The Ashes 2013: Australian 'Time-Wasting' Jibe Won't Rain on England's Parade

Australia resorted to “time-wasting” digs at their English counterparts as their Ashes hopes faded with the light on the fourth day of the third Test, but that will not stain the hosts’ celebrations if they retain the Ashes at Old Trafford on Monday.

Controversial Aussie batsman David Warner pointed the finger at England captain Alastair Cook after the home side’s over-rate dropped considerably, ahead of the umpires’ decision to pull the teams off for bad light at 4:25 p.m.

As a result Australia, who hold a 331-run lead, have one day to find 10 England wickets, although more bad weather is forecast in Manchester. Should the day prove a washout England will retain the Ashes, but Nick Hoult reports in the Daily Telegraph that Warner expects action against Cook.

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We knew the bowlers were going to take their time. The one they were going to review off me was a massive time-waster because they walked into a circle and said, ‘let’s just hold back a little bit’ and Broady (Stuart Broad) as well walking from fine leg to mid-off – he took his time.

The captain suffers [for slow over-rates]. He can miss a game if he’s time-wasting and the overs aren’t bowled in the time allocated. That will come back to bite them on the bum.

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The sight of Aussie frustration will only make England’s achievement all the sweeter. Too often in decades past have England played for a rain delay in order to rescue lost causes, rather than kill their opponents off.

Between the years of 1989 and 2005 the southern hemisphere became the resident home of the Ashes urn, but recent times have played host to England dominance, so much so that they can even afford to contemplate whether victory (Australia could still draw the series but England would keep the Ashes) by washout would be the ideal way achieve their chief goal.

"We’d be more than happy if it did [rain all day] but … forecasts in England are pretty good at being wrong and it would be very dangerous for us to rely on forecasts going into tomorrow,” wicketkeeper Matt Prior told Sky Sports. “Don't look too far ahead. It's a day away but it feels years away.

“It's another long day, another load of hard work, another load of cliches - taking one ball at a time, not getting ahead of ourselves. That's the mentality that's served us well and got us this far."

Prior also defended his men from Warner’s criticism, hinting at a belief that England did what any team—including Australia—would do in their situation: shut the game down.

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We controlled our over-rate and at no point did we want to take it too far. I don’t think we bowled too slowly. But obviously we were not going to be racing through our overs trying to get as many in as possible. It is a balancing act.

It was dark. It is up to the umpires when we come off. They control the game and we do what they say. I reckon for two to three overs at the end the light had dropped.

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Sporting occasions of the magnitude of an Ashes Test are almost always sealed by defining images. In Manchester, Australia captain Michael Clarke appears destined to find himself the central subject of one such memory.

After an imperious 187 to assert Australia’s authority for the first time in the series, the image of Clarke raising his bat and kissing his helmet looked set to act as a symbol that the tourists were still fighting and ready to launch a comeback. 

However, Clarke’s frustrated confrontation with the umpires on Sunday told an altogether different story, one of desperation and delayed urgency as Australia realised they have arrived at the party too late.

Trailing 2-0, Australia have to win three Tests against a nation who have developed a stubborn reputation for rescue acts. As Prior puts it, England “have been in this position a few times in the recent past and will have a lot of confidence [they] can save the day,” and if the Manchester weather plays its part, no amount of arguing or accusations will get Australia off the hook.