"Australia will feel like they have got out of jail this game" - Ricky Ponting after Day 5 at Old Trafford
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting reckons Pat Cummins and Co. will not be satisfied despite retaining the Ashes urn on Sunday. The Tasmanian feels the team will want to regroup ahead of next week's final Test at the Kennington Oval.
Persistent rains on Day 5 at Old Trafford in Manchester forced the Test to be drawn, robbing England the chance to level the five-Test series, as Australia escaped a loss, trailing by 61 runs with five wickets down.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Ponting said:
"Australia will feel like they have got out of jail this game. If they retain the Ashes, there will be a hollow feeling in the changing room. They will be all about trying to be better next week than they were this week and winning the series at The Oval."
The visitors took a huge stride in retaining the urn on Day 4 when showers meant that only 30 overs were bowled. Marnus Labuschagne scored a hundred and shared a 103-run partnership with Mitchell Marsh before Joe Root dismissed him.
Australian captain Pat Cummins admits it was not team's greatest week
Following the game, Pat Cummins said that they won't celebrate retaining the Ashes massively and wants to come back hard at the Oval.
"It's really nice to retain but obviously not in the circumstances we would have liked. It feels a bit weird. The rain might have helped us, but it was a great result.
"As a group, we're proud we have retained the Ashes, but it has not been our greatest week. There won't be huge celebrations. There may be a bit of a pat on the back for retaining because there has been a lot of work going into this situation where a draw does get us to retain."
The fifth and final Test begins on Thursday (July 27) at the Kennington Oval in London.