Ben Stokes blamed by Australia icon after England miss out on Ashes glory
Ben Stokes was disappointed after England failed to win The Ashes against Australia
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Australia icon Glenn McGrath has blamed Ben Stokes following England's failure to win The Ashes.
The hosts dominated the fourth test at Old Trafford but, with the rain in Manchester failing to subside, the penultimate Test match of the series ended in a draw.
With Australia leading the series 2-1, that means they'll be taking the urn back Down Under with them.
And Baggies hero McGrath, who won 22 of the 30 Ashes Test matches he played during his career, has blamed Stokes' refusal to declare for England's failure to wrestle the small trophy back.
Glenn McGrath has blamed Ben Stokes after England failed to win The Ashes
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"I have to be honest, England dominated this match," he wrote.
"It was their 'Bazball' style in its finest form but Ben Stokes' decision not to declare earlier on day three cost them victory.
"England were 506-8, leading by 189, but Stokes decided to bat long into the afternoon session."
McGrath added: "England have the attributes to become a great team but the best teams embrace the pressure.
"They should have declared at lunch and backed themselves to bowl Australia out."
In the end, England fell short.
Stokes himself lamented the rain following the draw in the fourth Test, admitting he felt his side were 'perfect' during their time on the field.
"It is frustrating when the weather dictates the outcome of a game," said the England skipper.
"It's a shame. We did literally everything we could and the weather didn't help us.
"It's a tough pill to swallow knowing that's the reason we sit here with a draw.
"I think we were completely and utterly dominant in the cricket we had. We were pretty much perfect throughout the whole game. Bowling Australia out and scoring the runs at the pace we did."
Had England won, it would have levelled the series 2-2 with one Test left to play.
And Stokes admitted he was gutted they weren't able to set up a mouthwatering final showdown.
"I think a [series decider] would have elevated everything but what we have managed to do has done wonders for cricket in England," he said.
"There is no doubt that if we had managed to get the result in this game then next week would have been very special, not just for Ashes cricket but English cricket.
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"We will have to get over this disappointment and focus on that game as it is massive for us - 2-2 sounds better than 3-1. The mentality we have within the dressing room is to go out and win. Everything we do is to be positive.
"You go back to the Pakistan series, the New Zealand series [that we won 3-0] we could have taken it easy in the last game but we didn't even though we had already won those series."
"We know we can't get [the Ashes urn] back. All we can do is draw the series and that is what we will be trying to do."
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