Australia have retained the Ashes with two matches still to play after Mitchell Starc claimed three of the final four wickets to halt England’s valiant fightback on the fifth day of the third Test at Adelaide Oval. The hosts secured an 82-run victory, leaving England unable to chase the challenging target of 435—a total that would have required a world-record fourth-innings run chase. Australia began Day 5 needing just four wickets to confirm their hold on the urn, with England resuming at 6-207 and still 228 runs short. Captain Pat Cummins described the win as “pretty awesome,” praising the team’s effort in a tough, drawn-out contest. Cummins, returning from a back injury that sidelined him for the first two Tests, noted that Test cricket in Australia is often a grind and lauded his teammates for their persistence. Steve Smith had led Australia to eight-wicket victories in Perth and Brisbane but missed the Adelaide Test due to vertigo, ruling him out just before the toss.
The day began with England pushing back, adding 102 runs in the morning session before Jamie Smith fell to Cummins for 60. England briefly narrowed the Ashes equation at lunch, leaving Australia needing three wickets to secure the series while the visitors required 126 runs to stay alive. No team in Test history has chased more than West Indies’ 418 in 2003 to win in the fourth innings. England skipper Ben Stokes admitted he felt his side could achieve a record chase, but Australia’s attack, led by Starc, proved decisive despite Nathan Lyon leaving the field with a hamstring injury. Starc removed Will Jacks (47), Jofra Archer (3), and set up Scott Boland to finish off Josh Tongue (1), leaving Brydon Carse stranded on 39 as England were all out for 352. Alex Carey was awarded player of the match for his crucial contributions—a century in the first innings, a half-century in the second alongside Travis Head’s 170, and seven dismissals behind the stumps. Stokes acknowledged the disappointment but praised his team’s resilience and urged them to focus on the remaining two Tests. Lyon’s injury, sustained while diving to stop a boundary, ruled him out for the rest of the match. England’s woes in Australia continue, with the team going 5,462 days without a Test win Down Under, extending a winless streak through series results of 5-0, 4-0, 4-0, and now 3-0. Melbourne will host the Boxing Day Test on December 26, followed by the New Year’s Test in Sydney.
