England win chaotic fourth Ashes Test against Australia in Melbourne

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Published On 27 Dec 2025

A warring England won their archetypal Test connected Australian ungraded successful 15 years connected Saturday, restoring their battered pridefulness with a gutsy four-wicket triumph to clinch a chaotic 4th Ashes clash that was each implicit wrong 2 days.

The pumped-up tourists dismissed Australia for 132 soon aft luncheon successful beforehand of a bumper 92,045 assemblage astatine the Melbourne Cricket Ground, pursuing the 20 wickets that tumbled connected time one.

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It near them chasing 175 to win, with Harry Brook unbeaten connected 18 and Jamie Smith connected 3 seeing them location for the nonaccomplishment of six wickets to immense roars from their travelling “Barmy Army” of fans.

Jacob Bethell contributed 40 and Zak Crawley 37.

“A bully feeling, a pugnacious circuit up to now,” said England skipper Ben Stokes.

“After the build-up to the Test, a batch thrown our way, to enactment successful a show connected the backmost of each that, and bushed a precise bully Australian team, a batch of recognition has to spell to players, unit and absorption for keeping the absorption connected cricket.

“Very proud. We showed bravery and were courageous.”

England crashed successful the archetypal 3 Tests and came to Melbourne nether tremendous unit amid questions astir their constricted preparations and allegations of excessive drinking during a mid-series formation break.

But they yet came bully and volition caput to Sydney for the 5th and last Test brimming with confidence.

England had not won a Test successful Australia since January 2011 astatine Sydney, losing 16 and drafting 2 since, and openers Crawley and Ben Duckett had a wide nonsubjective to drawback the streak – play ultra-aggressive “Bazball” style.

Duckett deed a bound disconnected Mitchell Starc successful his archetypal implicit portion Crawley slammed Michael Neser for a six and a 4 successful successive balls.

They brought up a whirlwind 50 opening concern but adjacent shot Duckett was bowled by a Starc yorker for 34.

Fast bowler Brydon Carse past strode to the mediate arsenic a astonishment fig 3 successful spot of Bethell.

But England’s pinch-hitting experimentation failed arsenic Carse lasted lone 8 balls earlier skying Jhye Richardson to Cameron Green.

Crawley fell lbw to Scott Boland aft a gritty sound and Bethell was caught by Usman Khawaja from the aforesaid bowler.

Richardson trapped Joe Root lbw for 15 and Starc accounted for Ben Stokes for two, but by past lone 10 runs were needed and Brook and Smith completed the job.

“It was a tricky one, a speedy game,” said Australia skipper Steve Smith.

“If we had got 50-60 much successful some innings past things mightiness person been different. The wicket played arsenic expected, but erstwhile the shot softened, it didn’t rather behave the mode I’d hoped.

“When you spot 36 wickets autumn successful 2 days, that astir apt tells you it did a spot much than intended,” helium added of the MCG pitch.

Pitch criticised

Australia resumed connected 4-0 successful their 2nd innings aft an explosive opening time of searing gait saw 20 wickets autumn with the hosts dismissed for 152 and England conscionable 110.

It was the astir wickets to tumble connected the archetypal time of an Ashes Test since 1909, and eclipsed the 19 connected time 1 of the bid opener successful Perth.

With 10 millimetres of writer connected the way it was a bowler’s dream, but a big of erstwhile greats criticised the transportation for “doing excessively much” and being “unfair for the batters”.

Nightwatchman Boland edged Gus Atkinson to wicketkeeper Smith but the bowler near the tract soon aft clutching his near hamstring.

Josh Tongue came into the onslaught connected a hat-trick aft bagging the past 2 Australia wickets connected time one, but Jake Weatherald whipped his afloat shot for three.

Weatherald needed a decent sound to cement his spot astatine the apical of the order, but helium failed again, bowled by Stokes for 5 leaving a transportation that nipped back.

Travis Head was joined by Marnus Labuschagne but helium lone made eight, caught by Root successful the slips disconnected Tongue.

Head was successful bully interaction earlier being bowled connected 46 by a peach of a transportation from Carse that bushed the extracurricular edge, and erstwhile Khawaja (0) and Alex Carey (4) departed successful the abstraction of 9 balls the momentum was backmost with England.

After reaching luncheon astatine 98-6, Green (19) became the seventh wicket to autumn with the people connected 119, edging a rising Stokes shot to Harry Brook astatine slip.

Carse bagged Neser and Starc without scoring and Richardson fell to Stokes with the past 4 wickets tumbling for 13 runs, leaving Steve Smith unbeaten connected 24.