England celebrated their first Test victory in Australia in 15 years on Saturday as they chased 175 runs for a four-wicket Ashes victory completed in two manic days at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Although the hosts had already locked up the urn after three consecutive victories in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, Ben Stokes’ men offered their army of traveling supporters a consolation prize for their loyalty during a rather dismal tour.
Their nerves were tested when England were reduced to 165 for six, 10 runs short of victory, but Harry Brook (18 not out) and Jamie Smith (three not out) held firm, the winning run being taken with four leg exemptions off pace bowler Mitchell Starc.
It was England’s first Test victory in Australia since the 2010/11 Ashes, when Andrew Strauss’ side beat the hosts by an innings and 83 runs in the fifth match of the series at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
For Stokes and long-time comrade Joe Root, winless on Ashes tours dating back to 2013/14, it was a day of joy and relief.
“This win means a lot. I’ve been here many times and I haven’t been able to get a win,” Stokes told reporters.
“I think it will mean a lot to everyone.”
England were under fire after meekly surrendering the urn in Adelaide and amid reports of heavy drinking during the mid-tour break in Noosa.
“There was a lot going on against this team, and the way we responded throughout those two days was great,” Root said.
The victory came without injured pacer Jofra Archer, while Gus Atkinson was out of action with a hamstring strain early on day two after Australia resumed with a 46-run lead and 10 wickets in hand.
But with the help of an athletic pitch and some misguided Australian batting, the tourists routed the hosts for 132 in 34.3 overs midway through the second session.
England fans could be forgiven for feeling uneasy about the chase, given how woeful the tourists’ batting has been throughout the series, but the top order performed well, with three batters making vital contributions.
Zak Crawley (37) and Ben Duckett (34) set the tone, embarking on a 51-run partnership at over seven runs per over before Starc smashed Duckett’s stumps.
A ploy to promote tailender Brydon Carse to number three didn’t really work; he fell for six with an edge over Jhye Richardson.
However, Ollie Pope’s replacement Jacob Bethell, 22, kept the momentum going in England’s favor in just his fifth Test, making 47 for the third wicket before Scott Boland trapped Crawley lbw for 37.
Bethell’s bid for a maiden Ashes fifty failed after he cut Boland hard to the covers where Usman Khawaja crouched for a fine catch to dismiss him for 40 off 46 balls.
Even though the victory target was reduced to 38 points, the Australian attack across the board continued to progress.
Richardson dismissed Root lbw for 15 and Starc had Stokes caught for two when he swung wildly at a short ball, leaving the tourists 10 points from safety.
Wicketkeeper Smith and Brook held on to secure the victory.
A LITTLE TOO MUCH FOR BOWLERS
Australia will be wondering how the match got away from them – they were 61 for two in the morning before things took a turn for the worse.
“We would like to win every game and go on every streak, but I think England played very well today,” stand-in captain Steve Smith said.
“They took the game away from us.”
After a five-wicket haul in the first innings, seamer Josh Tongue again proved crucial to England’s cause, his dismissal of number three Marnus Labuschagne (8) sparking a collapse and Australia losing 4-27.
Stokes also made his presence felt, ending a 31-run partnership between Smith (24 not out) and Cameron Green (19) when he had Green Nick to Brook in the slips.
Australia’s tail collapsed, adding 13 runs for the last three wickets.
After a two-day series opener in Perth, Cricket Australia will count the cost of another lightning-quick Test, even though the second day’s massive crowd of 92,045 shattered the first day’s record of 94,199.
Day three at the 100,000-seat MCG was also reportedly a sellout, leaving the host board millions out of pocket.
Smith said the pitch, which saw 36 wickets fall in two days, offered too much for the bowlers.
“Disappointing for those who wanted to come (on the third day),” he added.
“We still have to find ways to adapt. If we had gotten 50 to 60 more points in each round, the result could have been different.”
