Australia overcome final-day jitters to secure Sydney win

Australia overcame one final fury over umpiring technology and a whole lot of final-day jitters to farewell Usman Khawaja with one last Test victory, their closest of an Ashes series they have convincingly set to a 4-1 margin.

Left 160 to get after an England third-innings rearguard led by Jacob Bethell's resplendent 154, the hosts recovered from losing their fifth wicket with 39 runs still needed on a wearing SCG surface thanks to an uneasy sixth-wicket stand between Alex Carey (16no) and Cameron Green (22no).

The pair's match-sealing 40-run union, somehow unbroken after several hairy late mix-ups, saw the Aussies home by five wickets. The close friends shared a hug after Carey hit Will Jacks for the winning runs through the off-side.

Josh Tongue (3-42 from 11 overs) delivered a lion-hearted last-ditch spell, but England's lack of a frontline spinner left too much up to their part-timers on a pitch that had begun to offer violent turn.

Ben Stokes, valiantly directing proceedings despite struggling with a groin injury, had become agitated by another apparent Decision Review System slight when Jake Weatherald looked to get away with an edge behind.

The opener then became a lightning rod for Brydon Carse's, and England's, simmering frustrations. But the hobbled Stokes put that aside when he arranged a sporting guard of honour for Khawaja, who walked out to bat for a final time in Test cricket on a sunny Sydney afternoon.

Khawaja contributed just six to Australia's nervy chase, and would have been out on 4 if Stokes had not been shifted wider by Jacks at slip right before he edged one to where the skipper had just been standing.

After chopping on to his stumps off Tongue, the 39-year-old shared a long embrace with Marnus Labuschagne before blowing a kiss to his family in the Churchill Stand (his wife, Rachel, wiped away a tear) and bowing down before the 'Thanks Uzzy' message painted on the turf of his former home ground. 

Carey, perhaps overcautious after a mix-up with Labuschagne, and Green, an anxious starter at the best of times, survived through several miscommunications, including a comical incident that saw Green nearly run out at both ends.

The Aussies lost regular wickets – Steve Smith was bowled by a Jacks delivery that exploded out of dusty footmarks before Labuschagne ran himself out inexplicably – but Jacks and Joe Root were unable to land their ragged off-breaks consistently enough to prove a major threat.

The fiery run-in between Weatherald and Carse saw the latter's short fuse lit by this series' latest controversy over audio-recording technology that is crucial in uncovering fine edges.

England had reviewed an appeal when Weatherald was on 16. There appeared to be a small noise just after the ball passed the toe of left-hander's bat, but television umpire Kumar Dharmasena could not definitively concur.

It left Carse incensed, with Stokes having to drag the paceman away from an argument with on-field official Ahsan Raza, only for the captain himself to pick up the thread of their disagreement.

Weatherald's broad grin angered Carse further as the pair went toe-to-toe following each of the next two balls, forcing umpires to intervene. Neither combatant contributed much else following the theatrics; Weatherald was caught at fine-leg attempting to pull out of a hook shot, while Carse's eight overs cost 51.

Weatherald had at least added 34 in another convincing start with Travis Head. The pair again profited from loose new-ball bowling, though Tongue recalibrated to have Head skying a reckless charging hoick to cap his series run tally at a formidable 629.

That, after his first-innings 163, was enough to earn him player-of-the-match honours, but not the equivalent award for the series. That instead went to Mitchell Starc, who finished with 31 wickets and 156 runs over the five Tests.

Labuschagne had nearly been the victim of yet more Bethell heroics when the centurion almost grasped a reflex grab in the gully. Appearing the most capable against England's spinners, Australia's No.3 looked certain to take his side to victory before he overcommitted to a quick single and was caught short after Carey correctly turned him back.

Labuschagne's dismay was evident as he remained on his knees, awaiting his verdict as if he was set to face the guillotine, with his side's chances precariously placed in the hands of the lower-order.

England will return home having now registered 10 defeats from their past 18 Tests, and only five wins from their past 17 Tests abroad, with Brendon McCullum facing a reckoning over an approach that has unravelled over the past two months.

The sight of Stokes gingerly crouching at slip on Thursday, his injury suffered not long after clocking into triple digits in the 'overs bowled' column for the series, reflected the unsustainable load he has been forced into taking after three of his best bowlers failed to see out the tour.

His team's victory in Melbourne signalled an important breakthrough, but ultimately the hyped-up Bazball method has fared just about as badly as England's three other post-2010-11 attempts to be competitive on these shores.

By contrast, the Aussies' MCG slip-up marked only a fourth defeat in 23 Tests dating back to the beginning of the 2023-24 home summer. It is a strong record for them to reflect on over an eight-month break before their Baggy Greens are next put to use.

Under bright early skies, England enjoyed one more taste of Bethell's ahead-of-his-years composure as he smartly managed this morning's five overs through to the second new ball after England resumed on 8-302, ahead by 119.

The left-hander empowered No.10 Matthew Potts by feeding him the strike, then shielded him when Starc and Boland were given the fresh cherry. A cleverly judged two off Starc's first ball with it saw him pass 150, becoming only the third Englishman to reach that milestone in an Ashes Test before their 23rd birthday.

When, on 152, he was folded over like a pancake and given lbw to a violent Boland delivery, he approached Potts asking if he should review (he did, successfully) with the air of an accountant checking some numbers with his colleague.

The square drive that had delivered him so many of his 16 boundaries eventually proved his undoing – Starc getting the hard Kookaburra to rear – as Bethell soaked up one final round of adoration from the SCG patrons.

His replacement, No.11 Tongue, pulled off a lofted clip for four off Starc but was out attempting a repeat to give the left-armer the most Ashes wickets in a series by an Australian since Mitchell Johnson's 37 in 2013-14.

2025-26 NRMA Insurance Men's Ashes

First Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Second Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Third Test: Australia won by 82 runs

Fourth Test: England won by four wickets

Fifth Test: Australia won by five wickets

Australia squad (fifth Test): Steve Smith (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Harry Brook (vc), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue