03/01Result

5th Test, England tour of Australia and New Zealand at Sydney, Jan 4-8 2018

EnglandEnglandENG
346 & 180 (88.1 ov)
AustraliaAustraliaAUS
649/7d

Australia won by an inns & 123 runs

Player of the Match

Pat CumminsAustralia

03/01Result

5th Test, England tour of Australia and New Zealand at Sydney, Jan 4-8 2018

EnglandEnglandENG
346 & 180 (88.1 ov)
AustraliaAustraliaAUS
649/7d

Australia won by an inns & 123 runs

Player of the Match

Pat CumminsAustralia

Day 5

2302dBrydon Coverdale

Rampant Australia seal Ashes 4-0, with Root crocked

Australia finished the Ashes in the most comprehensive manner left open to them, bathing in the glory of a 4-0 result after thrashing England by an innings and 123 runs in the final Test at the SCG

1870dGeorge Dobell at Sydney

Tea and sympathy won't suffice as England face up to another drubbing

Stoicism is an admirable trait that serves the country well, but it's time to get really rather cross about the state of English cricket

1870dGeorge Dobell in Sydney

England don't need 'big upheaval' after Ashes loss - Anderson

England's vice-captain said it "doesn't feel like a completely disastrous series" but conceded the team had not responded well in pressure situations

1870dDaniel Brettig

The Ashes event now transcends the cricket

This was the second-highest attended Ashes of all time, viewing figures have been strong and Steven Smith has moved towards greatness. But much of the action was far from memorable

2302dGaurav Sundararaman

Australia's bowling quartet dominate

Stats highlights from the last day's play of the 2017-18 Ashes, as Australia wrapped up an emphatic 4-0 win

1870dJarrod Kimber at Sydney

The futile finale of a drained Joe Root

Joe Root started the Ashes with boyish optimism but finished it asleep in the dressing-room, ill and exhausted after a tour of perpetual scrutiny and failure

1870dESPNcricinfo staff

Moeen facing Lyon: nine innings, seven wickets

Moeen Ali was a walking wicket against Nathan Lyon this Ashes

1870dESPNcricinfo staff

Root taken to hospital with gastroenteritis

Joe Root, the England captain, was admitted to hospital in Sydney, suffering from severe dehydration

1870dDaniel Brettig in Sydney

Smith bats for Bancroft after Ashes win

Steven Smith also spoke about the importance of keeping Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins together when the Ashes were up for grabs

Day 4

2303dThe Report by Brydon Coverdale

Australia close in on 4-0 after Marsh hundreds

There will be no 5-0 clean sweep, but Australia have a good chance of mopping up a 4-0 result at the SCG after dominating the fourth day against England

2303dS Rajesh

Brotherly hundreds, and Crane's record

Stats highlights from another day at the SCG completely dominated by Australia

1870dDaniel Brettig at Sydney

Lyon's share recalls Warne impact

Expectation rises whenever Nathan Lyon takes the ball, and England have largely been worried out of attacking him

1870dGeorge Dobell in Sydney

Farbrace calls for honesty after England failings are 'exposed'

Planning must start now, says assistant coach, if England are to mount a challenge on future Ashes tours

Day 3

1870dThe Report by Brydon Coverdale

Khawaja 171 sets the stage for Australia domination

Usman Khawaja's maiden Ashes ton was backed up by the Marsh brothers - with Shaun going to the close on 98 not out - as Australia built a commanding 133-run lead

1870dDaniel Brettig at Sydney

Khawaja's Ashes hype grows into substance

Seven years on from an oddly overblown debut innings, Usman Khawaja finally attained Ashes fulfilment at the ground where it all began

Day 2

1870dThe Report by Brydon Coverdale

Khawaja and Smith put Australia in control

On a day when Australia chipped slowly away at England's total, in a dead rubber, individual moments and milestones caught the eye more than the overall match progress

1870dESPNcricinfo staff

Mason Crane - how the experts saw it

As if being England's youngest specialist spinner for 90 years was not demanding enough, Mason Crane underwent the ritual glare from a posse of cricket experts

1870dDaniel Brettig at Sydney

Team-mates in awe as Smith matches Sobers to 6000 runs

Steven Smith became the equal-second fastest Test batsman to 6000 runs, and now has the chance to make his fourth century of this Ashes series

2305dGeorge Dobell in Sydney

Cosmetic changes won't mask England's deep structural flaws

England's inability to compete in the Ashes would once have been a matter of national shame. But the ECB's priorities lie elsewhere

1870dDaniel Brettig at Sydney

Khawaja, Bancroft contrast on village day

The 22nd day of Ashes combat in this series stretched the mental reserves of both teams, but some players coped better than others

Day 1

1870dReport by Brydon Coverdale

Starc and Hazlewood strike late as England waste hard work

It was as if this day was a microcosm of England's batting throughout their whole disappointing Ashes tour as they let a promising position slip

1870dDaniel Brettig at Sydney

Australia reminded of Starc reality

Australia are not the same team without a 100% fit Mitchell Starc - and that includes when Starc is actually playing

Others

1870dESPNcricinfo staff

Brother in arms leaves Mitchell Marsh in dire straits

A moment of brotherly love nearly went awry for Mitchell and Shaun Marsh on the fourth afternoon at Sydney

1870dJarrod Kimber at Sydney

Pretty starts and brainfarts: the story of Vince's career

The beauty of James Vince's batting masks a consistent failure to convert starts into finishes, a flaw that would not be tolerated in a less attractive player

1870dGeorge Dobell in Sydney

Nightwatchman would not have halted England's crime wave

England keep repeating the same errors without learning or suffering the consequences

2305dGeorge Dobell in Sydney

Nightwatchman would not have halted England crime wave

England keep repeating the same errors without learning or suffering the consequences

2306dJarrod Kimber at Sydney

Pretty starts and brainfarts: the story of Vince's career

The beauty of James Vince's batting masks a consistent failure to convert starts into finishes, a flaw that would not be tolerated in a less attractive player

1870dGeorge Dobell in Sydney

The toast is aflame but butter won't melt for England

England, in training, in batting, in self-appraisals, are beginning to sound just a little bit soft

1870dJarrod Kimber at Sydney

Crane's exoticism atones for lack of impact

Mason Crane was a source of endless fascination in spite of a tough first outing in Test cricket, but he bore the attention well

2306dAndrew Miller

The Not-so-Famous Five

Legspinners remain a romanticised breed in English cricket, and Mason Crane's call-up for the Sydney Test is the latest chapter in the saga. However, in the past 50 years, their selections - and success - have been few and far between

1870dGeorge Dobell in Sydney

'Never had ambitions to play for England' - Smith

At 18, Steven Smith was offered a contract from Surrey that "sounded like quite a fair amount of money" but he turned it down to pursue his career with Australia

1870dDaniel Brettig in Sydney

Starc gets SCG wish but ODI rest looms

Mitchell Starc has been passed fit for the SCG Test, but his captain Steven Smith says Australia are mindful of the need to keep the left-arm quick fit for the South Africa tour

1870dGeorge Dobell in Sydney

Side strain rules Woakes out of Sydney Test

With Mason Crane already pencilled in as the second spinner on a surface expected to offer some turn, Tom Curran retains his place in the seam attack thanks to Woakes' injury

1870dPreview by Brydon Coverdale

Crane to debut as England seek sign-off win

England have one more chance to secure their first Test win in Australia for seven years while there are places to play for in both teams

Videos

play00:53

Khawaja and Shaun Marsh keep Australia in control
00:53
'We have prepared a traditional SCG pitch'
01:11
'Bancroft's dismissal may have closed door for SA tour'
00:58

Smith all the way

687

Runs scored by Steve Smith in the 2017-18 Ashes- Sixth highest ever for Australia. Sir Don Bradman occupies three of the the top 6 positions. Smith averaged 137.40

Drubbing

4-0

Australia's Ashes Victory Margin - This is the 12th instance of England not winning a Test in an Ashes series

Spin failure

112.5

Bowling average for England's spinners in this series, their worst in any series in which they've bowled 200+ overs

A debut to forget

193

Runs conceded by Crane, the highest for any England bowler on debut, and the fifth highest for any bowler. The record is 222, by Randiv v Ind

Middle-order domination

3

Instances of Australia's Nos. 3-6 all getting 75+. The previous two instances were in 1946 and 1937, during Bradman's captaincy

Batsmen Dominate

1993

Only other instance of Australia adding over 100 runs each for the 3rd,4th and 5th wicket respectively. It was also against England at Leeds in 1993.

Successful pair

6

Century stands between Smith and Khawaja since April 2014. They have 12 stands of fifty or more from 18 innings. The pair have added 1330 runs at 73.88.

Another Record for Smith

111

Innings taken for Steven Smith to reach 6000 Test runs- Joint-second quickest along with Sir Garry Sobers behind Sir Don Bradman who got there in 68 innings.

Fails again

1

No. of 50s converted into 100s by Root in his last ten 50+ scores. In this series, he has failed to score a century after crossing 50 four times.

Contributions from all

2013

Last instance of England's top-5 all scoring 20+ runs in the first inns of a Test, at MCG in Ashes 2013-14. In this Test, all 5 have crossed 20 so far.

Cook goes on

150

No. of consecutive Tests played by Cook, including this match. Only Allan Border (153) has played more in a row.

Can England finish off well?

2

No. of defeats for Australia at SCG in last 20 years, before this match. Both have come against England - 2002-03 and 2010-11. In 26 out of last 28 Tests at SCG, teams have opted to bat first, so as England now.