‘Bazball is officially dead’: Australia retain the Ashes after England fightback falls short

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The Ashes will remain in Australia’s possession despite being given a major scare by England on a dramatic fifth day at the Adelaide Oval.

England’s Bazballers saved their best performance for the 11th day of a one-sided series, but ultimately fell short by 83 runs in pursuit of a world record run chase of 435.

Australia celebrate after winning the third Test and retaining the Ashes.

Branded the worst Australian team since the 2010-11 Ashes by former England bowler Stuart Broad before the series, Pat Cummins’ side retained the urn in dominant fashion when Scott Boland took the final wicket of Josh Tongue, caught by Marnus Labuschagne at slip.

A hamstring injury to Nathan Lyon, which is likely to rule him out for the rest of the series, caused havoc on Sunday in Adelaide as Australia struggled to take the four wickets required for victory and the Barmy Army dared to dream of a miracle win. Part-timer Travis Head bowled 15 overs in the second innings.

England were valiant, but ultimately, it was for nothing as Australia took a 3-0 series lead ahead of Tests in Melbourne and Sydney where there could be mass changes.

“Bazball is officially dead,” said former Australian batsman Simon Katich on SEN.

Mitchell Starc celebrates after dismissing Will Jacks.

After starting the day on 6-207, still requiring 228 runs for victory, England’s lower order showed the kind of fight they have been searching for all series, with No.7 Jamie Smith (60), No.8 Will Jacks (47) and No.9 Brydon Carse (39 not out) dragging the visitors into a position from where they could have pulled off what would have been arguably the greatest win in Test history.

No side has chased more than 418 to win a Test.

However, Smith rode his luck once too often and skied a Mitchell Starc delivery, bringing a 91-run stand to an end and prompting Ricky Ponting to say “dopey, dopey, dopey” on Channel Seven.

Then it was Marnus Labuschagne taking another screamer in the slips, diving in front of wicketkeeper Alex Carey to remove Jacks with a left-handed blinder and ending a 52-run eighth wicket partnership.

Marnus Labuschagne wheels away after taking the final catch of the Test.

Starc took the penultimate wicket, with Jofra Archer (3) caught by Jake Weatherald at deep point, before Boland wrapped up the victory, dismissing Josh Tongue for one, to bowl England out for 352 in 102.5 overs.

Interviewed on the field afterwards, Cummins stopped short of declaring himself a certain starter in the Boxing Day Test after his triumphant return from a back injury.

“We will see how I pull up in the next day or two and make a decision then,” Cummins told Foxtel.

Cummins said the team’s experience had proved vital as it allowed them to handle any setbacks that occurred with injury or during a game. “It’s the thing I am most proud about,” he said.

Labuschagne, whose two catches on Sunday proved decisive, said Australia’s victory demonstrated their depth of talent in their squad after the absence of key players through injury and illness throughout the series.

“We hung in there and gave ourselves a chance … you know, an awesome way to finish it,” Labuschagne said. “We were so adaptable. You’ve seen that with some of the team selections in the first two Tests.

“Whoever gets their chance, they go out there and they perform. We were so happy that we could put this together.”

With the urn safely in their keeping, it appears captains Steve Smith (Tests one and two) and Cummins (third Test) will hand over to Head, the “king of Adelaide”, to lead the team’s victory celebrations.

A fan shows his appreciation for Travis Head.

Fresh from his 170 in Australia’s second innings, Head told Fox Sports he took responsibility for tentatively organising festivities when he realised it was possible the urn might be clinched in his home town.

“A few weeks ago I was tempted by the idea of finishing here ... it’s going to be a big 48 hours,” Head said.

Teammate Mitch Starc said Head’s fourth consecutive Test century in Adelaide had cemented his cult-hero status.

“If he wasn’t before, he’s the king of Adelaide,” Starc said.

Meanwhile, England skipper Ben Stokes admitted his team was hurting after a third straight defeat of a series in which expectations had been high.

“We came here with a goal in mind and we didn’t achieve it. It’s disappointing, and it sucks,” Stokes told Foxtel. “We can’t do what we came here to do.”

The defiant skipper said they had plenty to play for in the final two Tests as question marks will hang over the team’s leadership following their failure to deliver in Australia.

“We have not been consistent or relentless enough,” Stokes said.

Across the past four Ashes series in Australia, the overall scoreline reads 16-0 to the hosts.