Australia had a few nervous moments but safely chased down their 160-run victory target before tea on the final day of the fifth Ashes Test match against England, earning a five-wicket victory and a 4-1 series triumph.
Seamer Josh Tongue led England’s battling rearguard with 3-42 but Alex Carey got Australia across the line with a four through the covers in the company of Cameron Green on Thursday.
“We’ve played so well as a team,” said Steve Smith, who was standing in for Pat Cummins as Australia captain for the fourth time in the series.
“We’ve had some incredible individual performances but … everyone else just stood up at different moments. I think that’s what makes a really good team. We won those big moments throughout the series.”
England will take credit for making a game of it and not being ground into the Sydney dirt as previous tourists have in end-of-series dead rubbers at the famous old ground.
Without the bowling of injured captain Ben Stokes, however, defending 160 was always going to be an uphill challenge on a good wicket.
Australia’s openers managed to get the target under 100 runs before Man of the Match Travis Head, whose third century of the series underpinned his team’s first-innings 567, ballooned a shot to midwicket off Tongue for 29.
Jake Weatherald followed for 34, again caught off Tongue’s bowling, to bring up lunch with Australia 89 runs from their goal.
It was 15 years and a day since England won the final Test of the 2010-11 series at the same ground by an innings and 83 runs – the last time they won an Ashes series Down Under.
Emotional Khawaja bows out
Usman Khawaja made his debut in that match and got his chance for one final innings before retirement when Smith was bowled through the gate by the spin of Will Jacks for 12 soon after lunch.
The England players formed a cordon to welcome Khawaja to the crease but Tongue’s bowling was less friendly and the left-hander played on for six after facing seven balls.
His farewell did not go as planned but Khawaja said it was a memorable occasion after a decorated 15-year career and more than 6,000 runs.
“I was trying to act cool, but the whole Test match I found it really hard to control my emotions,” the 39-year-old admitted afterwards.
“It means a lot. The only thing I wanted was a win,” he said.
“Grateful for the one last final win and to celebrate with my teammates.
Upon his dismissal, the batter stopped at a “Thanks Uzzy” sign on the ground and bowed down in prayer before returning to the pavilion.
Khawaja immigrated to Australia from Islamabad as a child, battling the odds to become the country’s first Pakistan-born and first Muslim national player.
At one point, he was the only Asian first-class player in Australia and is credited as a role model who opened doors for others.
“Some people have lost family, I am lucky my parents are still around. My family, my wife, my kids and another one on the way,” he said.
“I love the game of cricket but life outside cricket has been more important.
“Few dicey runs there with a little bit of pressure, but we got the job done in the end.”
Starc gets the job done
England had resumed their batting on 302-8 but Mitchell Starc struck a major blow to their hopes of setting Australia a testing target when he had Bethell caught behind for 154.
Bethell’s superb maiden Test century offered plenty of promise for the future and was essentially the difference between an innings defeat for England and Australia batting again.
Starc (3-72) returned to remove Tongue for six to end the innings on 342, the left-arm quick later awarded Player of the Series honours for his tally of 31 wickets over the five Tests.
“The body is still holding together and this is a great group to be a part of,” the 35-year-old said. “I am a little tired but got the job done.”
In Sydney, Australia were again superior in every department, as they were when wins in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide and secured possession of the Ashes urn for another 18 months in just 11 days.
England won a lottery of a fourth Test in Melbourne – their first win in Australia since Sydney in 2011 – but the future of the “Bazball” style of play must be in doubt after a tour that started with high hopes ended in a 4-1 loss.
“We’ve not won the big series that we want to be winning,” said Stokes.
“When a trend is happening on a consistent basis … that’s when you do need to go back and look at the drawing board and make some adjustments.”
