England wrapped up a sensational innings and 78-run victory against Australia at Trent Bridge on Saturday, to go 3-1 up in the series and regain the Ashes in the process.
The victory followed a familiar trend in this series, as each match has been a thrashing, but three of them have gone the way of England, as Michael Clarke’s Australia put on a dismal display once again.
It appears to be all too much for Clarke, as he announced his retirement before the start of day three, which could be the start of a mass exodus for the ageing Australians going into their Test series against Bangladesh.
Stuart Broad’s record-breaking 8-15 saw Australia collapse to 60 all out on day one of the fourth Test, before Joe Root struck a century on an emphatic first day for the English.
The hosts then declared on 391-9, giving them a lead of 331. Chris Rogers and David Warner battled valiantly on day two, before their 113-run stand came to an end, prompting a collapse to a five-wicket haul from Ben Stokes.
England needed just three wickets to seal victory on day three, and they didn’t hang around, as Stokes got a 6th to see off Mitchell Starc for a duck, before Mark Wood removed Josh Hazlewood’s middle stump.
Adam Voges brought up a fifty, but it did little to remove the gloss from a dominant English display. with Wood taking the 10th wicket, and sealing the innings victory.
There is still one match remaining at the Oval, but it will be merely a consolation contest for the tourists, as England have regained the famous urn – remarkable considering they weren’t given a chance going into their Summer.
