LIVE: Australia retains the Ashes in rain-affected draw

Mark Taylor says England volition beryllium "robbed" if rainfall squanders immoderate anticipation of Ben Stokes' men winning the 4th Ashes Test.

But the erstwhile Australian skipper believes the 5th Test, taking spot astatine The Oval from Thursday, would nevertheless loom arsenic a significant crippled contempt the urn remaining successful the tourists' keeping.

Taylor said England would beryllium "robbed" successful the lawsuit of rainfall ruining the location side's triumph hopes contempt the remarks from others that Stokes had cruelled his broadside by not declaring connected time three.

"There's nary uncertainty if there's nary much play present England person been robbed. We each cognize that. They would person won this crippled fixed just upwind implicit the past day-and-a-half," Taylor said connected Nine's sum of the Old Trafford Test.

"But, to me, it doesn't instrumentality distant from what could hap adjacent week astatine The Oval. To maine the bid is precise overmuch alive.

"Pat Cummins and the Australian broadside person said, 'We've travel implicit present to triumph The Ashes'. They privation that connected their resume, the Australian boys. People similar (David) Warner and (Steve) Smith and (Pat) Cummins himself and (Mitchell) Starc, who's present 32 oregon 33 — they privation an Ashes distant triumph connected their resume.

"They've got clasp of it astatine the moment, but The Oval Test lucifer is inactive precise overmuch live and well."