Australia’s unrelenting dominance in Adelaide has effectively sealed the Ashes for another two years, as Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon combined to extinguish England’s faint hopes in emphatic fashion. Faced with a world-record chase of 435 to keep the series alive, England showed late resilience with the bat, spearheaded by Zak Crawley’s composed 85, but were ultimately outclassed by the sustained brilliance of Australia’s captain and senior spinner.
Cummins set the tone by ripping through the top order, claiming the first three wickets of the innings and once again dismissing Joe Root—his 13th such success in Test cricket. Lyon then took control as the day wore on, striking three times in the final session to shatter England’s resistance. Crawley fought hard and batted with patience and control, yet fell short of a second Ashes century when Lyon drew him out of his crease and Alex Carey completed a lightning-fast stumping as the light faded.
Although Jamie Smith and Will Jacks survived to stumps, England were still more than 200 runs shy of their target with four wickets remaining. Australia, closing in on a commanding 3–0 series lead, left England needing nothing short of a miracle from the lower order to avoid conceding the urn inside just 11 days of cricket.
The platform for Australia’s authority had been laid by Travis Head’s ferocious 170, but England did manage a brief fightback with the ball on the fourth morning. Six wickets fell in a little over 90 minutes, preventing the target from ballooning even further, though the damage was already substantial.
Chasing has long been a hallmark of England’s Bazball philosophy, yet this time clarity of intent could not overcome the scale of the task. Even on a relatively benign Adelaide surface, Cummins underlined the challenge by striking twice in his opening spell around lunch.
Ben Duckett’s difficult tour continued as he chased recklessly and edged to slip, while Ollie Pope endured a testing spell before departing courtesy of a stunning one-handed catch from Marnus Labuschagne at second slip. England steadied through a cautious 78-run partnership between Crawley and Root, but Cummins returned after tea to remove Root yet again, probing relentlessly outside off stump and drawing a thin edge that summed up their duel.
England’s approach was notably restrained, far removed from full-throttle Bazball. Crawley began slowly but was rewarded for his patience with his best innings of the series, mixing solid defence with well-timed drives and inventive sweeps against Lyon. Alongside Harry Brook, he added another half-century stand, though Brook lived dangerously before an ill-judged reverse sweep against Lyon led to his downfall.
Lyon then found his rhythm completely, removing Ben Stokes for the 10th time in Tests with a beautifully flighted offbreak before accounting for Crawley soon after. At 194 for 6, England’s cause looked beyond salvation, rain or no rain, with their winless run in Australia set to stretch further.
Earlier, Australia had resumed in total control, Head and Carey extending their partnership with ease before Head finally fell attempting to clear the boundary. Carey pushed the lead beyond 400 and flirted with history himself before Stokes ended his innings, and although England briefly lifted their spirits by cleaning up the tail, it was only a fleeting reprieve.
In the end, Cummins and Lyon ensured that England’s late resistance amounted to little more than defiance without reward. Australia had been relentless throughout, and with the Ashes firmly within reach, this Test served as another reminder of their authority on home soil.
