After a nervy final day in Sydney, Australia secured a five-wicket victory over England in the fifth Ashes Test, with the hosts’ dominance in the series reflected in securing a 4-1 scoreline.
On the final day at the Sydney Cricket Ground, England’s loss of their last two wickets added 40 to their overnight score and set them up at 160 for victory, but Australia stumbled to 121-5 until Alex Carey (16th) and Cameron Green (22nd) notched the remaining 39 runs needed to avoid an embarrassing defeat in the end.
Josh Tan (3-42) was once again astute with the ball for England, taking his wicket tally to 18 in the last three Tests, making his omission from the first two Tests even more glaring.
He should have added Marnus Labuschagne to the mix, but Jacob Bethel made his first mistake in testing when he took a sharp chance in gully when Labuschagne was in 20th place when he was eventually run out in 37th place.
Josh Tan averaged 20.11 wickets in the last three Tests, taking a series record 18 wickets.
England may also wonder what would have happened if Jake Weatherald had been sacked after 16 games instead of 34, as the series was marked by further Snicko controversy.
The third Ashes Test in Adelaide was dominated by questions over the reliability of the Snickometer technology used to detect the edge of the bat, and the issue resurfaced after replays showed Weatherald narrowly missing Brydon Kearse, only for the third umpire to fail to make a decision.
Usman Khawaja, who retired after the Test, was sent off for the sixth time in the final innings as part of Australia’s midfield wobble, with Carey and Green seeing the hosts cross the line.
Usman Khawaja pitched just six innings in his last Test innings for Australia before retiring
The result saw Australia win the first three Tests convincingly and seal a convincing series victory for Australia, who had already clinched the Ashes within 11 days of the match, but England clinched a repechage victory within two days on a poor pitch in Melbourne.
It remains to be seen whether any changes will be made to England’s management after such a convincing series defeat, but the team’s preparation, or lack thereof after only playing one intra-squad warm-up match, is under particular scrutiny.
Captain Ben Stokes is likely to remain in the job, helped by the fact that head coach Brendon McCullum is set to lead England’s white-ball side in the T20 World Cup starting in February. Managing director Rob Key is also likely to continue in his role, having been appointed when he takes up the role in 2022.
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England national team managing director Rob Key has backed Brendon McCullum, saying he is the best person to continue leading England despite their heavy loss to Australia in the Ashes.
England give Australia a scare on Sydney final day
England entered the morning of the fifth and final day of the series in Sydney with a 119-run lead, but Bethel followed up their impressive first hundred on the fourth day with 142 not out.
He took his score over 150, but managed to add just 12 to his overnight total, disappearing at 154 until his second new ball, in time for a sharp-rising Mitchell Starc throw, but too close to make the cut.
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Jacob Bethel insisted his first England Test hundred is “always coming” after scoring 142 not out on the fourth day in Sydney.
Starc (3-72) then cleaned up Tan (6) to end the innings and take his series-leading wicket tally to an astonishing 31 at 19.93 per pop.
Travis Head and Weatherald helped Australia get off to a strong start as they chased a seemingly modest England target, sharing an opening partnership of 62 runs in the first 10 overs until Head became Tan’s first victim in this innings.
Tan added Weatherald with a lunch stroke, but his top edge, following an earlier Snicko reprieve and down the throat of deep narrow leg, left no doubt at all.
Just after the interval, when England were beginning to believe they could pull off the upset, Will Jacks beat a bewildered Steve Smith (12) with an off-spinner’s dream delivery – through the gate from a rough outside-off.
Steve Smith slashes confused figure after Will Jacks beauty throws ball through gate
England quickly dodged a few chances that only boosted their confidence, with Khawaja heading past Stokes at slip for a point before Labuschagne was brought down by Bethel off tongue.
Both would soon be dismissed in quick succession, but their demise came after Labuschagne smashed the Jacks’ attack with 16 valuable runs in the next over.
There will be no fairytale finish for Khawaja, but the 39-year-old received a warm send-off from the SCG crowd after being sent off, while Labuschagne looked completely dejected when Carey ran out of steam in one of the many mix-ups he had with his partner late in Australia’s chase.
Australia needed another 39 points to win at this stage, but despite Carey’s dodgy call between the wickets, he and Green ultimately saw the home team win and a deserved 4-1 series win.
Stokes: We play too much cricket 3/10
England captain Ben Stokes told TNT Sports:
“I think teams have figured out how to operate against us for a while now, and when we get into situations where things look easy at the plate, opposing teams are doing the same thing against us.
“You have to think about what you do in those situations. We play too much 3/10 cricket in terms of the chances of going off, but if you play like that you’re less likely to go wrong in the big moments.”
“In the first few years, we did some incredible things as a team in terms of results and in terms of getting the best out of people who may not have known they were that good. Now we need to do that consistently.”
“Being honest and open is important for us to grow. Unless we have those conversations, we will never make progress.
“When I was young, I had things thrown at me that I didn’t like, but when I look back, I see that they were said to me for the right reasons.
“I want the best for the players in the dressing room and give them the best chance to be very successful as international players. I know they can do that. We just need to readjust.”
(As for the groin injury) “Sometimes it’s better, sometimes it’s worse. (The extent) I won’t know until I get home.”
“Snikko’s nonsense shows the inequalities of the system.”
Former England spinner Graham Swann commented on TNT Sports on the 16th and spoke about Jake Weatherald’s dismissal.
“There was clearly a buzz, just like when Stokes was out in the first inning. There’s some Snicko nonsense here, and it shows the inequity of the system.”
“The third umpire has to be held accountable. I think this is one of the most ridiculous decisions I’ve ever seen.
“There can’t be a system that everyone knows is a joke. I don’t understand how they kept using it.
“In Adelaide it was clear that it was a farce and things are only going to get worse. Players have lost faith and are playing the system, not the cricket.
“The world goes crazy when we have to be strategic about the use of dangerous technology. Britain has a right to be angry and embarrassed.”
Ashes Series in Australia 2025-26
Australia won 5 consecutive games 4-1
