Sky Sports bosses have ruled out screening any of the remaining Ashes series free-to-air, it has emerged, after the broadcaster landed record Test-match viewing figures during England's miracle comeback at Headingley.

Ben Stokes' brilliant 135 not out has sparked unprecedented interest in an enthralling series finale at Old Trafford and the Oval, but the broadcaster has no plans to repeat the "once in generation" gesture it made with Channel 4 for the World Cup final.

Sky is understood to have recorded viewing figures of 2.1 million on Sunday, which match the numbers that tuned in later to the highlights package on Channel 5. BBC Test Match Special was said to have recorded figures of around 1.3m.

Given the unpredictable nature of a five-day Tests, any giveaway - even for a matter of hours - would spark a broadcast scheduling nightmare, according to one source.

Sky has secured the rights package for the Ashes for the next five-year cycle and one source described any free-to-air giveaway as unthinkable.