England target one final plot twist after their disappointing failure to regain the Ashes

Forget Barbie vs Oppenheimer, this final Ashes Test was meant to be the box-office event of the summer before the Manchester rain cruelly torpedoed England’s hopes of setting up a winner-takes-all decider.

Instead, on the eve of this series finale we were treated to the sound of “Barbie Girl” – as if England hadn’t had enough Aqua – interrupting the start of Ben Stokes’ pre-match media conference at the Oval.

The culprit, tapping into the zeitgeist by hitting play in the gym on the mezzanine level that sits above the indoor nets where Stokes was sitting, was Mark Wood, a man who lay on the dressing-room floor pretending to be a dog during his team’s third-Test victory against Australia in Leeds.

Wood was at it again a few minutes later, blasting out a few bars of “The Imperial March” from Star Wars as Stokes attempted to rationalise what victory this week would mean for his team.

Yet rather than gravitate towards the dark side after the heartbreak of that drawn fourth Test that left Australia 2-1 ahead with one to play, the antics of Wood, England’s practical joker in chief, told of a group of players who have brushed off their disappointment at failing to regain the Ashes and who are determined to end their Test summer on a high.

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Victory this week would not only maintain England’s undefeated run of series since Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum took charge at the start of last summer but deny Australia a first away Ashes series win since 2001.

The stakes aren’t as high as they might have been had the weather allowed England to hammer home their dominance in Manchester last week. Yet there’s enough for both teams to lift themselves for one last hurrah in a series that has served up more drama and plot twists than your average Hollywood blockbuster.

Stokes admitted he was “emotionless” after the washout on the final day at Old Trafford. Yet could his team take the momentum from that performance, which saw England display controlled brutality as they piled up 592 in their only innings, be taken into this final Test?

“It’s a new game and things can play out differently,” Stokes said. “We just need to go out there and put the same amount of pressure onto Australia. I thought the way we did that at Old Trafford, Australia didn’t have an answer, particularly when we had the bat in hand.

“It was great viewing, watching the lads go about their business with the bat. But it’s a completely different game, and we’ll just have to start all over again.”

Wood, aside from his pranks, has been a transformational presence in this series for England from the moment he produced an electrifying first spell in that third Test that saw him reach 96.5 miles per hour.

His value cannot be underestimated and asked what the fast bowler brings to his team, Stokes replied: “He just messes around with the music! He brings amazing energy to the group, he’s a very, very funny man, always bouncing around and someone who will keep going and going and going.