tempo.

An important 81-run partnership for the sixth wicket was broken in the 47th over by Ecclestone, who claimed Perry for 91 and Sutherland for 50 with substitute fielder Charlie Dean and Capsey taking smart catches on the boundary rope.

Wareham crucially swung the momentum back in Australia’s favour though with a scintillating onslaught on Bell, smashing two sixes over midwicket after an earlier maximum in the last over of the innings to help her side post 282 for seven from their 50 overs.

It left England facing another record ODI chase, after achieving the same feat in Bristol on Wednesday, but Beaumont ensured they made a strong start with 66 put on with Sophia Dunkley, who was then bowled after a scratchy 13.

Beaumont had already celebrated fifty before four runs initially awarded to her were later changed to leg byes but the milestone was officially reached in the 14th over.

England’s progress was quickly ground to a halt by leg-spinner King after she won her battle against Knight, who was unhappy to walk off given out lbw for 12 after reviewing immediately.

King was in full flow now and Beaumont was bowled for a fine 60 with a wonderful spinning delivery that clipped off stump before Capsey holed out to deep midwicket where Gardner took the catch.

When Danni Wyatt succumbed to Gardner’s off-break with a slog sweep straight to Sutherland, England had gone from 107 for two to 144 for five.

The presence of Sciver-Brunt, who successfully reviewed an out lbw call on three, retained some hope and she moved to another half-century off 53 balls with a sweep for two.

Sciver-Brunt desperately needed a partner to stick around and wicketkeeper Jones started to take the attack to Australia, hitting back-to-back fours against Wareham, but soon after being dropped on 34, she was out.

After putting on 57 for the sixth wicket to take England past the 200-mark, Jones top-edged her attempted reverse sweep and Ecclestone lasted just two balls – with Gardner picking up two wickets from the 39th over.

England still needed 80 runs for victory but Sciver-Brunt continued to get success with the sweep shot.

Glenn stuck around to bring the equation down to 15 off six balls, but Sciver-Brunt, who reached her century in the previous over, was only able to hit one boundary.

England fell short on 279 for seven after her attempted slog-sweep for six from Jonassen’s last delivery only went for one.