England regain Ashes with thumping victory over Australia at Trent Bridge
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Updated 08/08/2015 at 12:35 GMT
Fourth Ashes Test, Trent Bridge, close, day 3: Australia 60 & 253: (Warner 64, Voges 51 not out Stokes 6-36) England 391-9 dec: (Root 130, Starc 6-111) - England win by an innings and 78 runs
England's Mark Wood and Ben Stokes celebrate after winning the Ashes
Image credit: Reuters
England have exacted a swift revenge on Australia by regaining the Ashes with a resounding win inside three one-sided days in the fourth Test at Trent Bridge.
Alastair Cook's team completed victory by an innings and 78 runs well inside three days which gives them an unassailable 3-1 Test series lead with one to play heading for The Oval. Ben Stokes finished with 6-36, the best bowling figures of his career as the last three Australian wickets fell in only 39 minutes.
Success is payback for the 5-0 whitewash defeat suffered under Cook two winters ago.
WHAT HAPPENED THIS MORNING?
The tourists could only add 12 more runs to the overnight total as England made light work of the remaining three wickets. Stokes bowled out Mitchell Starc for his sixth wicket before Mark Wood's yorker claimed Josh Hazelwood for a duck.
It was left to Wood to put the Aussies out of their misery when Nathan Lyon dragged the ball onto his stumps to prompt predictable scenes of wild celebration.
WHAT NEXT FOR AUSTRALIA?
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting estimates that eight members of the Australian squad will not play Test cricket again. That will include Michael Clarke, who announced his retirement from the game immediately after this defeat.
"To Michael from the England team, you should be remembered for being a fantastic cricketer, congratulations," said an emotional England captain Cook.
COOK'S ASHES DELIGHT
But I can't believe what we have achieved this week. When you lose five-nil, there's a turnover of players but you see what talent there is in the country and we saw the end potential here. Ben Stokes was fantastic here. Joe Root has gone from strength to strength - they have driven this side forward - and the senior players have led so well. Broad and Jimmy, the support I receive from them means a lot.
CLARKE'S FAREWELL
The Australian newspaper said Clarke had been told there would be no place for him in the side after the fifth test at the Oval and so Clarke had decided to retire from Test cricket.
"England deserve a lot of credit. They showed us how to bowl swing and seam throughout this series," said Clarke.
"One more Test and that will be the end of my career. I don't want to jump ship now and leave the boys so I will have one more Test and then leave. You never want to walk away from the game.
My performances have not been acceptable to me. You build yourself up for the big series and I tried hard, but it was not to be. It is now over to the younger generation of players and a new captain.
Clarke stopped playing Twenty20 cricket for his country after taking over the test captaincy from Ponting in 2011 and played his final one-day match for Australia in the World Cup final triumph earlier this year.
Australia began their second innings 331 runs behind after folding first time round for 60 to Stuart Broad and then proving powerless to stop Joe Root (130) consolidating England's dominant position.
There was a hint of lasting resistance second time round, in a 113-run opening stand between Chris Rogers and David Warner - but after Stokes then exploited swinging conditions to take three wickets for four runs, England were held up only because Adam Voges dug in as Australia closed on a perilous 241 for seven.
England ought to have plenty to smile about very soon - but Australia, and their out-of-form captain Clarke, have had very little this summer as they prepare for the fifth Test at the Oval with only pride to play for.
Additional reporting by PA Sport and Reuters.
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