England beaten to lose another Ashes in Australia

Third Ashes Test, Adelaide Oval (day five of five)

Australia 371: Carey 106; Archer 5-53 & 349: Head 170; Tongue 4-70

England 286: Stokes 83; Boland 3-45 & 352: Crawley 85; Cummins 3-48

Australia won by 82 runs, lead five-match series 3-0

Scorecard

England’s Bazball regime is in tatters as yet another Ashes in Australia was lost in three Tests.

The tourists were defeated by 82 runs on the fifth day of the third Test in Adelaide to go 3-0 down and extend a winless run in this country to 18 matches.

Australia were delayed by a 40-minute rain shower, England pair Jamie Smith and Will Jacks, and a hamstring injury to spinner Nathan Lyon.

Smith had 60 when he miscued Mitchell Starc. Jacks battled past lunch for his 47 then edged the same bowler to first slip, where Marnus Labuschagne again took a breathtaking catch.

When Josh Tongue edged Scott Boland to Labuschagne, England were all out for 352 and their misery in this country prolonged to 14 years and counting.

This was supposed to be England’s opportunity to finally compete in Australia, the most highly-anticipated Ashes in recent memory.

Instead it has turned into the worst tour in recent times, leaving the futures of captain Ben Stokes, head coach Brendon McCullum and director of cricket Rob Key in doubt.

England have surrendered the chance to win the Ashes in only 11 days of cricket and now must find a result in either Melbourne or Sydney to avoid the ultimate humiliation of a 5-0 clean sweep.

This is the fourth successive Ashes tour in which England have lost the first three Tests. By the time Australia visit the UK in 2027, it will be 12 years since England’s previous Ashes win.

Who is in charge of England by then will come in for intense debate. Stokes and McCullum have contracts until the end of that series. In theory, Key has most sway over the fate of both men, but is probably under more pressure than either.

This is a stunning win for the Australians, who began the series with questions over selection and the age of their squad.

Captain Pat Cummins missed the first two Tests, Josh Hazlewood is out for the entire series, Lyon was omitted for the second Test and Steve Smith is absent in Adelaide.

Australia have still been far too good for England, as they have been on home turf since 2011.

Bazball beaten and broken by oldest rivals

Stokes said this tour was the chance for his England to «create history», while McCullum declared the Ashes could «define» his team.

England will be defined as losers in this country, their history entwined with all the other Ashes tourists to be humbled down under.

The Bazball ideology has been exposed by Australia’s hard-nosed, ruthless and relentless Test cricket. There was always suspicion, even derision, in this country of England’s style of play, despite a 2-2 draw in the UK two years ago. Australia have been proved right.

England’s selection, preparation and method have all been found wanting. This tour will be remembered for showing disdain to warm-up matches, a holiday in Noosa and Stokes talking about «weak men» in his dressing room.

Architects of their own downfall in the first two Tests, England improved in Adelaide, yet still committed too many errors.

The tourists went into the game without a specialist spinner, dropped Usman Khawaja on the first morning, and Ollie Pope and Harry Brook were guilty of poor shots in the first and second innings respectively. In England’s defence, they did get the wrong end of the Alex Carey Snicko controversy.

The 5-0 embarrassment looks unavoidable. Pope will surely be left out of the fourth Test in Melbourne, although England’s only reserve batter is Jacob Bethell – a 22-year-old still to score a first-class hundred.

Shoaib Bashir was chosen to be England’s first-choice spinner and looks unselectable. Matthew Potts and Matthew Fisher are the two seamers yet to play in this series, though neither would be in the squad if other bowlers were fit and available.

Ashes defeats in Australia usually mean sweeping changes to an England regime and the bloodletting will soon begin. Before then, things could get much worse on the field.

Awesome Australia do it again

Australia were billed as ageing, ravaged by injuries and struggling to settle on an opening partnership.

Might this series have turned out differently had Travis Head not been promoted to open in place of the injured Khawaja for the second innings of the first Test in Perth? Head’s match-winning century was one of the great Ashes moments and gave Australia momentum they have not relinquished.

Starc’s bowling decimated England in the first two Tests – covering for Cummins and Hazlewood almost single-handedly. Carey is putting together one of the greatest exhibitions of glovework seen by a wicketkeeper in a single series.

Cummins was in danger of missing the series because of a back injury, but hastened his rehabilitation to return in Adelaide. Despite not bowling a ball since July, the captain was outstanding.

In what will certainly be the last home Ashes for a number of these players, they will now set their sights on joining the three other Australia teams to have inflicted 5-0 annihilations of the English.

After that comes the return series in the UK in the summer of 2027 and the final frontier of winning an away Ashes – something Australia have not achieved since 2001.

Last rites in City of Churches

England began the day on 207-6, 228 away from pulling off the highest successful chase in Test history. Admission prices were cut, though the Adelaide Oval was only one-third full.

Smith swiped two sixes over the leg side before the rain break and there was concern when Jacks rolled his ankle setting off for a single.

Smith continued to attack with crisp drives following the resumption, while Lyon left after making a diving stop on the fine-leg boundary and is now a doubt for the rest of the series.

Australia took the second new ball and Smith reached his first Ashes half-century by driving Cummins back over his head, only to attempt a shot too many at Starc. Cummins took a fine catch back-pedalling at mid-on to end a seventh-wicket stand of 91.

Jacks found a willing ally in Brydon Carse for a partnership of 52. Starc returned after lunch, Jacks edged and, for the second time in the match, Labuschagne swooped low to his left to claim a sensational one-handed grab.

Starc had Jofra Archer cut to deep point, last-man Tongue poked at Boland and the Ashes were secure in Australian hands once more.