Ashes Retained: Australia crush England in 11 days to secure unassailable 3-0 lead

Australia has retained the Ashes urn in record-equalling time, defeating a spirited but flawed England side by 82 runs in the third Test at the Adelaide Oval to secure a dominant series victory.

Australia locked up their fifth straight Ashes series win on Sunday (21 December), wrapping things up in just 11 days of actual cricket across the first three Tests. Chasing a record target of 435, England was bowled out for 352 in their second innings, despite a gutsy half-century from Zak Crawley and some lower-order fight from Jamie Smith. The result gives the hosts an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, leaving Ben Stokes’ ‘Bazball’ era facing its toughest examination yet.

The win was built on Alex Carey, who got Player of the Match for a superb showing with both bat and gloves. Carey hit a brilliant 106 in the first innings and backed it up with 72 in the second. But the game’s defining individual performance came from Travis Head, whose explosive 170 off 219 balls in Australia’s second innings basically put the game out of England’s reach.

England’s chase started with some hope but fell apart in the middle order, as has become a familiar story. Zak Crawley (85) and Harry Brook (30) looked like they were steadying things on Day 4 before Brook’s “reckless” reverse-sweep off Nathan Lyon triggered a collapse of 3 wickets for just 17 runs. Lyon, who passed Glenn McGrath to become Australia’s second-highest Test wicket-taker during this match, finished with 3 for 77 in the final innings.

The Final Stand

On the last day, England’s tail showed real fight. Jamie Smith (60) and Will Jacks (47) put together a 91-run partnership that briefly shut up the Adelaide crowd, but once the second new ball came out, Mitchell Starc (3 for 62) and Pat Cummins (3 for 48) cleaned up the tail efficiently.

“Batters not tuned into Test cricket,” former England star Kevin Pietersen said, calling out the shot selection that saw several top-order batters get out playing aggressive strokes when they needed to be patient.

“To retain the Ashes in 11 days is a testament to the clinical nature of this bowling attack and the depth of our batting,” a pumped Pat Cummins said during the post-match ceremony.

The 3-0 scoreline ties the 2002–03 series for the fastest Ashes retention ever. For England, the loss raises serious questions about whether their aggressive batting approach can work long-term on Australian soil, where the bounce and pace keep finding the edge of their ‘Bazball’ bats.

The series now heads to the Boxing Day Test at the MCG. While the urn’s decided, there are still World Test Championship points up for grabs. Australia might have some selection headaches, though. Nathan Lyon was seen limping off the field late on Day 5 with what looks like a calf strain.

Also Read / IPL 2026 Auction: Player pool expanded to 369 as BCCI adds 19 new names.