Steve Smith marked his first Test innings since suffering concussion with a fourth fifty of the series but the Ashes witnessed another yet wet day as rain forced early stumps on the opening day of the fourth Test between England and Australia at Old Trafford, Manchester. Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, who scored 67, revived the Aussie hopes after Stuart Broad claimed two early wickets in the form of openers David Warner and Marcus Harris. Craig Overton, playing in his first match of the series, claimed the wicket of Labuschagne to break and century stand. Then, it was rain.
Earlier, cricket's oldest rivalry resumed with England and Australia, once again, going against each other in a bid to lift probably the most sanctimonious urn of all. After the thriller at Leeds, which many hailed as the greatest ever Test match, both the camps took deserved breaks of more than a week. Three Tests so far, one win each and a draw, thus making the penultimate match the most important of the series. Setting the stage perfectly was the return of Smith, who just dethroned India captain Virat Kohli as the world's top Test batsman. The former Aussie skipper's imminent rivalry with England's 'hired gun' Jofra Archer has been the biggest talking point ahead of the match, but the battle will be fought on many fronts, with the special focus on Ben Stokes. The all-rounder single-handedly won the third Test to keep the series alive, and he will need to do it again for England. Catch highlights and cricket score of the Manchester Test between England and Australia here.
