England's hopes of regaining the Ashes have been extinguished in Adelaide, with Australia securing the series victory in the third Test. Set a mammoth target of 435 runs to win, England's batting order crumbled on day four, closing on 207 for six and leaving their dreams of a miraculous comeback in tatters.
Lyon's Late Strikes Seal England's Fate
The final nail in the coffin was delivered by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon in the evening session. From a position of 177 for three, Lyon orchestrated a devastating collapse, removing three key batsmen in quick succession. He bowled Harry Brook for 30, produced a beauty to dismiss Ben Stokes for five, and ended Zak Crawley's resilient knock of 85 with a sharp stumping by Alex Carey.
Those wickets reduced England to 194 for six, raising the spectre of a four-day finish. Although Jamie Smith and Will Jacks survived to stumps, the result was a foregone conclusion. Australia will now wrap up the series having needed just 11 days of cricket, equalling England's quickest Ashes surrender since 1921.
Cummins Returns to Undermine Top Order
While Lyon finished the job, the damage was initiated earlier by returning Australian captain Pat Cummins. Having missed the first two Tests, Cummins bowled like a champion, striking with his second ball of England's second innings. He removed Ben Duckett for just four, a dismissal that caps a dismal series for the opener, who has managed only 97 runs at an average of 16.
Cummins was also the architect of Ollie Pope's departure for 17, with a jittery Pope edging to second slip where Marnus Labuschagne took a spectacular one-handed catch. The bowler then broke a dangerous 78-run partnership by having Joe Root caught behind for 39, a carbon copy of his first-innings dismissal.
Collapse and Consequences for England
After Crawley and Brook had briefly threatened resistance, their departures triggered a terminal slump. The speed of the collapse mirrored Australia's own earlier in the day, when they lost their last six wickets for just 38 runs. Josh Tongue was the pick of England's bowlers with four for 70, while Brydon Carse took three.
However, England's bowling efforts were rendered meaningless by their batting frailties. The Ashes urn, in Australian hands since the 2017-18 series, has been formally retained by the hosts. The focus for the remaining two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney now shifts to whether England can avoid the ignominy of a 5-0 whitewash.
With Steve Smith set to return from injury for the Boxing Day Test, and England likely to consider changes—possibly including Jacob Bethell for the struggling Pope—the tour has become a salvage operation. The dream of winning back the Ashes on Australian soil is over, leaving a long and painful road ahead for Ben Stokes and his team.
