AUS VS ENG - 3rd Test, The Ashes, 2021-22

How did it get to this? One hour before the close of play last evening, things seemed pretty even. England were in fact riding the momentum. Hah. And before they could realize what hit them, the Ashes are gone. Well, we hope you enjoyed reading us, as I, Vineet Anantharaman, sign off on behalf of Pradeep Krishnamurthy, Nikhil Jadhav and our scorer, Vinod. Until Sydney, and a miracle to stop the 5-0, ta ta!!

Scott Boland | MoM (Mullagh medal): Can't really believe. We thought we had a chance of winning today when we came in, but just not so quickly. I came to know on Christmas Eve, and had a lot of support from teammates and family. It was a big step up from anything that I have played, and I knew it would be tough. I want to thank the crowd for all their support over the last three days, really appreciate it. There were about 17 of us who learnt about that tour of 1868, and my family and I are very proud about winning this award. I would like to thank the coaches for getting this chance to play on my homeground, and would also like to thank my parents, my wife and my two kids.

Pat Cummins | Winning skipper: It is pretty insane. Just a awesome few weeks, so proud of the group as everything clicked and everything worked out. Thrilled for Scott Boland playing in front of his home crowd here. We have been relentless. The bowlers have just turned up and owned their areas outside off-stump. There have been big partnerships, everyone's performed, everyone's contributed - it's a great feeling. The batsmen have left well and have been brave when the opportunities have presented themselves. Neser was disappointed after bowling so well last week to not get a chance in this game. But we have a big pool to pick from. We knew whoever steps in will do a great job. We were really confident that Scotty would do a great job; maybe not 6 for 7 (laughs). Any Ashes series is where you make a mark in Test cricket. The last series was 4-0, the one before that was 5-0, and it is a chance for us to cement our identity in the next few years.

Joe Root | Losing skipper: It is what it is. We have come to dealing with this sort of an environment for a while now. Credit to Australia, they blew us away last night, and they have outplayed us in this Test match, in fact the series so far. We have a lot of hard work to do now and come back strong in the last two games. Covid threat wasn't ideal. The way we went about our cricket, especially our bowling was excellent yesterday. Credit to the boys for managing it and giving ourselves a chance in this game. We just have got to do things for longer. There have been pockets, but that's just not enough. We know where we need to work and we have to stay very strong and make sure we look at the next two games as a real opportunity to take something away from this tour.

Scott Boland (4-1-7-6): I'm speechless as well, had no idea it would be over so soon. Those are my best-ever figures, nothing has happened this quickly before. They (the crowd) were amazing, going down there (near the boundary) gave me a real buzz.

11:54 Local Time: The MCG explodes, the Aussies go on a celebratory run, and England get blown away. From even odds, to underdogs, to dark horses to getting properly hammered, things really couldn't have gone worse any quicker. It's not that they had much of a chance in the context of this match as they came in today, but surely you expected them to last at least a session. No? Okay. Let's not steal credit. The Australian pacers have been absolutely sensational, and the English batsmen have clearly made them look unplayable. And the story is led by a debutant, who at 32 had perhaps given on the Test dream, only to find himself steamrolling his side on the way to the urn, at home. Dreams and stories really don't get any better. Scott Boland would soon find out. Here he is, talking ..

Green to Anderson, out Bowled!! Full, quick, past the forward pushing outside-edge, and boom, timber. You knew it was coming, and it now officially has. The urn, the Ashes, will remain in Australia, and they've needed just twelve days to get the job done. Anderson b Green 2(4)

Green to Anderson, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!

Green to Buttler, 1 run, full, on off, and surprise, surprise, Buttler pushes it into the covers and is happy to expose Jimmy. Well, that's how lost England look ..

Green to Buttler, no run, short, angling in, and a missed hook

Green to Buttler, no run, just the tight back of a length stuff on off-stump that you have to flirt at. Buttler does, tentatively from the crease, and gets beaten

Viswambher: I"nsane bowling from Boland. Seems like he is getting a wicket on every ball."

Boland to Anderson, no run, covers the line and dabs this to point. Was a back of a length delivery around off, shaped away slightly as it was played into the off-side. 4-1-7-6 are the figures for Boland..

Boland to Anderson, no run, short and quick outside off, shapes away from the batter who has left it alone

Boland to Anderson, 2 runs, back of a length around middle and leg, Anderson clips it through square leg for a couple of runs

James Anderson, left handed bat, comes to the crease

Boland to Robinson, out Caught by Labuschagne!! Australia are one wicket away from retaining the Ashes! Boland's on fire, taking down England singlehandedly. Haven't seen a spell as impressive as this one by Boland. That's a length delivery on off, skids along the deck and shapes away slightly. Robinson has a poke and gets an outside edge that flies straight to Labuschagne at third slip. No stopping the Victorian! Robinson c Labuschagne b Boland 0(2)

Boland to Robinson, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Boland to Robinson, no run, hits this one on a good length outside off, straightens off the deck, Robinson has a poke and gets beaten

Ollie Robinson, right handed bat, comes to the crease

Boland to Mark Wood, out Caught&Bowled!! A five-wicket haul on debut for Scott Boland! His team mates charge towards him and give him a hug and congratulate him. What a proud moment for the Victorian. Pitches this up around middle and off, and Wood chips it straight back at him. Sharp reflexes as he takes it in his followthrough and England are sinking. Two wickets away from losing the series. The crowd is absolutely loving this. Mark Wood c and b Boland 0(3)