The Ashes: Australia win series 4-1 after securing nervy five-wicket win over England on final day in Sydney | Cricket News

Australia cruised to a five-wicket victory over England in the fifth Ashes Test after a nervy final day in Sydney, with the hosts’ dominance of the series reflected in securing a 4-1 scoreline.

Set at 160 to win on the final day at the SCG after England added 40 to their overnight score for the loss of their final two wickets, Australia stumbled to 121-5 before Alex Carey (16no) and Cameron Green (22no) notched the remaining 39 runs needed to avoid an embarrassing final defeat.

Josh Tongue (3-42) was once again incisive with the ball for England, taking his wicket tally to 18 in the last three Tests and making his omission for the first two even more glaring.

He should have added Marnus Labuschagne to his haul, only for Jacob Bethell to make his first mistake in the Test by putting a strong chance at gully when Labuschagne, who was eventually bowled out for 37, was on 20.

England may also be left wondering what might have happened if Jake Weatherald had been fired for 16 years instead of 34 years, with the show mired in fresh controversy over Snicko.

The third Ashes Test in Adelaide was dominated by doubts over the reliability of the Snickometer technology used to detect edges from the outset, and the issue resurfaced when replays appeared to show a slight nick behind Weatherald ahead of Brydon Carse, only for the third umpire to fail to give the decision.

Retiring after the Test, Usman Khawaja was dismissed for six in his final innings – pushed back by an inside edge by Tongue – as part of Australia’s middle-order swing, before Carey and Green saw the hosts cross the line.

The result confirms a convincing series victory for Australia, who had already retained the Ashes in 11 days of action as they won the first three Tests convincingly, before England secured a consolation victory inside two days on a poor pitch in Melbourne.

It remains to be seen whether any changes will be made to England’s management team after such a convincing series defeat, with the team’s preparation – or lack thereof, having played only one intra-squad warm-up match – under particular scrutiny.

Captain Ben Stokes is likely to remain in his role, while head coach Brendon McCullum is helped by the fact that he is due to lead England’s white-ball team in the T20 World Cup starting in February. General manager Rob Key could also retain his position, given that both were his appointments when he took over in 2022.

England scare Australia on final day in Sydney

England went into the fifth and final morning of the series in Sydney with a lead of 119 runs and Bethell was not out on 142 runs after her magnificent maiden first-class hundred on the fourth day.

He took his score past 150 but could only add 12 to his overnight total before perishing for 154 off the second new ball, tackling a sharply rising delivery from Mitchell Starc that was too close to cut.

Starc (3-72) then cleaned out Tongue (6) to end the innings and take his series-leading wicket total to a staggering 31 claimed at 19.93 per pop.

Travis Head and Weatherald helped Australia get off to a good start in pursuit of England’s seemingly modest target, sharing a 62-run opening partnership in the first 10 overs and shortly before Head became Tongue’s first victim of the innings.

Tongue added Weatherald on the stroke of lunch, no doubt on his top edge in the groove of his fine, deep leg after his earlier reprieve from Snicko.

Will Jacks launched a bewildered Steve Smith (12) with a dream off-spinner delivery – bursting through the gate from the outside rough – shortly after the break as England began to believe they could pull off the upset.

England were quick to spurn a couple of chances that would have only added to their growing confidence, with Khawaja edging Stokes at Jacks slip and Labuschagne being felled by Bethell off Tongue.

Although both departed quickly soon after, their demise came after Labuschagne knocked Jacks out of the attack by smashing a priceless 16 points in his next over.

There would be no fairytale ending for Khawaja, although the 39-year-old was given a warm farewell by the SCG crowd after his dismissal, while Labuschagne looked completely dejected when he was run out following one of the many mix-ups Carey had with his partners late in the run-up to Australia.

Australia still needed 39 more runs to win at this stage, but despite Carey’s questionable calls between the wickets, he and Green ultimately led the home side to victory and a deserved 4-1 series triumph.

Stokes: We play too much cricket 3/10

England captain Ben Stokes, speaking to TNT Sports:

“I think for a while, teams have figured out how to operate against us. When we find ourselves in a situation with the bat where things look easy, the opposing teams do the same thing to us.

“We have to work out what we do in those situations. We play too much 3/10 cricket in terms of the chances of that happening, and if you play like that, there’s a good chance it won’t fail you in the big moments.

“We’ve done some amazing things as a team in the first couple of years in terms of results and getting the best out of people who maybe didn’t know they were as good as them. Now we have to do it consistently.

“We thrive by being honest and direct. You don’t grow without having those conversations.

“I was young and had things thrown at me that I didn’t really like, but I can look back and know that it was said to me for the right reasons.

“I just want the best for the guys in the dressing room and give them the best chance of becoming high-achieving international players, which I know they can be. We just need a recalibration.”

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“Snicko’s absurdities show the inequality of the system”

Former England player Graeme Swann, commenting for TNT Sports on the non-dismissal of Jake Weatherald on the 16th:

“There was clearly a murmur, in exactly the same way that Stokes was knocked out in the first round. Therein lies the absurdity of Snicko; it shows the inequality of the system.

“The third official needs to be held to account. I think it’s one of the most ridiculous decisions I’ve seen in a long time.

“You can’t have a system that everyone knows is a joke – how they have continued to use it is beyond me.

“It proved ridiculous in Adelaide and it has only gotten worse. Players are losing confidence and playing the system rather than cricket.

“When you have to be strategic about your use of questionable technology, the world goes mad. England has every right to be mad and perplexed.”

Ashes series in Australia 2025-26

Australia wins five-match series 4-1