England deny Australia clean sweep with emphatic MCG test victory
England finally ended one of their longest-running nightmares in Australian cricket, snapping an 18-match winless streak Down Under with a four-wicket victory over Australia in the fourth Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday.
The morale-boosting win came after England had already lost the Ashes, going down in the first three Tests at Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide. But in a dramatic twist, England turned the tables at the MCG, wrapping up the match inside two days to deny Australia a clean sweep and give the touring side something tangible to take into the final Test in Sydney.
Chasing a modest but tricky target of 175 on a lively pitch, England held their nerve to reach 178 for 6, sparking jubilant celebrations among the thousands of travelling “Barmy Army” supporters who had waited nearly 15 years to witness an England Test victory in Australia.
“It’s obviously been a tough tour up until now,” England captain Ben Stokes said. “The way that we did it was fantastic. It showed bravery and courage in how we went about it.”
England’s drought dated back to the 2013–14 Ashes, when Australia swept the series 5-0. Since their last series win in 2010–11, England had lost 16 Tests and drawn two in Australia, making Saturday’s triumph particularly significant despite the Ashes already being retained by the hosts.
The match also entered the record books. It was the first time in 129 years that two Tests in the same series finished inside two days, matching Australia’s rapid win over England at Perth earlier in the summer.
England began their chase aggressively, racing to 70 for 2 in the first 10 overs. Ben Duckett struck a fluent 34 before falling, while Brydon Carse made 6. Scott Boland then brought Australia back into contention by dismissing Zak Crawley (37) and Jacob Bethell (40), both of whom had played crucial supporting roles.
Brief jitters followed when Joe Root (15) and Stokes (2) were dismissed cheaply, leaving England momentarily vulnerable. But Jamie Smith and Harry Brook steadied the innings and guided England home, ensuring the target was reached without further drama.
Earlier on Day 2, England’s bowlers laid the platform by skittling Australia for 132 in their second innings. On a pitch offering pronounced sideways movement, wickets fell regularly, with 30 dismissals across just four-and-a-half sessions of play.
Travis Head top-scored for Australia with 46, but his dismissal triggered a collapse. Usman Khawaja fell for a duck, Alex Carey managed only 4, and Australia slid from 82 for 3 to 88 for 6 in quick time. Stokes claimed the key wicket of Cameron Green (19) after lunch, while Carse finished with an impressive 4 for 34.
Josh Tongue was named player of the match after his career-best 5 for 45 in Australia’s first innings, while Michael Neser took 4 for 45 for the hosts.
Australia captain Steve Smith admitted the fine margins. “If we got 50 or 60 more runs across both innings, we might have been there in the end,” he said.
Despite concerns over the unusually short Test, the match drew huge crowds, with 92,045 fans attending on Saturday. England now head to Sydney for the final Test on January 4, carrying renewed confidence after finally breaking their long Australian hoodoo.
Australia
1st Innings: 152 all out, 2nd Innings: 132 all out
England
1st Innings: 110 all out, 2nd Innings (Target: 175): 178/6
Result: England won by 4 wickets
Player of the Match: Josh Tongue