HOBART: Australia’s fast bowlers ran through the English batting line-up to claim a comprehensive 146-run win in the fifth and final Ashes Test at Hobart on Sunday, sealing a one-sided series 4-0.
After a bright 68-run opening stand chasing 271 for victory, England collapsed once again to hand the Test to the rampant Australian outfit, losing 10 wickets for 56 runs in 137 balls.
The hosts could easily have won the series 5-0, but for some bad weather and heroics from England’s lower order in Sydney, when the outclassed visitors held on for a tense draw.
“To be at the end of a five-Test series with so many positives — winning 4-0 — it’s huge so I’m really pumped,” Australian captain Pat Cummins said.
“It really feels like we are building to something big.
“I can’t wait to show our wares overseas so we can really judge ourselves in all conditions.”
England had no answers once more in Hobart to the pace barrage of Cummins, Cameron Green, Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc, who shared the wickets between them and took nine English wickets in the night session.
So dominant were the fast bowlers, off-spinner Nathan Lyon did not bowl a ball in the entire match.
England captain Joe Root admitted his side were simply not good enough throughout the series.
“It’s been a really tough tour,” he said. “We’ve played good cricket in parts, we’ve just not been able to structure a whole game together.
“It’s something we have to learn from and not go away and keep making the same mistakes.
“We’ve been outplayed in all areas and credit to Australia.”
The tourists had bowled Australia out for 155 during the middle session, leaving themselves an improbable target of 271 for victory.
Rory Burns and fellow opener Zak Crawley got the tourists off to a rousing start but in the last over before tea, Burns tried to leave a ball from Green, only to chop it on, falling for 26 with the score on 68.
Dawid Malan, whose wife gave birth to their first child overnight, started well with a couple of slashing boundaries, but he fell the same way, chopping on to Green for 10 to end a disappointing Test.
Green struck again when Crawley edged the ball through to wicketkeeper Alex Carey, before Ben Stokes on five threw his wicket away when he pulled a Starc short ball to Lyon at deep square leg.
Score Board
England won the toss
Australia 1st Innings 303 all out
England 1st Innings 188 all out
Australia 2nd Innings 155 all out
England 2nd Innings (Target 271 runs)
Burns b Green 26
Crawley c †Carey b Green 36
Malan b Green 10
Root (c) b Boland 11
Stokes c Lyon b Starc 5
Pope b Cummins 5
Billings† c Cummins b Boland 1
Woakes c †Carey b Boland 5
Wood b Cummins 11
Robinson b Cummins 0
Broad not out 1
Extras: (lb 13) 13
Total: (38.5 Ov, RR: 3.19) 124
Fall: 1-68, 16.1 ov 2-82, 20.5 ov 3-83, 22.2 ov 4-92, 27.5 ov 5-101, 31.4 ov 6-107, 35.1 ov 7-107, 36.2 ov 8-115, 37.6 ov 9-123, 38.3 ov 10-124, 38.5 ov
Bowling: Mitchell Starc 8-0-30-1 Pat Cummins 12.5-3-42-3 Scott Boland 12-5-18-3 Cameron Green 6-1-21-3
Result: Australia won by 146 runs
Man of the Match: Travis Head (AUS)
Man of the Series: Travis Head (AUS)
Test Debut: Sam Billings (ENG)
Umpires: Paul Wilson, Rod Tucker