Australia win Ashes as England fall short in record chase
The hosts lead the series 3-0 with two matches still to play
England's Ashes dreams were snuffed out as they succumbed to an 82-run defeat in Adelaide, where an injury to Nathan Lyon gave them hope of pulling off a miracle.
Australia followed wins at Perth and Brisbane with an unexpectedly nervy fifth-day success in the third Test, ringing up an unassailable 3-0 lead after just 11 days of cricket.
For England, a spirited attempt to chase down a gargantuan target of 435 - 17 higher than the world record and 57 more than any England side have managed - was too little, too late to salvage a torrid tour. They eventually folded for 352 all out and face two dead rubbers in the coliseums of Melbourne and Sydney.
Incredibly, they had a chance to pull off a truly great escape. Lyon, whose triple dismissal of Harry Brook, Ben Stokes and Zak Crawley looked to have settled things on the fourth evening, pulled his hamstring in the field during the morning session, robbing the hosts of their biggest threat on a wearing pitch.
Jamie Smith and Will Jacks set about taking advantage, with a stand of 91 suddenly making the huge target seem achievable. But, after hitting four successive boundaries off the new ball, Smith suffered a rush of blood to the head as he chased a fifth, skying Pat Cummins into the leg side to let an increasingly edgy Australia off the hook.
His departure for 60 could easily have ended the fightback, with England now seven down and still 150 short, but Jacks dug in again alongside Brydon Carse to keep the show on the road.
The pair clubbed together for another half-century stand as Lyon's absence began to bite but the English habit for blinking under pressure reared its head, Jacks (47) giving away his 137-ball rearguard with a loose waft at Mitchell Starc.
A brilliant slip catch followed from Marnus Labuschagne, another area Australia have proved themselves vastly superior, and their fate was sealed.
Jofra Archer picked out deep point and last man Josh Tongue nicked off, securing a hat-trick of painful defeats for a side who arrived Down Under with real ambition.
Instead they have levelled the unwanted record of Nasser Hussain's class of 2002-03 by surrendering the urn in the shortest number of days for a five-day, five-match series.
England began with almost no hope - on 207 for six and needing 228 runs to do the unthinkable - and it was a surprise that they even entertained the idea.
Australia started off with Lyon but he drew a blank in his initial burst. Jacks got into a tangle once on the reverse sweep but survived as the ball clipped his elbow and two deliveries later Smith took a chance, swiping the off-spinner over the long midwicket boundary for six.
At the other end, Australia opted for the gentle seam of all-rounder Cameron Green. With the more feared quicks waiting for the new ball to arrive, Green struggled to land a blow. Given three catchers deep on the leg-side he tried to tempt Smith with a bouncer and saw the ball clattered all the way into the crowd.
That blow took the required runs below 200, still in the realms of fantasy but enough to draw a cheer from the endlessly optimistic Barmy Army. There were more roars of approval when rain arrived, with a light shower forcing the players off for more than half-an-hour.
When play resumed Australia lost Lyon almost immediately, pulling up immediately after racing to stop a boundary and leaving the field in clear discomfort.
The new ball was just around the corner but England cashed in 17 off the last two overs with the old one, dished up by part-timers Travis Head and Labuschagne.
Smith continued to go through the gears, driving Cummins with authority for back-to-back fours then taking Starc for two more with a flick off the pads and glorious cover drive. With the momentum shifting he got sucked in too far, swiping at a ball that was not there for the blow. Cummins settled under the catch and Australia's anxiety eased.
England, once again, had failed to seize a key moment. Jacks deserves considerable credit for the way he battled to take the game into the final afternoon and looks a cricketer with genuine steel.
But he could not deny himself a little flash at Starc with a first Test 50 in sight. It was a rare misjudgement and one that cost him dear as Labuschagne gobbled yet another screamer in the Australian cordon.
England had no real chance once he was gone, with Archer and Tongue giving way to Australia's seamers while Carse managed 39 not out. England had finally located some defiance but must now dig even deeper to avoid the ignominy of a 5-0 whitewash.
Reaction
England captain and Durham cricketer Ben Stokes, who had spoken on the eve of the series about his dreams of becoming an Ashes winning captain, has been stung by events of recent weeks.
He has taken on a sizeable workload, issued repeated rallying cries to see more from his side and eventually come up empty handed. But, with two games still to play, he vowed to keep going to the well.
"It's hurts and it sucks. It's very disappointing knowing that we can't achieve what we set out to do here," he said.
"It's a pretty emotional time for me in the dressing room and for the guys, players, management, backroom stuff. I hate living in hindsight because you can never change what you have done... it's what you do out there that counts and we've not been able to stand up to what Australia have thrown at us.
"We've not been able to stand up to the barrage of execution from Australia. But we still have two games left in the series and a hell of a lot to play for, as individuals and as a team.
"We're not going to turn around and kick the stumps over because we have so much more to play for."
At 34 years old and with serious wear and tear on his body, Stokes is highly unlikely to be around when England next visit these parts in four years. But he is centrally contracted for the next 18 months meaning one last chance to reclaim the Ashes urn for his country on home soil in 2027.
Asked if he had the energy and desire to continue leading the team, he offered one word: "Absolutely."
Sir Geoffrey Boycott has called for the departure of England coach Brendon McCullum after Australia wrapped up The Ashes by easing to a third Test win in Adelaide.
And Boycott believes captain Ben Stokes should also face the axe if he fails to learn some tough lessons with England staring down the barrel of a series whitewash.
Boycott, a long-time critic of McCullum's controversial 'Bazball' method, wrote in his Daily Telegraph column: "Hubris has taken over from common sense and that cannot be allowed to carry on.
"Stokes and McCullum are like men digging a hole to nowhere. If what you are doing isn't working then stop digging. Change is absolutely necessary to step up to the next level."
Addressing England managing director Rob Key, Boycott added: "What would I do? Change the coach. We are tired of this duo talking a good game but not delivering against the best teams so Rob Key, it is time for you to assert yourself.
"I would also sit down with Stokes and find out if he will compromise on his approach to batting and be prepared to embrace new ideas. If he doesn't see that a change of attitude is needed then you have to find a new captain."
Speaking on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, former England captain Michael Atherton described England's capitulation as one of the most "disappointing" he could remember.
Atherton played in 33 Ashes Tests and never got his hands on the famous trophy. He continues to cover Tours as a broadcaster and journalist.
Atherton said: "I've played in a few bad ones, watched a few bad one, and seen a couple of whitewashes.
"Actually, this is as disappointing as any for me, because I felt England had the tools to do the job here, or least challenge, and I felt there were weaknesses or ares to exploit in the Australian team."