AUS vs ENG: Australia Holds On To Ashes With 82-Run Win

AUS vs ENG: Australia has successfully retained the Ashes trophy by winning the third Test by an 82-run margin over England at the Adelaide Oval. With this victory, the Aussies now have an unbeatable series-leading 3-0 advantage.

This marks their fourth straight Ashes series victory on their home soil. Despite the brave attempt by the English on Day 5, the Aussie bowlers were unmovable as they successfully defended the Ashes.

England’s Brave Chase Fails

England started day 5 with the challenge of retrieving 435 to win the match. England, which began the day at 207/6, saw its lower order make a commendable effort. Smith, Jacks, and Carse showed some mettle, with Smith leading the charge.

Smith, in particular, played some strong strokes, slog-sweeping Nathan Lyon and pulling Cameron Green for two sixes. This partnership saw England get past the 250 mark, and it looked like it might just be the start of a miracle.

However, Australia’s bowlers showed poise, with Starc, Cummins, and Lyon contributing significantly to dismantling the English resistance. Smith, who was in the middle of a crucial knock, was out for 60 after mis-hitting a slog to Cummins at wide mid-on, thereby getting out.

Main Contributions of Australian Bowlers

Mitchell Starc had the best performance among the Australians, taking three important wickets in the second innings for England. His important wickets of Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue ensured that the Australians moved closer to claiming a win. Other important contributors for the Australians included Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins, who bagged three wickets in the second innings.

Starc’s three-wicket haul ensured that the Australians won the match, and his performance in the first innings, where he scored 54 crucial runs, also aided him in performing the feat.

Australia’s Recovery During the First Innings

A tough start for Australia was averted as a strong show from the team in both innings helped them gain a strong start towards winning the game. Even as Australia had lost 4 wickets for 94 runs, a strong show from Carey (106), Khawaja (82), and Starc (54) helped Australia gain a strong first innings lead with a total of 371 runs, despite Jofra Archer, who picked 5 wickets for 53 runs, showing a strong display for England.

England, in response, was able to score 286, with the only major contributions coming from Ben Stokes (83) and Jofra Archer (51). Australia’s bowlers, in particular Scott Boland (3-45) and Pat Cummins (3-69), played a crucial role in knocking down England’s middle and lower-order wickets.

Head & Carey Produces Record Total for Australia

Australia faced the challenge of 149/4 in the second innings, but a spectacular 170-run knock by Travis Head and Alex Carey’s 72 helped Australia reach 349, which was an enormous total of 435 that England had to chase.

England faced struggles in their fourth innings as well, with a fighting 85-run knock by Zak Crawley, but they could not establish enough partnerships to challenge Australia’s score by the end of the fourth day as they were 207/6, and with fighting partnerships by Smith, Jacks, and Carse, they were eventually all out for 352 runs on the fifth day.