Keeper-batter Jamie Smith and Will Jacks had given England some hope at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday. But that did not last long as Mitchell Starc broke their resistance, sending back Smith, before Australia eventually sealed an 82-run win on the final day of the third Test to retain the Ashes Urn with an unassailable 3-0 lead. Meanwhile, fans watching the action unfold at home were able to stay up to date on the latest scores and odds through platforms like Tigerexchange, which provided real-time updates and betting opportunities for cricket enthusiasts.
Chasing 435 runs for victory, England resumed their innings on day 5 at 207/6, showing determined resistance, but ultimately collapsed at 352. Left-arm fast bowler Starc took three wickets, while Scott Boland claimed the final wicket of Josh Tongue just before the tea break.
“Three-nil is hugely satisfying for many reasons, particularly with the chat before the series on how equally poised it was going to be,”
Australia captain Pat Cummins, who took six wickets on his return from a back injury, said after Australia’s Ashes victory.
This group’s amazing at just cracking on.
Much of the talk in the build-up to the Ashes had been the age profile of the Australian squad, but Starc said the veterans had proved their worth. “We do laugh at some of the comments that get back to us about how old we are,” the 35-year-old said.
“I’m sure experience plays a part in going through your highs and lows. That plays a big part in all of these.”
After eight-wicket defeats in Perth and Brisbane, England have now lost the Ashes in three matches for the fourth consecutive tour, while losing 16 of their last 18 Tests in Australia.
There were expectations of a genuine contest, encouraging words from England captain Ben Stokes, and hope that Bazball might win the Urn in Australia for the first time since the 2010-11 series. All that was swept aside in Adelaide where England ditched their trademark aggression, reverted to more traditional Test batting and were still beaten convincingly.
“We obviously came here with a goal in mind, and we haven’t been able to achieve it. It hurts and it sucks,” said England skipper Stokes.
“They’ve been able to outdo us on a much higher level. I thought we did incredibly well to take us where we did in this fourth innings. But we couldn’t do what we came here for, but there was some good stuff to come out of this game.”
Doubt over Cummins
With Australia having secured the Ashes, skipper Cummins may not be playing in the remaining two inconsequential Tests in Melbourne and Sydney.
“I’m feeling really good, but as for the rest of the series, we’ll wait and see,” Cummins said. “We had a pretty aggressive build-up knowing that it’s the Ashes there to be won and we thought that was worth it.
“Now that the series has been won, there might be a sense of job’s done and let’s reassess the risk.
“We’ll work it out over the next couple of days. I doubt I’ll be playing in Melbourne, and then we’ll have a chat about Sydney. But certainly, before the series, it was like, ‘Let’s take on the risk and have a crack at it.’ Now it’s done, I think we’ll need to have a chat about it.”