The 2025-26 Ashes series is past us now, and though the scoreline says a dominant 4-1 in Australia’s favor, it hardly walked over to tiptoe softly by on day five at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). In a game which ebbed and flowed with high octane drama, disputed DRS calls and a heroic maiden century from an English rookie, the Australians eventually kept their nerve to prevail by five wickets ensuring Ben Stokes’ “Bazball” brigade crosses the ditch with more questions than answers.
Hunting a challenging 160 on a fifth-day surface with cracks in it, Australia managed to hold their nerve after a middle-order wobble and some spirited English bowling. The win is the icing on a summer during which Australia’s clinical side proved more than resilient to England at their best.
A Rook’s Resistance: The Jacob Bethell Show
England harboured some faint hopes because of the resilience of Jacob Bethell. Replying to the visitors’ first innings tally of 273, they went to stumps on 302/8 and a lead of 119 after the Welsh-born left-hander had played what will be remembered as an innings for years to come. On a track which both reared up wickedly and pitched low, Bethell played well beyond his age to make 154.
His marathon contributed to England’s lead climbing beyond 150, which at least offers their bowlers a chance of fighting back. The SCG stood as one when Bethell’s resistance was finally ended by Mitchell Starc — his 31st wicket of a historic series. But despite lower-order grit from Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue, England was bowled out for 342, leaving Australia a target that looked deceptively straightforward.
Head, Weatherald Set Tone at the Top
It was another one of those Travis Head starts that got Australia underway in typically brisk fashion. Fresh from a series that featured three centuries, Head wanted to finish the summer his way and bludgeoned boundaries with little regard. At the other end, Jake Weatherald — in what has been a break out series for him — looked reasonably assured, despite some near-doleful appeals from the English.
The drama escalated when a DRS review was denied for caught-behind against Weatherald with third umpire Kumar Dharmasena turning down the appeal. The ”snick” seemed clear, though it was ruled technology had been inconclusive etcetera leaving Ben Stokes and his England team visibly incandescent. But the respite was brief as Josh Tongue delivered a rousing spell before lunch, dismissing Head (29) and Weatherald (34) to leave the Aussies 71/2, the game poised on a knife edge.
Australia vs England Ashes 5th Test Day 4 : England Fight Back After
The Master and the Muddle: Smith Falls, Carey Saves
After lunch things just went up to eleven. Steve Smith, the everything to England for more than a decade, seemed certain to divine the chase between wickets when Will Jacks conjured up “a jaffa” of an off-break that burrowed through his defense. After Marnus Labuschagne was brilliantly run out for 37 and Usman Khawaja — in what may have been his final act with the bat in Test cricket — was bowled by Tongue, the board read 121/5.
For a moment, the impossible was possible. A total of 160 was now a seeming potential 300. But all summer, Australia’s depth has been its single greatest strength. In an unbroken 40-run stand of nerve-janglingly crucial if supremely serendipitous schlep, Alex Carey and Cameron Green dragged Australia back to within a stone’s throw of the open window. There were times when the heart was in mouth — running mix-ups, edges that did not carry to fielders — but both dug in.
In the end, it was Carey who finally pierced that off-side to bring up a boundary and send Australian dressing room flying out to celebrate along with an SCG crowd willing them home.
Australia vs England 5th Ashes Test Live Score Updates, Day 2: Travis Head, Steve Labuschagne
Reflections on a Dominant Summer
Ben Stokes will feel this series defeat. England showed they could match it — their win in Melbourne was game management at its finest — but were ultimately outgunned at the bigger moments. It was a theme that could be heard over and again: dropped catches, “brain-fade” dismissals at crucial moments of matches — ultimately, not even the most aggressive on-field tactics could fix it.
Australia, meanwhile is ready to embark on a new age with supreme confidence. Even when not in full peak of service form, the likes of Mitchell Starc and the emerging Beau Webster have stepped up. The metamorphosis of Travis Head into a world-class opener and climbing of Steve Smith to just another record or two away from Bradman has made this team unbeatable at home.
As the players shake hands – and as the champagne begins to flow, it is a clear message: the Ashes stay very much with Australia and between these two old enemies, at least Down Under, there remains a yawning gulf.
