England beaten to give Australia 4-1 Ashes win

Fifth Ashes Test, Sydney Cricket Ground (day five of five)

England 384: Root 160; Neser 4-60 & 342: Bethell 154; Webster 3-64, Starc 3-72

Australia 567: Head 163, Smith 138; Tongue 3-97 & 161-5: Labuschagne 37, Tongue 3-42

Australia won by five wickets, won the series 4-1

Scorecard

England’s atrocious Ashes tour ended with a five-wicket defeat in the fifth Test that gave Australia a 4-1 series triumph.

Australia chased a target of 160 after lunch on the final day in the sunshine of the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Disrupted by injuries, including to captain Pat Cummins, Australia dominated yet another Ashes on home soil – this was their fourth consecutive series win down under – and extended a hold of the urn that began in 2018.

For England, this was the conclusion of one of their most disappointing Ashes tours in recent memory.

In what was billed as a golden chance to at least compete in this country, the tourists never recovered from an astonishing implosion to lose the first Test in Perth in two days.

Hampered by a lack of adequate preparation, scrutinised for their off-field activities, then hit by a loss of form and injuries to key players, England surrendered the series at the earliest opportunity with defeats in the first three Tests.

Ben Stokes’ side at least took the fourth Test in Melbourne for their first Test win in this country since 2011, but that two-day shootout on a grassy pitch was the outlier in a series where they were humbled.

Stokes was able to lead his team onto the field for the final act in Sydney despite a groin injury. The all-rounder has said he wants to carry on as captain and fitness would appear to be the only barrier to him remaining in charge.

Greater pressure is on head coach Brendon McCullum and director of cricket Rob Key. Both men have admitted failings on this tour and expressed their desire to stay.

They look set to be given the opportunity if they can demonstrate to the management of the England and Wales Cricket Board that the set-up of the men’s national team has improved.

That begins with the T20 World Cup and a preceding white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, which starts in just two weeks’ time.

This was supposed to be the crowing glory of the Bazball project, a series England had been building towards for 18 months and which McCullum said could «define» his team.

Ultimately, they were defined as another England outfit trounced in Australia. This was the fourth successive Ashes tour where England have lost at least four Tests.

This century alone, England’s record in this country is 27 defeats from 35 matches. Three of their five Test wins in that period came in the glorious triumph of 2010-11 – the only series England have won here in the past 40 years.

Players England backed for this tour have wilted. Ollie Pope played three Tests before being dropped, the previously successful opening partnership of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett collapsed, and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith was a shadow of his best.

Spinner Shoaib Bashir, earmarked for this tour more than a year ago, did not play a Test.

As ever on Ashes tours, England were struck by injuries. Mark Wood may not play for England again after going home with a knee problem and Jofra Archer’s impressive tour was ended by a side strain sustained in the third Test. Gus Atkinson was ruled out of Sydney with a hamstring problem.

Pace bowler Josh Tongue emerged with his reputation enhanced, while Jacob Bethell’s coming-of-age century in the final Test was a belated silver lining. If only England had backed Bethell months ago.

Joe Root provided England’s best moment of the tour by finally scoring a Test hundred in Australia, but this was another Ashes tour where Root and Stokes – two England greats – were on the wrong end of a hammering. Root may get another opportunity in four years, Stokes almost certainly will not.

Stokes has backed McCullum, who has also been publicly supported by Key. While this management are not alone in presiding over failed England Ashes tours, much of the scrutiny comes from issues and problems that could have been avoided.

England chose a squad that left them few options when things went wrong and prepared their players in conditions far removed from what they encountered in the Tests.

As well as being ill-equipped for the challenges they faced on the field, the visitors seemed surprised by the hostile attention they received from the Australian media, particularly at the beginning of the tour.

In Perth, England players were followed to golf courses and even an aquarium. In Brisbane they were pictured riding escooters without helmets, an offence punishable by a fine under Queensland law. As they prepared to fly from Brisbane airport, a member of the England security staff was involved in altercation with a TV cameraman.

The Brisbane flight came at the end of England’s infamous holiday in Noosa, where the amount of time some players spent drinking was investigated by Key. Images of England players on the beach and in bars will be just as abiding as anything that happened on the field.

From 302-8 overnight, 119 ahead, England’s hope of pressurising Australia rested with Bethell, unbeaten on 142 after his stunning debut century on Wednesday.

Australia took the second new ball five overs into the day, Bethell overturned being given lbw to Scott Boland, only to be cramped into an edge off Mitchell Starc. The brilliant Starc then enticed last man Tongue into a pat to extra cover.

In the quest for the wickets that would discomfort Australia’s chase, England were incensed when Jake Weatherald survived an appeal for caught behind off Brydon Carse – a final Snicko controversy of the tour.

Given not out on the field, Weatherald was also reprieved on review by TV umpire Chris Gaffaney, despite small movement on the Snicko technology. Carse had to be moved away from on-field umpire Ahsan Raza, who Stokes then spoke to about «consistency».

Weatherald was on 16 and moved to 34 before being bounced out by Tongue, who also had Head hole out into the leg side for 29. England ignored Matthew Potts, Bethell bowled first change and Will Jacks produced a ripping off-break to bowl Steve Smith just after lunch.

Usman Khawaja, in his 88th and final Test, had earlier led Australia out to field and was given a guard of honour by England when he came out to bat. Khawaja made only six before chopping on off Tongue, departing to a rapturous ovation and performing a sajdah in front of the pavilion.

There was a final England drop – their 18th of the series – when Bethell shelled Marnus Labuschagne at gully off Tongue. Labuschagne was run out for 37 in a mix-up with Alex Carey.

The hint of farce continued when both Carey and Cameron Green almost ended up at the same end, only for both to survive the run-out chance.

It was end-of-term stuff. The Barmy Army went through their songbook, Carey hit the winning runs and the Ashes series was over.

Whilst England have been awful, Australia have yet again found a way to win a home Ashes series at a canter.

They have done so with captain Cummins playing only one Test because of a back injury, fellow seamer Josh Hazlewood not playing at all and leading spinner Nathan Lyon limited to a bit-part role by conditions and an injury of his own.

As such, Australia have once again got their hands on the urn with a second-choice or even third-choice bowling attack.

Left-arm seamer Starc has been devastating for his 31 wickets, Head’s promotion to open in Perth was a defining moment in the series and Carey has been magnificent behind the stumps.

Realistically, there are not many more players in the home side who can say they were consistently at their best, further highlighting what a waste this was from England.

Curiously, the Ashes winners still have a number of questions to answer as they build towards the next series against England in 2027 – the identity of an opener, number three, all-rounder and frontline spinner could all come for debate.

Australia will search for these answers as they look for the formula to secure a first away Ashes win since 2001. That contest is barely 18 months away. No doubt the hype will soon commence.