After England kept the Ashes alive with a thrilling three-wicket win in the third Test at Headingley, they have the chance to set up a decider if they can also win the fourth Test at Old Trafford.
And should they emerge victorious in Manchester and level the series at 2-2, the final Test at the Oval could be shown on free-to-air TV. The legendary 2005 Ashes was broadcast on Channel 4 and attracted record viewers, with 7.4m watching the fifth day of the last Test as England regained the Ashes for the first time since the 1986-87 series.
However, Sky Sports acquired exclusive rights to show UK Tests immediately after the 2005 Ashes and live Test cricket has only been aired once on terrestrial TV since. That came in 2021, when Channel 4 won the rights to show England's Test tour of India.
