Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon ran through the English batting line-up as Australia thumped England by an innings and 123 runs in the fifth and last Ashes Test to seal the series 4-0.
Joe Root didn’t come out to bat due to sickness but the visitors were more injured with their mental condition than the physical ones during the entire 5-match series.
They have failed to get going with the bat. Barring Cook’s double ton in the 4th Test and some good performance from Joe Root in patches, England’s batsmen struggled continuously against the quartet of Australian bowling. Nathan Lyon, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc all picked up more than 20 wickets in the series and troubled Root and company.
Opting to bat first, England’s batsmen got starts but failed to convert as they folded out for 346. Joe Root was the top scorer with 83 runs while Pat Cummins picked up 4 wickets. Dawid Malan, England’s top scorer in the series, scored 62.
In reply, Marsh brothers and Usman Khawaja scored centuries each While Steve Smith scored 83 runs as Australia piled up 649/7 before declaring. Mason Crane conceded 193 runs, registering the worst performance for England on debut.
Trailing by 303 runs, Joe Root retired after scoring 58 runs while no other batsmen did much as England folded for 180. Cummins once again was the major trouble for the visitors as he picked up 4 wickets.
Barring the 4th Test, where a ‘dead’ pitch helped England avoid defeat, Australia won all the four games quite convincingly. They won the first match by 10 wickets before winning the second game by 120 runs. They sealed the series with an innings and 41-run victory.