Joe Root’s bravery was in vain as England slid to an innings-and-123-run defeat in the final Test to complete their miserable Ashes campaign as 4-0 losers.
Root spent much of the morning in hospital suffering the effects of severe dehydration and was unable to rejoin his team’s improbable rearguard at the SCG as they resumed on 93 for four – still 210 runs short of making Australia bat again.
The England captain did continue his innings an hour later, after his replacement Moeen Ali was dismissed, but could not do so again following the lunch break as the tourists subsided in his absence to Pat Cummins (four for 39) and finished 180 all out.
AUSSIES WIN! Cummins finishes with four wickets as Australia thrash England to seal a 4-0 series victory: https://t.co/vhFwlbdpM8 #Ashes pic.twitter.com/J7yN24kjc0
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 8, 2018
Morning session
With Root unable to resume his innings in the morning due after picking up a viral gastroenteritis bug, Moeen walked out with Jonny Bairstow.
But it was a familiar story as the England off-spinning all-rounder once again fell to his opposite number Nathan Lyon for just 13 to leave England 121 for five.
?? #Ashes pic.twitter.com/ZrWNVwNKlg
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 8, 2018
Moeen’s dismissal brought Root to the crease after he arrived late at the ground.
HERE. HE. COMES!
Dehydration, diarrhoea and vomiting overnight but Joe Root is back in the middle fighting for England ???#ItsTheAshes #Ashes pic.twitter.com/asIQ0sWf9F
— The Ashes on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) January 8, 2018
And he moved to his fifth half-century of the series after resuming on 42 not out and was unbeaten on 58 at lunch as England went to the interval on 144 for five.
And that’s 50 for the skipper…
Joe Root brings up his fifth half century of the #Ashes
Keep battling Joe ?#ItsTheAshes #Ashes pic.twitter.com/kOuNzElUPY
— The Ashes on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) January 8, 2018
The England skipper was not the only player in the wars as Cameron Bancroft, fielding at short-leg, took the full force of a Root pull.
That’s gotta hurt! https://t.co/vhFwlbdpM8 #Ashes pic.twitter.com/XXUXH6qirt
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 8, 2018
Afternoon session
Root’s illness got the better of him and he did not resume his innings after lunch, retiring hurt for a second time.
Joe Root has not resumed after lunch. Jonny Bairstow is batting with Tom Curran.
Follow: https://t.co/la4sylkRna #ashes pic.twitter.com/OK5CcDl1ko
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 8, 2018
England then suffered a poor start to the session as Cummins quickly removed Bairstow and Stuart Broad to leave them 148 for seven – effectively eight with Root unable to bat.
Just like that Pat Cummins has Jonny Bairstow and Stuart Broad after lunch and England are 148-7 ?#ItsTheAshes #Ashes pic.twitter.com/Jh0U6VXzJh
— The Ashes on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) January 8, 2018
Mason Crane followed for two, again to Cummins, bringing last-man James Anderson to the crease with the Australians attacking to the very end.
Look at this field as the #Ashes comes to a close. Aggression to the very end pic.twitter.com/MN69CCHfJy
— Samuel Ferris (@samuelfez) January 8, 2018
And it was all over when Anderson edged Josh Hazlewood to Tim Paine for his third catch of the session.
4-0! #ohwhatafeeling#Ashes @Toyota_Aus pic.twitter.com/WzHGyD7Pfo
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 8, 2018
Not a bad prediction from former Australia captain Ricky Ponting was it?
Australia win the #Ashes 4-0, just as the great Ricky Ponting predicted to us back in November! #Genius ⬇️ https://t.co/KWcxhRaNwj
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 8, 2018
No surprises on the man of the series.
Aussie skipper @stevesmith49 claims the Compton-Miller Medal as the Player of the Series.
Freak: https://t.co/vhFwlbdpM8 #Ashes pic.twitter.com/amXMLsyWsf
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 8, 2018
And it was time for the celebrations to start.
What a moment for the Aussies! #BeatEngland pic.twitter.com/WowgcyWwWi
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 8, 2018
Winners are grinners! #Ashes pic.twitter.com/ncMV4iAuXG
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 8, 2018
Onya fellas! #Ashes pic.twitter.com/7fSQ9C7d3N
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 8, 2018
And the congratulations roll in.
Congratulations to @stevesmith49 & his team on a great Ashes series campaign! Great to see the huge support throughout the series. A satisfying 4 nil victory, now enjoy the success lads! #ashes17 #hydrate #urn
— Mitchell Johnson (@MitchJohnson398) January 8, 2018
Congratulation @stevesmith49 and all the Australian team and support staff. Quality cricket all summer, very dominant!!
— Aaron Finch (@AaronFinch5) January 8, 2018
Congrats Australia. You batted better, bowled better & fielded better than England. On a positive note, we were much better at head-butting & throwing beer over each other. #Ashes pic.twitter.com/Fi9kmAPJfN
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 8, 2018
Congratulations to Australia on winning the Ashes back. I genuinely thought @englandcricket had a great chance before the series started but Steve Smith and his men have been a different level!! #Ashes
— Ian Bell (@Ian_Bell) January 8, 2018
Australia captain Smith credited Lyon for changing the series with his run-out of James Vince at Brisbane.
The moment that changed the series? #Ashes pic.twitter.com/p4LPi6cF2v
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 8, 2018
After the post mortem of England’s campaign began.
? @jimmy9: “We’ve tried really hard but we’ve not performed well enough. Australia were the far better side” #asheshttps://t.co/ixJpVrkq2I pic.twitter.com/FUCf6tLyGj
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 8, 2018
“England built their team around their all-rounder.”
The biggest thing that went wrong for England?@MichaelVaughan says it was the Ben Stokes incident…#ItsTheAshes pic.twitter.com/DbqEdjVncl
— The Ashes on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) January 8, 2018
2016: Lose 4-0 in India2017: Beat South Africa and West Indies at home2017/18: Lose 4-0 in Australia
“They’re not going to change, they never have…”
Geoffrey Boycott on England’s vicious cycle… pic.twitter.com/LvpRq5PYy9
— The Ashes on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) January 8, 2018
