Australia's cricketers secure 4-1 Ashes win against England with victory in final Test in Sydney
Chasing 160 to win on the final day of the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney, Australia won by five wickets to secure a 4-1 series victory over England.
Thursday 8 January 2026 11:03, UK
Australia's cricketers have secured a 4-1 victory in the Ashes after beating England in the fifth Test in Sydney.
Needing 160 to win, the hosts stumbled to 121-5 before completing a five-wicket victory, despite three wickets for England's fast bowler Josh Tongue.
Australia had already retained the Ashes within just 11 days of play, and the Sydney match was the only one that went into a final fifth day.
England claimed a consolation victory in the fourth match of the series inside two days on a poor pitch in Melbourne - their first Test victory in Australia since 2011.
Captain Ben Stokes, who suffered a groin injury during the fourth day of the final Test, preventing him from bowling in Australia's second innings, said opponents "have understood how to operate against us.
"When we get into a situation with the bat where things look easy, opposition teams are doing the same thing to us," Stokes said.
"We need to work out what we do in those situations. We play too much 3/10 cricket in terms of the chances of it coming off, and if you play like that, the chances are it is not going to fall your way in big moments."
England's management team has been heavily criticised for the preparation for the Ashes - or lack of it - as the team played only one intra-squad warm-up game.
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Stokes said he wants to remain in his role, but it is not clear whether head coach Brendon McCullum, who leads England's white-ball side in the T20 World Cup starting in February, will do the same.
The England and Wales Cricket Board ordered a review of the Ashes defeat, with chief executive Richard Gould promising "necessary changes over the coming months".
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England's last win in the famous series, which began in 1882, was in 2015 at home.