Australia have retained the Ashes, and they’ve done it quicker than England expected. The third Test at Adelaide never really drifted into doubt once Travis Head got going and Alex Carey stitched the game together from a position of danger. England did show some fight on the final day, dragging the chase deep into the afternoon, but by then the damage had already been done. An 82-run win sealed the series 3-0, leaving Australia with the urn in their hands and England once again wondering how they feel so far behind in a tour for which they have been preparing for years!
Alex Carey & Travis Head steer Australia forward
If there was one ground England never wanted Travis Head to bat freely on, it was Adelaide. And once again, he made it his own. Head’s second-innings 170 was brutal and completely demoralising for England. It was his fourth consecutive Test hundred at the venue, a staggering record that not many have achieved. England had their chances too. Harry Brook dropped him on 99, and that moment quietly ended whatever faint hopes remained.
Alex Carey was just as important, if not more. Australia were wobbling in the first innings when Carey stepped in and changed the game with a counter-attacking century. In the second innings, his 72 ensured England never got a sniff. With the gloves, he was sharp as always, rarely missing a trick. By the end of the Test, Carey had been the most complete cricketer on show and deservingly won the Player of the Match.
Usman Khawaja, who wasn’t supposed to play this game, delivered a comeback innings of 82 and 40 added stability, while Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc controlled key moments with the ball. Australia didn’t need miracles. They just kept doing the basics better than England.
England fight back, but Ashes hopes already gone
To England’s credit, they finally showed some spine on the final day. Jamie Smith and Will Jacks dragged a lost chase deep into the afternoon, while Brydon Carse refused to give in. For a brief period, Australia were made to work. They managed to take just one wicket in the first session on Day 5 and needed three more to win the Ashes Test.
But this England fight came too late. The mistakes that defined their series returned at the worst times. Poor catching, soft dismissals and tactical confusion continued to haunt them. Earlier, Joe Root once again fell to Cummins, Harry Brook played another careless shot, and Ollie Pope’s position now looks untenable as he has scored just 125 runs at an average of 20 in the series.
Nathan Lyon’s hamstring injury briefly opened the door, but Australia slammed it shut. Starc struck with the second new ball, and Scott Boland delivered the final blow, edging Josh Tongue to slip to seal an 82-run win. England wanted a Christmas miracle and the mood in Adelaide was electric as the Barmy Army thought they were in for something. However, Australia did what they are used to do, and that is to break England at home.
