Australia clinch 5th Test win, defeat England to retain Ashes 4–1 in 2025–26 Series

Australia concluded an overwhelming series performance against England in the Fifth Test with a 5-wicket success which sealed the Ashes 4-1 for Australia as they maintained ownership of the Urn. The match served as an appropriate conclusion to a hard-fought summer filled with individual brilliance, long batting marathons, and decisive bowling success. England began strongly by winning the toss and choosing to bat; however, the English cricket team could not keep pace with the overall depth and stability shown by Australia across all disciplines.

The England first innings was anchored by a superb innings of 160 by Joe Root, who weathered a fair number of collapses in England's batting order. Harry Brook added an impressive contribution with his aggressive 84 which took England to a very respectable 384; however, the Australian bowlers shared the shared the workload evenly with Michael Neser collecting 4 wickets and Mitchell Starc striking at critical phases. Despite Root's valiant effort there was no way for England to build on their platform to attain a commanding total on a surface that became increasingly batting-friendly.

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In its first innings, Australia immediately responded with an incredible 567, establishing control of the match. Travis Head was unstoppable, scoring 163 at just shy of one run per ball with his aggressive batting, while Steven Smith displayed expert levels of patience and precision in his craftsmanship by scoring 138 runs. Additional substantial scores from Marnus Labuschagne and Beau Webster added further pressure to England's already long task of bowling for prolonged stretches. By the time Australia had finalized its innings, it had amassed a significant lead that left England under immense pressure to perform.

Bethell’s Grit and Australia’s Composure

However, England displayed strong fight during its second innings with a remarkable innings of 154 from Jacob Bethell. Batting for more than four hours and demonstrating high levels of composure and endurance, Bethell formed several partnerships that allowed England to maintain a slim chance. Nevertheless, the disciplined accuracy of Scott Boland and the extreme pace of Mitchell Starc produced continued breakthroughs preventing England from building an insurmountable target. England was eventually bowled out for 342, leaving Australia a target of 160 runs to win the match.

Although Australia lost two early wickets during the last day of the Ashes, they showed tremendous quality by making it through with relative ease as Alex Carey and Cameron Green kept them going without being dismissed. Their calmness proved how much depth, consistency and confidence this team has, even in pressure situations. Travis Head received deserved accolades for being the Player-of-the-Match for his great first innings batting performance, while Mitchell Starc took home the Player-of-the-Series award. With this victory, Australia became the undisputed champion of the 2025-26 Ashes series by their undeniable strength and success.