Last Updated on 3 months ago by Charbel Coorey
Australia sealed a 4-1 Ashes series victory courtesy of a five-wicket win in the final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), sending the retiring Usman Khawaja out on a high.
The fifth match was reflective of the series in many ways, with the hosts playing better cricket for longer, enabling them to keep their noses in front despite spurts of English resistance. Jacob Bethell’s magnificent second innings hundred had England eyeing off a competitive lead, but a host of poor dismissals from his teammates told a familiar tale.
Australia’s dominance on days two and three ultimately left England with too much to do. Centuries for Steve Smith and player of the match Travis Head underpinned a huge first innings with the bat, with Australia providing the template on how to grind an opponent down as England inexplicably dropped another host of chances. After posting 567, Australia took a strong 183-run lead.
That being said, Australia’s risky ploy of playing three frontline bowlers and no specialist spinner was an opportunity for England to post a lead of 250-plus. However, many of England’s batters – particularly Will Jacks – were shown up by the newcomer Bethell in terms of discipline and shot selection. Australia, including Beau Webster, bowled well, but England gifted way too many wickets, justifying the hosts’ decision to go with the XI they did for this match.
In the end, England were bowled out for 342 with a lead of 159 that seemed too small given Ben Stokes’ injury, Matt Potts’ struggles, Brydon Carse’s inconsistency and no specialist spinner. Jacks’ delivery to dismiss Steve Smith was the highlight of England’s second innings effort as Australia kept the door open thanks to their own set of poor dismissals.
In the end, however, Cameron Green (22*) and Alex Carey (16*) led Australia to victory with the latter hitting the winning runs.
ALSO READ: 5th Ashes Test breaks record for crowd attendance at the SCG
Reactions: Australia win Ashes series 4-1 after victory at the SCG
After a few days of debating, Mitchell Starc was deservedly named man of the series. Travis Head and Alex Carey were magificent throughout, but Starc’s early exploits in Perth and Brisbane in particular put the hosts firmly in the driving seat.
The left-armer finished with a staggering 31 wickets at 19.93 to go with 159 runs and two crucial half-centuries.
“Mitchell Starc finishes the series with 31 wickets at a fraction under 20. Hell of an effort, given the absence of Cummins and Hazlewood,” wrote Daily Mail’s Lawrence Booth on X (formerly Twitter).
“4-1. It’s quite a scoreline for the ‘weakest’ Australian team that took on the ‘strongest’ English team to play The Ashes on Australian soil,” wrote former India cricketer Aakash Chopra.
“One day I will close my eyes and think back to this Ashes series. And I will see a left-handed Australian cutting an Englishman for four,” wrote journalist Cameron Ponsonby.
Here are some of the reactions to Australia’s comprehensive win.
Attention will turn to T20 cricket in the next few months for players from both nations, including the T20 World Cup and Indian Premier League. England’s next Test will be against New Zealand in June, while Australia take on Bangladesh in Darwin and Mackay in August.
