England couldn’t get the result they wanted from the fourth Test, but they did prove something to any remaining doubters. They fell 2-0 behind in a five-game series against the best team in the world and didn’t blink. They stuck to their task and to their philosophy, turned things around, and would surely have levelled the series had rain not intervened in Manchester.
Ben Stokes says his primary focus is not on results, and we should not let them distract us from his achievements. Whatever happens in the final game and whether England lose the series or draw it, they have proved something over the past six weeks.
