Australia legend Glenn McGrath attributed England’s failure to regain the Ashes to their own shortcomings, following a rain-affected draw in the fourth Test at Old Trafford.

The entire final day on Sunday was washed out, and 60 overs were lost to bad weather on Saturday. The draw meant that Australia, being the holders, retained the Ashes with a 2-1 lead in the series, with only the fifth and final Test at The Oval remaining.

McGrath pointed out that England’s decision to bat on for too long in their first innings was a crucial factor. After amassing 592 in response to Australia’s 317 in the first innings, McGrath believed England captain Ben Stokes should have declared earlier to give his team more time to bowl out Australia, who were 214/5 in their second innings when play was abandoned.

“Looking back at that declaration (decision), if they (England) had finished at lunch on day three, given themselves 10 more overs when the ball was doing a bit more, they could easily have picked up six or seven wickets,” McGrath told the BBC.

England had opportunities to win in the first two Tests but fell behind 2-0 to world Test champions Australia.

McGrath emphasized that England could have been 3-0 up if they had displayed a more ruthless approach. Instead, they now find themselves trailing 2-1, and the Ashes have slipped away from their grasp.

Australia has not won an Ashes series in England since their triumph in 2001, but McGrath believes England still has a lot to play for in the upcoming Test at The Oval.

Michael Vaughan, England’s captain during their thrilling Ashes triumph in 2005, acknowledged that England has been the better team in the series, despite being 2-1 down. He believes that if Australia continues their current form, England could dominate and emerge victorious in the final Test.