• Australia chases down 160 target successfully.
• Secures dominant 4-1 Ashes series triumph.
• Carey and Green guide team home calmly.
Australia secured the final Test of the Ashes series with a five-wicket victory, successfully chasing down the 160-run target before tea on Thursday. This win solidified their commanding performance across the series, resulting in a conclusive 4-1 triumph over rivals England.
According to reports, the final day in Sydney began with palpable tension, especially after England captain Ben Stokes, despite being sidelined by injury, attempted to inspire his side from the slips. England’s hopes of setting a challenging total had largely relied on Bethell’s superb maiden Test century, who resumed the day on 154. However, Mitchell Starc struck early, removing Bethell to cripple the English tail. Starc finished the innings with 3-72, bringing England’s second innings to a close at 342, leaving Australia a manageable 160 to win.
While the target was relatively low, England’s seamer Josh Tongue orchestrated a battling rearguard, creating nervous moments for the Australian lineup. Tongue was pivotal, finishing with figures of 3-42, and successfully getting rid of Australia’s openers, Travis Head (29) and Jake Weatherald (34), before lunch. Head, who had underpinned Australia’s first innings 567 with his third century of the series, ballooned a shot to midwicket.
The left-hander Khawaja also fell cheaply to Tongue, playing on for six. Perhaps the greatest piece of drama came when Marnus Labuschagne, dropped earlier on 20, ran himself out for 37 with 39 runs still required. This left the scoreboard at 121-5 and opened a small window for the English bowling unit.
However, experienced keeper Alex Carey, who remained 16 not out, partnered with Cameron Green, unbeaten on 22, to steer Australia safely across the line. Carey hit the winning four through the covers in the mid-afternoon, extinguishing any further hopes of an English resurgence at the Sydney Cricket Ground. While England will take credit for competing hard throughout the final day, the victory marked the end of a dominant series performance by the Australian team.