A "hollow" Ashes success or a deserved triumph over "bellyaching" England?
Media outlets in Australia have been split over how to summarise their side's retaining of the famous old urn, a triumph confirmed courtesy of two days of Manchester rain wiping out the Old Trafford Test as a soggy draw.
The best England can hope for is victory in the final Test at The Oval to draw the five-match series 2-2, but Australia's status as current holders means they will remain in possession of the Ashes.
There was a modicum of sympathy for the old enemy in some quarters of the Australian media, but there were also those who took aim at England's tactics, with the attacking 'Bazball' approach coming in for particular criticism.
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'Baz ball is not ending world hunger or reinventing the wheel'
Writing in the Herald Sun, Ben Horne had little time for sympathy.
"It's hard to tell when the rain stopped and the tears started but this much is certain - England's Ashes bellyaching has just become too much," he wrote, insisting that the home side only have themselves to blame for throwing away good positions in the first two Test matches.
"The best thing about this enthralling series, by far, has been Baz Ball. It is captivating and brilliant. But the most tedious thing has been how in love England are with themselves about Bazball.
"Scoring runs at seven an over is breathtaking to watch, but it's not ending world hunger or reinventing the wheel and at some point England needs to face the fact that for all their trailblazing bravado, they have, for the second time running, failed to win the Ashes on home soil."
'Dismal way' for Ashes to be retained
Malcolm Conn in the Sydney Morning Herald was more sympathetic given Australia's perilous position in the Fourth Test before the rain arrived, though he did not spare England from criticism.
"Rarely could the Ashes have been secured in more hollow circumstances, with almost two days of rain saving Australia from what appeared certain defeat," he wrote.
"Despite being robbed of victory by the weather, England have only themselves to blame for being on the wrong side of history.
"It could have been so different. England were in charge of the first Test at Edgbaston before the cult of Bazball resulted in an overoptimistic declaration and reckless batting. This opened the door for Australia to snatch a dramatic two-wicket win and control the series."
Writing in the Australian, Gideon Haigh felt England had learned from their mistakes in the first two Tests and this was a "dismal way" for the destiny of the Ashes to be decided.
"The fantasy of two-all going to The Oval had been enchanting to both sets of fans; only the dimmest partisans so crave trophies as to be gratified by non-results," he wrote.
"Let's see what happens at The Oval, of course, but there is a good argument that England will end this series a better team than when they began and Australia a little poorer. Certainly the gap between the teams that yawned in 2021-22 has been decidedly narrowed."
'A series you'd be happy to have go on forever'
The convention of having the holder of the Ashes retain the urn in the event of a drawn series needs re-assessing, according to some sections of the Australian media.
"Unlike others, I can appreciate the value of a gritty, determined draw that feels as good as a victory. This is the unique beauty of Test cricket, and it shouldn't be disturbed," wrote Andrew Webster in the Sydney Morning Herald.
"But if there is one anachronistic edict that must change, it's retaining a series simply because you've won it before.
"First, it gives the team that won the last series an unfair advantage, prompting the side to play defensive cricket. Second, it can kill off the series before it's over, like we've seen this weekend, making Tests later in the series dead rubbers when they should be rubbers full of vim and verve and a whole range of words starting with 'v'."
Gideon Haigh agreed, adding: "Perhaps it is time to revisit this custom, to make provision for the Ashes to be shared. Looking out over a sad and sorry Old Trafford yesterday, it hardly felt as though Australia had quite 'won' the Ashes this summer, or that England had 'lost' them. On the contrary, it's been a series you'd be happy to have had go on forever.
"But how to explain to the uninitiated the Oval Test's weird hybrid character, of being 'live'' where the outcome of the series is concerned, but 'dead' in the context of the Ashes?
"I know cricket's not meant to make sense. But it might, on occasion, at least try to do so."