AUS vs ENG 3rd Test Day 5 Highlights:Australia Defeats England

A dominant Australia wrapped up the last four wickets they needed on Sunday (December 21, 2025) to clinch the 3rd Test and keep the Ashes in just 11 days of cricket, shattering the hopes of an England team that finally put up a fight.

Match Summary

After four days of intense heat and sunshine, the lights came on as dark clouds rolled in, and after 40 minutes, the players left the field as light rain returned.

It was just a brief shower, and they were back on the field 40 minutes later, with lunch delayed by half an hour.

After losing by eight wickets in Perth and Brisbane, and with two more Test matches remaining in Melbourne and Sydney, the England were desperate for a victory to salvage the five-match series.

Despite their increased resolve, they were once again defeated by an Australian team that suffered a setback when spin master Nathan Lyon had to leave the field due to a hamstring injury.

While attempting to save a boundary, Lyon sustained. Soon after the play resumed, Lyon was forced to depart.

He went for scans and was ruled out for the remainder of the Test, later seen on crutches, putting the rest of his series in jeopardy.

When Mitchell Starc took the new ball, Smith started to attack, hitting two consecutive fours, but it led to his downfall as he skied one to Pat Cummins at midwicket.

Will Jacks achieved his highest Test score of 47, helping England’s chase drop below 100.

However, he fell victim to another stunning catch by Marnus Labuschange, who dove to his left in front of wicketkeeper Alex Carey after edging a ball from Starc.

Starc struck again, sending Jofra Archer back to the pavilion before Boland dismissed Tongue, igniting wild celebrations.

England managed to survive for two sessions, but everything fell apart thanks to Lyon.

He bowled out Harry Brook and Ben Stokes, then lured Zak Crawley down the wicket to be stumped by Alex Carey for 85, with Cummins taking care of the dangerous Joe Root for 39.

Smith and Jacks were the ones responsible for making sure it would extend to a fifth day.

Chasing a daunting target of 435 was always going to be tough, as no team has ever chased down more than 418 to win in Test history but England at least gave it a shot, finishing at 352 all out.

On day five at Adelaide Oval, England’s tenacious resistance persisted into the second session until Scott Boland dismissed Josh Tongue for an 82-run victory, guaranteeing the renowned ashes cup remains in Australian hands.

Their defeat in just 11 days marks the joint second fastest in over a century, since the 1921 series ended in eight days, with their ‘Bazball’ approach of ultra-aggressive cricket being laid bare.

The pre-Ashes excitement, when England was thought to have their best chance in a generation to win a series in Australia, contrasts sharply with their collapse over three Tests.

Ben Stokes and his team are in a difficult situation because England hasn’t won a Test in Australia in 18 matches, their most recent series victory was in 2010-11.

Match Summary

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