There were a few wobbles along the way, but by 2.30pm on the final day in Sydney, Australia had beaten a target of 160 to win the fifth Test by five wickets and claim the Ashes 4-1.
As with their tour as a whole, there was a nagging sense of what could have been for England with a few more runs on the board, or better catching and tighter bowling earlier in the match. But there could have been few quibbles from the injured Ben Stokes as he watched the closing rites from first slip.
This was a cleansing tour for Stokes and his team, losing the Ashes in a record eleven days and only that two-day shootout win in Melbourne proves that. High expectations were followed by crushing lows, even if Jacob Bethell’s 154 in this Test was a real moment of promise.
Australia simply played superior cricket for most of the series, with Travis Head’s flash of blade, Mitchell Starc’s left-arm majesty and Scott Boland’s accuracy standing out. England were impressed with the bat, while their bowling evoked the words “cut for four” far too often.
Another difference was Alex Carey’s campaign, both behind the stumps and with bat in hand, with Australia’s angelic wicketkeeper providing the winning moment with a juicy drive through extra cover off Will Jacks.
The chase provided several moments in front of a crowd of 26,000, taking the total match attendance above 200,000 for the first time in the history of the Sydney Cricket Ground. This included a final growling blow from Brydon Carse after a review for being caught behind by Jake Weatherald on 16, who was dismissed despite a low murmur against Snicko.
In the third referee’s box, Kumar Dharmasena felt there was not enough evidence to overturn the decision as England’s thoughts turned to similar moments such as Jamie Smith’s dismissals in Adelaide and Perth. Consistency is key, even though Snicko’s shortcomings have been exposed throughout the series.
After a lively start, Head’s monstrous run of 629 runs ended at 69.2 when he skied an attempted pull shot from Josh Tongue on 29. Another lifter from England’s most encouraging seamer on tour then did so for Weatherald on 34 to bring lunch, Australia were 71 for two with 89 runs still needed.
Jacks bowling Steve Smith with a beauty of 12 after the restart brought Usman Khawaja to the crease through a guard of honour. A fine Test career soon ended at six, but Khawaja bowled through Tongue from the inside edge and stopped to perform a sajdah on the outfield as he departed.
When Marnus Labuschagne was then bowled out by Matthew Potts on 37 in the next over, Australia needed 39 to win, with five wickets remaining – a sense of danger. But Carey, at the end of an excellent series, and Cameron Green, at the end of a more confusing series, soon calmed the nerves.
England had earlier added another 40 runs to their overnight 302 for eight before Australia ruthlessly shut things down with the second new ball, with hopes vanishing as Bethell walked off to another ovation from the Sydney crowd after a superb Ashes knock.
It also saw the completion of a truly special Ashes performance, with Starc clearing the last two wickets – a lead from Bethell, a chip to middle from Tongue – to finish with 31 at 19 runs apiece from five Tests. Not since Mitchell Johnson’s 37 in 2013-14 has an Australian gone faster than 30, while Starc’s strike-rate of 29.6 is a record for an Ashes series. What a bowler.
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