The next five days will decide whether we will end up looking back on one of tightest, tensest Ashes series ever – or just another reasonably comfortable retention by Australia. Play starts at 11 a.m. BST / 6 a.m. EDT / 3 a.m. PDT / 9 p.m. AEDT for those wishing to watch The Ashes live stream for the 4th Test of England vs Australia from Old Trafford.
Read on and we'll show you where to watch The Ashes live stream from anywhere with a VPN, and potentially for FREE.
For Australia little has changed from the lead up to the Headingley test – to win the Ashes, they just need to avoid losing all the remaining matches in this series. The only change is that ‘all’ is now two games rather than three after England’s win at Headingley.
Before the series, England captain Ben Stokes had asked for fast, bouncy pitches. This seemed an odd request, as these pitches would be more akin to those the Australians play on in their country, than the green seaming tracks typical of England on which Australian batsman have sometimes struggled in the past. The Headingley groundsman, Richie Robinson, produced exactly the type of surface Stokes wanted and on it England won their first game of the series.
Australia have a good record recently at Old Trafford. Since losing the 1981 test to a Botham-inspired England, Australia have won four and drawn three of the seven subsequent Ashes tests here. Moreover their victories have all been big ones – nine wickets; 179 runs; 268 runs and 185 runs.
How the series ends will decide how the retrospective narrative is framed. One scenario is that World Test Champions Australia were clearly the best side all along, but England, helped with some good fortune with the toss and weather conditions, managed to hang in there until Old Trafford.
Another is that after a controversial stumping riled England, they turned an engrossing, dramatic series round to go to The Oval with the series level at 2-2. The next five days will decide which version of history it is to be.
Can England continue to keep the series alive? Here's how to watch every ball of the fourth test at Old Trafford online.
Free Ashes live stream – 4th Test
FREE Ashes 2023 live stream
Ashes fans in Australia can watch all five Tests for FREE on Channel 9 and the 9Now streaming service, which is compatible with most smart devices.
But what if you're based in Australia but aren't at home to catch The Ashes live stream? Maybe you're on holiday and don't want to spend money on pay TV in another country, when you'd usually be able to watch for free at home?
Don't worry — you can watch it via a VPN instead. We'll show you how to do that below.
The Ashes 2023 live streams around the world
How to watch Ashes 2023 4th Test live streams from anywhere
It's only natural that you might want to watch a free Ashes live stream from your home country, but what if you're travelling overseas when the cricket is on?
Look no further than a VPN, or virtual private network. A VPN makes it look as if you're surfing the web from your home country, rather than the one you're in. That means you can access the streaming services you already pay for, from anywhere on Earth. Or anywhere that has an internet connection, at least.
They're totally legal, inexpensive and easy to use. We've tested lots of the best VPN services and our favorite right now is ExpressVPN. It's fast, works on loads of devices and even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Download and install a VPN - as we say, our top choice is ExpressVPN.
2. Connect to the appropriate server location - open the VPN app, hit 'choose location' and select the appropriate location, eg: 'Australia' for 9Now.
3. Go to the broadcaster's stream - head to your home broadcaster's site or app and watch as if you were at home - 9Now for Aussies abroad.
How to watch Ashes 2023 4th Test live streams in the UK
How to watch Ashes 2023 4th Test live streams in Australia
How to watch Ashes 2023 4th Test live streams in the US
How to watch Ashes 2023 4th Test live streams in New Zealand
How to watch Ashes 2023 4th Test live streams in India
England 2023 Ashes 4th Test team
Zak Crawley
Ben Duckett
Moeen Ali
Joe Root
Harry Brook
Ben Stokes (captain)
Jonny Bairstow
Chris Woakes
Stuart Broad
Mark Wood
Jimmy Anderson
Australia 2023 Ashes 4th Test team
David Warner
Usman Khawaja
Marnus Labuschagne
Steve Smith
Travis Head
Mitchell Marsh
Cameron Green
Alex Carey
Pat Cummins (captain)
Mitchell Starc
Josh Hazlewood
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