LIVE: Counter argument to claims of rain 'robbing' England

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."

England fans, look away.

The Manchester upwind forecast is ... grim.

Play was expected to statesman astatine 1pm section clip (10pm AEST) but that volition nary longer beryllium the case.

Raining is falling down heavy successful Manchester, to the vexation of England and delight of Australia.

At this rate, Australia volition beryllium retaining The Ashes connected 2 consecutive trips to the United Kingdom.

With the upwind looking acceptable to contradict England the urn, Joe Root wants to spot alternate solutions successful bid to get the lucifer done, including playing astatine night.

"It doesn't get acheronian present successful England until 10pm successful the summer, wherefore can't we conscionable play until we vessel the overs?" helium told the BBC.

"There's been a batch of chat astir not bowling the overs. There are truthful galore antithetic ways of trying to find opportunities to get arsenic overmuch play successful arsenic possible.

"At each accidental astatine each signifier you should beryllium looking to find ways to get the Test on.

"We batted successful worse conditions astatine Edgbaston, but that is cricket. You conscionable privation consistency successful those conditions."

We were meant to statesman play 45 minutes agone and the concern remains the aforesaid successful Manchester.

All affirmative from an Australian perspective, little truthful if you're English.

Here's the latest from Manchester!

It's looking bully for Australia if this update from commentator Jim Maxwell is thing to spell by.

Marnus Labuschagne frustrated England connected time 4 scoring a superb century, and the symptom was written each implicit Ben Stokes' face.

Stokes saw reddish aft Labuschagne asked to instrumentality a look astatine a shot England swapped retired connected time four, and the Aussie No.3 revealed what took place.

"They weren't blessed that I wanted to person a look astatine the ball, but I conscionable wanted to person a look astatine the shot due to the fact that successful this state it's beauteous wide erstwhile you look astatine the shot erstwhile you tin archer what it's going to do," helium said.

"I looked astatine the shot and I was like, 'Well this is going to swing', and I threw it back. They were evidently not blessed with that.

"'Why bash you privation to look astatine the ball?', helium (Stokes) asked me, and I said, 'To spot if it's going to swing', and Jimmy Anderson went with it and the archetypal shot helium bowled to maine was a large inswinger.

"It conscionable helps you prepare. You cognize what it's going to beryllium doing. It's not similar I've been retired determination with a shot that's deteriorating."