Ashes secured as poised Aussies outlast dogged England
After months, if not years, of Bazball chest-beating that promised England's best chance of contesting the urn down under in 15 years, Australia put the final touches on a familiar home Ashes Test script on Sunday in Adelaide.
A potentially serious hamstring injury to Nathan Lyon helped raise hopes of a fourth-innings miracle as England's valiant lower order led by embattled duo Jamie Smith (60) and Will Jacks (47) got them far closer to their target of 435 than the 20,643-strong final-day crowd had expected.
But three late strikes from this series' standout cricketer, Mitchell Starc, as well as Marnus Labuschagne's second left-handed hanger in as many days ensured Australia recorded an 82-run victory that confirmed the urn would remain in their possession.
Labuschagne took the match-winning catch at second slip off No.11 Josh Tongue to reward the laser-accurate Scott Boland and seal an unassailable 3-0 lead in the NRMA Insurance series.
As Lyon watched on while propped on crutches in his team's dugout, the Australians danced in celebration next to the worn drop-in Adelaide Oval pitch that helped push this Test into a fifth day for the first time in the series.
"This Adelaide crowd has been something special," said Alex Carey, named player of the match for his 106, 72 and six catches and a stumping, having also helped fellow South Australian Travis Head to his second-innings ton.
"Travis, again, something special here, four straight tons at this ground. I know how good he is and he's showing the world.
"To be able to contribute to victories is something I'm always trying to do … very special moment, having the family here, to score a hundred and look up to the heavens was very special."
It capped a phenomenal bowling performance from Australia's recast attack that welcomed back Pat Cummins and Lyon for this match, the veteran pair who have 900 wickets between them but who had bowled just two overs combined in the first two matches.
They ended up accounting for 12 of the 20 England wickets taken here, and it might have been more had Lyon not pulled up lame clutching his right hamstring after a boundary-line fielding effort during the first session.
The 38-year-old off-spinner immediately left the field with a member of Australia's medical staff with fears he could have a second consecutive Ashes series curtailed by a soft-tissue injury after his 2023 Lord's calf strain.
Labuschagne, having already filed his catch-of-the-series entry on day four when he took a low diving snare off Ollie Pope, then repeated the trick with an equally athletic one-hander tumbling in front of Alex Carey.
Jacks hung his head in disbelief after the energetic Queenslander's latest wonder-grab having earlier extended his seventh-wicket stand with Smith to 91 after they had resumed the day needing a further 228 for victory.
Brydon Carse (39no) also showed the "dog" demanded of England by their captain Ben Stokes but a record-high target never truly felt in reach after they managed just 286 in their first innings earlier in the Test.
Ultimately, despite the late fight, what was promised as something new from this Stokes, Brendon McCullum-led touring troop has instead devolved into another mistake-laden mess as England surrendered the urn in even quicker time than their three previous failures in Australia.
Since England's last series win here in 2010-11, Australia have taken just 14, 15 and 12 days in 2013-14, '17-18 and '21-22 respectively to win the series. It's taken just 11 here, equalling another one-sided capitulation in '02-03.
This Test was effectively the closest England have come to beating Australia in the past 12 years. Their double digit-run margin of defeat was the smallest they have gone down by in 16 losses out of their last 18 here, having also never come closer than by fewer than eight wickets when bowling last.
Australia's overall Ashes domination has now stretched into a second decade with England having failed to win a series against their bitter rivals since 2015, with draws at home in 2019 and 2023 marking their best returns.
"That dream is now over, which is incredibly disappointing," said Stokes. "Everyone is hurting and quite emotional about it.
"It hurts, it sucks, but we ain't going to stop. Australia have just been able to execute things more consistently than us ... we've shown it in passages.
"Thought we were on for another heist when Jamie and Will were going. But not being able to respond with the bat when we had an opportunity to put a big score on the board (was important).
"That (fight) I wanted to see, I've seen that this week. Think we can take a lot from this game. We've got so much more to play for."
On a darkened Sunday morning, Jacks and Smith defied Australia's initial push as they crept up on their unlikely target of 435 having resumed with their side already six wickets down.
The Barmy Army danced in delight when overcast skies gave way to light drizzle 40 minutes into the day that delayed the inevitable with a second new ball looming.
Smith passed fifty, his first of the series, as he unfurled a sequence of crisp strokes against the new ball. But after the keeper-bat cracked two consecutive boundaries off Starc, the left-armer roared when he had him caught at mid-on in his attempt to hit a third.
England lost their final three wickets for 15 runs as Australia sealed their triumph under sunnier afternoon skies.
Despite England's best fifth-day efforts, Australia seized the moments that mattered, claiming an...
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