England Breaks Winless Streak in Australia with Thrilling Ashes Victory
Historic Win at the MCG
Melbourne: England has finally ended its long winless run in Australia, securing a four-wicket victory over the home team in the fourth Ashes Test held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday.
After suffering defeats in the first three Tests, which allowed Australia to retain the Ashes in just 11 days, England made a remarkable comeback.
The match at the MCG concluded in just two days, mirroring Australia's earlier victory in Perth.
This win marks the end of England's 18-match winless streak in Australia, dating back to the 2013-14 Ashes series, where they were defeated 5-0. Since their impressive 3-1 victory in the 2010-11 series, England has faced 16 losses and two draws in their last 18 Tests on Australian soil over nearly 15 years.
Chasing a target of 175 runs in the second innings, England reached 178-6, igniting celebrations among their loyal fans, the 'Barmy Army'.
England started strong, scoring 70-2 in the first 10 overs of their second innings, despite losing Ben Duckett (34) and Brydon Carse (6). Scott Boland took out Zak Crawley (37) and Jacob Bethell (40), both of whom contributed significantly.
Joe Root (15) and captain Ben Stokes (2) fell quickly, but Jamie Smith and Harry Brook led the team to a much-needed victory ahead of the final Test starting January 4 in Sydney.
Earlier in the day, England bowled Australia out for 132 in their second innings after lunch on Day 2. The MCG pitch provided considerable movement for pace bowlers, allowing England to chase down the target of 175 after a total of 30 wickets fell in just over four sessions.
Australia's opener Travis Head (46) was dismissed, followed by Usman Khawaja (0) and Alex Carey (4), as Australia collapsed from 82-3 to 88-6 during the morning session.
Ben Stokes (3-24) took the crucial wicket of Cameron Green (19), caught at second slip, while Brydon Carse finished with impressive figures of 4-34.
Australia had a lead of 46 runs after scoring 152, having bowled England out for 110 on a dramatic first day.
Josh Tongue achieved a career-best 5-45, leading England's bowling attack, while Michael Neser took 4-45 for Australia.
Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg commented on the short duration of the matches, stating, 'short tests are bad for business,' and mentioned that they might take a more active role in pitch preparation moving forward.
He noted, 'Historically, we have taken a hands-off approach in all of our wicket preparation, but it’s hard not to get more involved when you see the impact on the sport, particularly commercially.'
The attendance at the MCG on Saturday was 92,045, marking the second-highest Test crowd in Australia, just behind Friday's opening-day attendance of 94,199.