Australia have secured a 4-0 Ashes series win over England - and celebrated their victory on a podium that rubbed salt into the wounds of the beaten tourists.
In the fifth Test in Sydney, Steve Smith’s side won by an innings and 123 runs as England were bowled out for 180 in their second innings.
The BBC described England’s Ashes series as “awful”, while The Times said Joe Root’s team were “battered and bruised” by the “ruthless” Aussies.
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Following the defeat, England will hope to restore some pride when they face Australia in five one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches down under.
But before that the post-mortem of England’s disastrous Ashes series will begin.
For England skipper Root, the Sydney defeat was made even worse when he went down with severe dehydration from gastroenteritis and ended up in hospital. Meanwhile, his counterpart Smith was named player of the series after 687 runs in the five Tests - including three centuries and a top score of 239.
We look at the media and Twitter reaction to yet another Ashes disappointment:
What the players said
Australia captain Smith, speaking to the BBC: “It’s incredibly satisfying. It’s been a great couple of months. So much work goes in behind the scenes to ensure we’ve got the right side and we’re doing everything we can to win games of cricket. I think 4-0 is a pretty fair reflection of how the games have gone.”
England bowler James Anderson, to the BBC: “Australia have outplayed us. We can learn a lot from the way they played. Their batsman were patient and applied themselves. We did well for periods of time, but 60s and 70s aren’t going to win you an Ashes series. You need big hundreds, and that’s what Australia showed. I hope the guys are hurting like I am, watching Australia celebrate. In 2019 we have to make sure we don’t feel this again and put on a better show.”
How the media reacted
Stephan Shemilt, on the BBC website: “Not only have England struggled on the field in this Ashes, but the tour has been blighted by off-field problems that began even before the squad was named. On the field, the deficiencies that have seen England go 11 away Tests away without a win were laid bare. Their batsmen failed to make the big scores that could have put Australia under pressure, while their attack struggled to take wickets when the ball did not move.”
Mike Atherton, in The Times: “England have been battered, bruised, badly beaten but not, in my estimation, completely broken. There was no sense at the end that England had hoisted the white flag as they had four years earlier, when a three-day defeat and subsequent recriminations brought a swift end to a bright era of English cricket. It was hard to recall a more stomach-churning capitulation than that, but here England hung in for a while, grimly, trying their hardest until the end but just beaten by a better side in the conditions, as they had been in three of the four previous games. Each Test has gone to the fifth day, but in none of them did England have a realistic chance of winning. As hard as they tried, they were just not good enough.”
Geoffrey Boycott, in The Daily Telegraph: “Australia have shown us the way. Their batsmen have ground out big hundreds. None of them scored quickly with flashy shots. They took a long time over their innings and absolutely killed us because whenever anyone got in they went on and scored big centuries.”
Paul Newman, in the Daily Mail: “When English cricket starts gazing in the mirror, it must recognise that the type of players needed to win the Ashes in Australia in 2021 – like a promising leg-spinner in Mason Crane – must be identified now and stuck with. But above all, English cricket needs to protect Joe Root. And he needs to protect himself.”
George Dobell, on ESPN: “While it’s true that Steve Smith was a difference between the teams, he wasn’t the only difference. The same could equally be said about Nathan Lyon and the Australian pace attack. So that’s the batting, pace bowling and spin bowling covered, then. England were outgunned from the start. They haven’t squandered moments of great promise. They’ve occasionally caught sight of them in the distance when the clouds parted for a moment. But, actually, now they look again, it may have been a cow.”
Best Tweets from the Sydney Ashes Test
Brothers in arms at the SCG.
Sydney celebrates.
The stats don’t lie.
“We were better at throwing beer over each other,” says Piers Morgan.
“See you in 2019.”
