High stakes at rain-soaked Old Trafford

afr.com:

Mentally, the good folk of Melbourne go off-piste from late July, leading up to the AFL finals in September. Thrilling Australian football contests play havoc with the collective Melbourne mind as the big men fly.

So, what are people talking about in Melbourne right now? Well, until Tuesday’s bombshell announcement of Melbourne’s withdrawal as host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games it was, er, the cricket.

A lot on the line. Pat Cummins speaks to the media at Old Trafford on Tuesday. AP

Hard on the Australian women’s series defeat of England after a thrilling, three-run one-day international win, Pat Cummins’ Australian men’s team is shaping up for a decisive Ashes Test at Manchester’s Old Trafford.

Even those with memories harking back to the mid-50’s, when a “sticky wicket” at Old Trafford saw off an Australian Ashes challenge, say there’s never been a time when the battle between old sporting enemies has generated so much interest.

At one level, the explanation is obvious. Three hard-fought Tests have been played so far, and Australia is ahead 2-1.

The visitors won the first Test at Edgbaston with two wickets in hand and the second at Lords by 43 runs. England won the third Test at Headingley by three wickets.

Two Tests remain, giving Ben Stokes’ England team a chance for a come-from-behind boilover.

However, a win for Australia or a draw in what is shaping up to be a rain-affected Old Trafford Test would ensure the visitors retain the Ashes, irrespective of the outcome of the fifth Test at the Oval in London.

England captain Ben Stokes walks from the nets during a training session at Old Trafford on Tuesday. Getty

Whatever the final result, it’s an Ashes series of “thrills and spills”, to re-fashion Paul Keating’s