Australia won by an innings and 123 runs
Batter
Bowler
That's it! But, how can I miss Smith's figures. Fondly called as the 'modern-age Bradman' at home, the Australian captain amassed 687 runs in seven innings. England just couldn't get him out. There will be plenty of changes in both sides for the ODI series which is starting from 14th January. We'll be back for that. We enjoyed covering all five matches, hope you did the same. Until next time, I am Abhinand Raghavendran bidding goodbye on behalf of Akshay Maanay and Shashikant. A special thanks to Tristan Lavalette as well, our Australian correspondent.
Australia, on the contrary, got almost everything right. Credit to the Australian selectors who raised quite a few eyebrows with their selection, but they were proved right. The bowlers remained fit for all five matches (except Starc in MCG). Paine was excellent behind the stumps and scored some crucial runs when his team needed it. The Marsh brothers scored couple of centuries each and Khawaja sealed the No. 3 spot in the final Test. Bancroft, at the top, was the only one who couldn't contribute.
What went wrong for England? As Jimmy said at the presentation, they couldn't win the key moments and how much of a factor did Ben Stokes's absence play. Cook, barring that double ton didn't fire. He scored just 132 in the remaining eight innings. Stoneman, Cook's umpteenth partner since Strauss's retirement didn't have a great outing with the bat, barring a couple of fifties. One of the key spots - the No.3 was given to Vince and he was the biggest disappointment. Six out of his nine dismissals were caught behind. And, captain Root couldn't convert his starts. Moeen Ali had a mediocre outing both with bat and ball. Anderson, the 35-year-old was England's bowling star, but he didn't receive enough support. The positives from this series was Malan (most consistent batsman) and Mason Crane, who impressed everyone including Shane Warne, though his figures don't show that.
"Australia fittingly wrapped up the Test in decisive fashion to complete a convincing Test victory. Pat Cummins deservedly finished in a blaze of glory after being arguably Australia's best bowler of the series. Despite every Test going into the fifth day for the first time in the Ashes since 1994-95, it was a lopsided series with none of the matches going down to the wire in thrilling fashion. After a highly satisfying Ashes triumph, Australia will be celebrating long into the night having stunningly regained the urn. Conversely, an embattled England is set to feel the heat after a disappointing campaign ended in another embarrassment Down Under," sums up BI0$, our correspondent in Sydney.
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Stat summary courtesy Deepu Narayanan
Most runs in an Ashes series as captain
810 D Bradman in 1936/37 (9 inngs)
732 D Gower in 1985 (9)
687 S Smith in 2017/18 (7)
680 D Bramdan in 1946/47 (8)
500+ runs in back-to-back Ashes contests
D Bradman (twice) -1934 & 1936/37; 1946/47 & 1948
Arthur Morris - 1946/47 & 1948
K Barrington - 1962/63 & 1964
John Edrich - 1968 & 1970/71
Dean Jones - 1986/87 & 1989
David Boon - 1990/91 & 1993
Steve Smith - 2015 & 2017/18
- All five Tests of this series have progressed to the fifth day - first in an Ashes series since 1994/95. The last one in England in 2015 lasted just 18 days, none of the five Tests going past the fourth day.
Four bowlers taking 20+ wkts for a team in a series
C Ambrose (21), C Walsh (26), I Bishop (27) & K Benjamin (23) vs Eng, 1995
G McGrath (21), B Lee (20), S Clark (26) & S Warne (23) vs Eng, 2006/07
M Starc (22), P Cummins (23), J Hazlewood (21) & N Lyon (21) vs Eng, 2017/18
Highest totals in Ashes Tests in Australia
662/9 dec Aus vs Eng, Perth, 2017/18
659/8 dec Aus vs Eng, Sydney, 1946/47
649/7 dec Aus vs Eng, Sydney, 2017/18
- Two of the three totals came in this series
- England lost their eight successive Test at the WACA - the joint most consecutive Tests a team has lost at a single venue (Zimbabwe lost eight at Bulawayo QSC b/w 2005 & 2017).
- Alastair Cook has now been a part of 15 losses out of 20 Tests he has played in Australia - the most by any player in a visiting country. He went past 14 each by Jack Hobbs and Sachin Tendulkar in Australia.
- Alastair Cook becomes the second visiting player to score 100s in each of Australia's five major Test venues (Gabba, Adelaide, WACA, MCG & SCG) after Sunil Gavaskar. He now holds the record for highest individual score in two of those venues - 235* at the Gabba (in 2010) and 244* at the MCG (in 2017).
Best bowling analysis in an Ashes series where there were no instances of six wickets in an innings
5/49 by Bill Bowes for Eng, Oval, 1938
5/43 by James Anderson for Eng, Adelaide, 2017/18
5/28 by Harold Larwood for Eng, SCG, 1932/33
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(2/2) With the series on the line, England put up a much better performance with the bat in the third Test at the WACA, Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow scoring hundreds. However, they came up against another Smith special. The skipper combined with comeback man Mitchell Marsh to bat England out of the game, a double hundred for Smith and 181 for Marsh gave Australia a 259-run lead, which proved more than enough as they won by an innings and 41 runs. The flat wicket at MCG came under the scanner and was deemed a 'poor surface' by the ICC as it saw a dull draw being played out. And the Pink Test ended England's woeful summer on a losing note. They didn't capitalize on good batting conditions after having won the toss. Hundreds for Khawaja and Marsh brothers gave a mammoth 303-run lead, then the bowlers cleaned up England for 180.
Ashes summary: (1/2) If the last Ashes Down Under is known as the Mitchell Johnson series, then this might be remembered as the Steven Smith series. The Australian skipper stood between England and his side on many occasions, started from the first Test, where Smith rescued Australia from doldrums with a magnificent 141. That innings set the tone for the series as the home side secured a 10-wicket win. England's best effort in the series came in the maiden day-night Ashes Test, but a resilient Shaun Marsh silenced his critics with a superb 126 and even though the visitors fought back by bowling Australia for 138, 353 was too much for them to chase.
Smith receives the replica of the urn from Bill Lawry and his teammates join him for the photographs. The fireworks go off and smiles everywhere. It's going to be a long day for each and everyone of them.
Smith: It's been a great couple of months. The cricket we have played has been outstanding. We were able to take 80 wickets in four Test matches and I saw all the bowlers have taken more than 20 wickets. We haven't relied on one person. Scoring big in the first innings has helped out. The batters have stood up through difficult periods and just won those key moments which has been crucial in this series. England had their foot in the door in all matches. They have played some exceptional cricket and we were just able to get on top by winning the key moments. Belief, playing here at home, knowing our roles and getting the job done. It's nice to have these five Test matches without any injuries. So much work went in before the series. It's tough here in Australia to get 20 wickets, but these guys did the job outstandingly well. The effort that they put has been amazing. I can't thank them enough and I am proud of everyone. That's part of batting, I love batting out in the middle and try to lead from the front. I worked really hard in the nets. I'm making good decisions consistently. I am really proud of the way I batted and have contributed from the front.
Steve Smith is Player of the Series.
Anderson, vice-captain: He's (Root) asleep. He has a gastro issue. He has not been too well throughout in the night. He is sleeping in the dressing room trying to recover. We have been outplayed in the key moments in each game. We were in the games to an extent, but couldn't capitalize. Credit to Smith and team. They played fantastically well in the series. They have got a fantastic bowling attack and all the batsmen have come to the party when the team needed them. We haven't scored enough in a series like this and we couldn't create enough pressure. Lucky to have such great support, not just the Barmy Army, but a lot of English supporters. We are grateful for them even though we have been beaten in this series, we can hear them. That's fantastic.
Cummins, Player of the Match: Couldn't have asked for much more. To get through the five (Tests) and win the series here at home, couldn't have asked for much more. It's been a lot of fun. We are all really close and have played a lot of cricket together. Especially, Gaz, what he has done in this series, we three could run in and attack; not thinking too much. It's been great. Pretty much, everything I could have asked for. As a kid you grow up, and there's a lot of hype around each game. Excellent to see how much it means to everyone. Loved every minute.
Nathan Lyon: Yes, it is a great feeling. Steve Smith led from the front. To be part of this bowling attack, it is a special feeling. We have all bases covered. We spoke about bowling in partnerships and it helped. Pretty good. Can't wait to sing that (the team song). The batters got the runs on the board for us bowlers and then the three quicks bowling in tandem. The selectors got it right. Very happy moment.
Mitch Marsh: No (didn't think I would be standing here). I would probably be out on a fishing trip at this time of the summer. Funny how things can change quickly. You do not sleep well in a Test match, especially when you are batting overnight. Just won the Ashes 4-0 and to contribute to the win is a special feeling. Hopefully they (the four bowlers) can stay on the park for a longer period of time. It was amazing. To be out there for Shaun, I was more nervous than him. It was a great day for our family.
Usman Khawaja: Awesome. Ashes win 4-0. Great coming through. Close. The first game was in balance a little bit. All the first three games were in the balance, but we had someone putting their hand up. Really happy to contribute to the win. All of them shared the wickets, they had 20-odd wickets each. They bowled outstandingly. We did the basics well and we also have Steven Smith in the side. We bowled well, batted well and fielded well.
So, what happened in this game? It was a familiar story. After opting to bat, England, despite batsmen getting starts, couldn't post a decent total. The hosts, in reply, batted big - thanks to tons from the Marsh brothers and Khawaja. The NSW quartet as usual picked the 10 wickets to wrap up the match. Only these four bowlers have taken wickets in this Ashes series for Australia.
Well, Australia took just one wicket in the morning session, but this result was always on the cards. Root couldn't come out to bat - due to his illness - Cummins just ripped through the lower order. Trapped Bairstow in the third over after lunch and that opened the gates. Broad and Crane were bounced out. Anderson and Tom Curran stuck around for a while, but in the end, it was Hazlewood, who found the nick of Anderson. Australia win by an innings and 123 runs.
14:17 Local Time, 03:17 GMT, 08:47 IST: Joe Root is not well and he can't come out to bat. The Australians are elated. Hugs all around and the entire team applaud the Barmy Army, who have come in huge numbers and they return the favour. Excellent gesture, this. Some of the Aussie players grab a stump as a souvenir. A delighted Steve Smith leads a victorious Australia side out of the field. Now, time for handshakes between the two teams. A series that was played in the right spirit.