England needed 370 runs in their second innings for the win and to level the series, but they were bowled out for 327 runs.

This was despite a valiant captain's knock of 155 runs by the all-rounder Ben Stokes, while Ben Duckett scored 83 runs.

The captain Pat Cummins was the pick of the Baggy Greens bowlers with 3/69 in 25 overs, while Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazelwood each bagged three wickets as well.

It was not the fifth and final day without any drama as the England wicketkeeper, Jonny Bairstow’s, dismal has been a topic for much debate.

Bairstow was stumped for 10 runs by the Australian wicketkeeper, Alex Carey, as the English walked out of his crease following the sixth ball of the Cameron Green over.

Before the umpires could call the ball dead, Bairstow, walked out of his crease and smart piece of wicketkeeping saw him stumped by a yard.

This enraged the English fans and the Home of Cricket and just fired up the English captain, Stokes.

There are questions about the spirit of the game, however, for the English to have an issue with the dismissal, does boil down to hypocrisy and one just has to think back to the Colin de Grandhomme incident a year prior.

Following the match, Stokes said that if he was in the bowling team, he would have ensured that the Test be played within the spirit of the game.

“If the shoe was on the other foot, I would have put more pressure on the umpires and asked whether they had called over and had a deep think about the whole spirit of the game and would I want to do something like that.

“For Australia, it was the match-winning moment. Would I want to win a game in that manner? The answer for me is no.”

The Australian skipper, Cummins, in his turn, backed the dismissal and felt it was a fair call.

“I thought it was totally fair play. That’s how the rule is and some people might disagree. That's how I saw it.”

The 3rd Test starts on Thursday at Headingley in Leeds and judging by the final day at St John’s Wood, the English will be charged up as they will attempt to mount a comeback in the series.

Bairstow stumping

Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal… thoughts? ????#Ashes2023 pic.twitter.com/x5Uv3Qg3Kc

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) July 2, 2023

Bairstow attempted the same while Marnus Labschagne was batting

What if Marnus Labuschagne had been stumped by Jonny Bairstow in this fashion?#ENGvsAUSpic.twitter.com/uWE2tlTtxg

— Farrago Abdullah Parody (@abdullah_0mar) July 3, 2023

Morgan Piek/OFM Sport