England avoided the danger of an Ashes whitewash with a high-profile two-day win in Melbourne, ending an 18-year Test and 15-year winless streak in Australia and cutting the hosts’ lead to 3-1 with one game remaining.
The wicket fest on the spicy MCG pitch marked the third two-day Ashes Test in 104 years, but only the second in this series after Australia’s comfortable eight-wicket win in the opening match in Perth.
England reached the target of 175 in 32.2 overs and won by four wickets after a quick opening stand between Zac Crawley (37 for 48) and Ben Duckett (34 for 26) saw Duckett being dropped by Mitchell before Brydon Kearse (6 for 8) was promoted to number three and had some bizarre moments charging the pitch for the first ball. Stark is on 8.
Ben Duckett hit a brisk 34 off 26 balls at the start of England’s second innings.
The bowler-friendly approach to the batting strip was evident, with Duckett hitting sixes, Crawley driving maximum down-the-ground and Jacob Bethel (40 off 46) showing off a reverse scoop and some sharp drives, the tourists secured their first win on Australian soil since the Sydney Test in January 2011, with 16 losses and two draws between them.
There was some trepidation in the second half after Bethel was caught at cover, with Joe Root scoring 17 points and captain Ben Stokes taking the lead with two, but Harry Brook (No. 18) and Jamie Smith (No. 3) led England to victory after a surprisingly fast game, with Root and Stokes securing their first win Down Under after 12 years of hard work.
The tourists had earlier outscored Australia by 132 points in two innings, but the match was played at breakneck speed, with the hosts losing 81-3 to 3-6 on that occasion and 119-6 to 3-2 on another Ashes day.
A 20-wicket opening day followed by Australia rolling for 152 and England torpedoing for 110, on a surface that was heavily criticized and likely to face sanctions from the ICC, made for some raucous entertainment.
The bowlers managed to keep up the chase until the fourth innings and England finally won.
The Ashes will conclude with the fifth Test in Sydney starting on Sunday, January 4, for which England international quick Gus Atkinson is unlikely to be fit after sustaining a hamstring injury in Melbourne.
Atkinson left the field shortly after stripping nightwatchman Scott Boland (6) on Saturday morning and was never seen again, but Atkinson coped without him as Stokes (3-24) slammed the stumps of Jake Weatherald (5) and Josh Tan (2-44) was caught low by Root at the slip of Marnus Labuschagne (8).
Travis Head (46) was bowled by the beauty of Kearse (4-34), causing the aforementioned 3-6 collapse, before Usman Khawaja (0) hooked a tongue to deputy fielder Ollie Pope, and Alex Carey (4) skimmed the back of Kearse.
England captain Ben Stokes took three wickets in the second innings of a breathless MCG Test.
The innings came to a hasty end after lunch when Stokes directed Cameron Green (19) to slip, ending a 31-run partnership with Australia’s stand-in captain Steve Smith (24th).
Kearse gave Michael Nether and Starc ducks, caught Nether brilliantly with his own bowling, and Jay Richardson (7) added 11 with Smith for the final wicket to hole out from Stokes.
Hours later, Richardson conceded a leg bye while bowling to Brook, which ended the match and sparked wild celebrations among the England fans who had to endure the clashes in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide.
The victory was a testament to England’s struggles following a 3-0 loss in the series and continued suspicions of a drinking culture. Another win in Sydney would add some respectability to what has been a punitive tour so far.
Ashes Series in Australia 2025-26
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