No matter what happens at The Oval, England will look back at Ashes 2023 as a lost opportunity: Mark Butcher

Mark Butcher. (Photo by Tom Shaw/Getty Images for the PCA)

Former England cricketer Mark Butcher expressed that the side will look at the Ashes 2023 as a ‘lost opportunity’ even if they win the fifth and final Test at The Oval in London. Notably, the Aussies retained the urn following a rain-marred fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester. 

England were comfortably placed after posting a humongous 592 and piling up a massive lead of 275 runs in the second innings. The Aussies were in a spot of bother, however, persistent rain at the venue interrupted the play, pushing the match into a draw. 

Reflecting on the matches thus far, former cricketer Butcher stated that the Three Lions will look at the series as a lost opportunity. He further added that a win at The Oval in the fifth Test would not change their fate and that the weather changed the complexion of the series in Australia’s favour.

“England really will look back on the whole thing, no matter what happens at The Oval as a lost opportunity. Even in the first two Test matches that they lost, they had opportunities to reverse both of those results and just weren’t quite smart enough or quite experienced enough perhaps to take advantage of them… which left them with a mountain to climb,” Butcher told Wisden.

“Winning three on the bounce against Australia is a Herculean task. They probably would have won the game if it weren’t for the weather, but still that’s baked into cricket in England. Bad weather has always played a part, sometimes it helps you out sometimes it dumps all over you and that’s the game,” he added.

England’s unwanted streak of being unable to win the Ashes continues as they were last successful in 2015. Meanwhile, the Aussies will be gunning to win their first Ashes series away from home since 2001.