Australia Seal Ashes with Nervy Third Test Win
- By Thetripurapost Sports Desk, Adelaide Oval
- Dec 21, 2025
- 524
Australia completed a ruthless dismantling of England’s Ashes campaign by sealing an unexpectedly tense fifth-day victory in the third Test, securing an unassailable 3–0 series lead in just 11 days of cricket. Having dominated at Perth and Brisbane, the hosts were briefly made to sweat before closing out a contest that ultimately underlined the gulf between the sides.
England’s bold but belated attempt to chase an imposing target of 435 — a figure 17 runs beyond the world-record pursuit and 57 more than any England side has ever managed — ended in familiar disappointment. They were dismissed for 352, ensuring the final two Tests at Melbourne and Sydney will be reduced to dead rubbers for a touring side whose early promise has dissolved into disarray.
Remarkably, England came within touching distance of one of the great escapes. Nathan Lyon, whose triple strike of Harry Brook, Ben Stokes and Zak Crawley on the fourth evening appeared to have settled the contest, was forced from the field with a hamstring injury early on the final morning. His absence removed Australia’s most potent weapon on a surface increasingly offering assistance.
Sensing an opening, Jamie Smith and Will Jacks mounted a counter-attack of substance, adding 91 runs and briefly transforming the improbable into the plausible. Smith, in particular, played with audacious freedom, peppering the boundary with authority. But just as Australia’s grip began to loosen, a moment of overreach proved decisive. After striking four consecutive boundaries off the new ball, Smith chased a fifth, miscued Pat Cummins and gifted a catch to the leg-side, departing for a spirited 60.
Even then, England refused to fade quietly. With seven wickets down and 150 still required, Jacks found a resolute ally in Brydon Carse. Their defiant half-century stand exposed the growing impact of Lyon’s absence and prolonged Australia’s discomfort. Yet, as has been the pattern throughout this tour, England faltered at the critical moment. Jacks, having compiled a dogged 47 across 137 deliveries, perished to a loose waft at Mitchell Starc.
Another moment of brilliance in the slips from Marnus Labuschagne — emblematic of Australia’s superiority in the field — extinguished England’s last genuine hope. Jofra Archer soon picked out deep point, Josh Tongue edged behind, and Australia completed a hat-trick of victories that has stripped the series of competitive tension.
The defeat consigns England to an unwanted statistical echo of Nasser Hussain’s 2002–03 side, surrendering the Ashes in the fewest days ever for a five-Test, five-day series. They arrived in Australia with ambition and conviction; they now face the ignominy of playing out the remainder merely to avoid a 5–0 whitewash.
The scale of England’s final-day effort should not obscure the reality of their predicament. Resuming at 207 for six, requiring 228 runs with four wickets in hand, their chances were negligible. That they even entertained the chase owed much to Australia’s brief lapse in control.
Lyon’s early overs yielded little reward, while Cameron Green’s gentle seam allowed Smith to flourish, the young batter launching a series of strokes that stirred the perpetually hopeful Barmy Army. Rain offered further respite, briefly halting play and injecting false hope into the proceedings.
But once Smith fell and Jacks followed, the outcome felt inevitable. Carse’s unbeaten 39 provided a final flicker of resistance, but Australia’s fast bowlers duly completed the formalities.
England may take solace in isolated acts of defiance, particularly Jacks’ resilience, which hinted at a steel often missing from this tour. Yet resilience without ruthlessness has defined their campaign. With two Tests remaining, the challenge is no longer revival, but survival — to salvage dignity from a series that has slipped decisively beyond their grasp.