England snapped an 18-match winless run in Australia with a four-wicket victory over the hosts in the fourth Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday, finally breaking a drought that had stretched back nearly 15 years.
The win came after England had already conceded the Ashes, having lost the opening three Tests at Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, allowing Australia to seal the urn within just 11 days of play. England, however, hit back emphatically at the MCG, wrapping up the contest inside two days.
It marked a rare statistical anomaly in Test history. For the first time in 129 years, a single series featured more than one Test finishing within two days, echoing Australia’s own rapid win at Perth earlier in the series.
England’s previous winless sequence in Australia dated back to the 2013–14 Ashes, which ended in a 5-0 sweep for the hosts. Since their 2010–11 series triumph, England had lost 16 Tests and drawn two Down Under before Saturday’s breakthrough.
Chasing 175 in the second innings, England reached 178 for six, needing 98 after tea to seal the match. The successful chase sparked wild celebrations among the travelling “Barmy Army”, who had endured years of frustration on Australian soil.
“It’s obviously been a tough tour up until now,” England captain Ben Stokes said. “The way that we did it was fantastic. It showed bravery, we were courageous in the way we operated.”
Stokes was candid about the nature of the contest, adding: “Being brutally honest, that’s not really what you want. Boxing Day test match, you don’t want a game finishing in less than two days.”
England began their chase briskly, racing to 70 for two inside 10 overs before losing Ben Duckett (34) and Brydon Carse (6). Scott Boland removed Zak Crawley (37) and Jacob Bethell (40), both of whom made valuable contributions.
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Joe Root (15) and Stokes (2) fell cheaply, but Jamie Smith and Harry Brook steadied the innings to guide England home with composure ahead of the fifth and final Test, which begins in Sydney on January 4.
“Ten runs has never felt so far away when I got out,” Stokes said. “I’ve been on a couple of tours before when it has not gone too well, so to end up on the right side of the result after a long period of time is a pretty special feeling.”
Earlier on Day Two, England bowled Australia out for 132 after lunch on a surface offering pronounced sideways movement for fast bowlers. A total of 30 wickets fell across four-and-a-half sessions, underlining the bowler-friendly nature of the pitch.
Australia’s collapse gathered pace after the dismissal of Travis Head (46), followed swiftly by Usman Khawaja (0) and Alex Carey (4), as the hosts slid from 82 for three to 88 for six. Stokes claimed three for 24, including the key wicket of Cameron Green (19), while Brydon Carse finished with four for 34.
“They got off to a flyer,” Australia captain Steve Smith said of England’s chase. “If we got 50 or 60 more across both innings, we might have been there in the end.”
Australia had taken a 46-run overall lead on Friday after being bowled out for 152 and dismissing England for 110 on a dramatic opening day. Josh Tongue, named player of the match, claimed a career-best five for 45, while Michael Neser returned figures of four for 45 for Australia.
The pitch came under scrutiny after the match, with Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg acknowledging the commercial impact of such short Tests.
“Historically we have taken a hands-off approach in all of our wicket preparation and allowed the staff and the conditions and those characteristics to be presented,” Greenberg said. “But it’s hard not to get more involved when you see the impact on the sport, particularly commercially.”
Saturday’s attendance at the MCG stood at 92,045, the second-highest Test crowd in Australia, behind only the opening day’s 94,199. Officials said around 90,000 tickets had already been sold for a third day that never materialised.
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