England have restored some pride to a disastrous Ashes tour by winning the fourth Test inside a chaotic two days in Melbourne.
On a wicket that was heavily-weighted to bowling, England successfully chased their target of 175 runs to win the Test by four wickets.
Victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) ended an 18-match winless streak in Australia for the tourists and stopped the galling possibility of a series whitewash.
Jacob Bethell top scored in their run chase with 40, while Zak Crawley hit 37 for captain Ben Stokes’ side.
England set themselves up for their first triumph Down Under since January 2011 when they bowled Australia out for 132 in their second innings.
Travis Head top scored with 46 for Australia during that innings as his team-mates struggled on the lively wicket.
Brydon Carse and Stokes were the pick of the England bowlers with the former taking 4-34 and the latter 3-24.
During England’s run chase, they decided to try Carse at No 3 in an attempt to thrash their way to victory – such was the unbelievable scenes in Melbourne.
And to conclude a bizarre day, the winning runs came off the thigh pad of Harry Brook – sparking pandemonium among the England supporters who have had nothing to cheer about all tour.
Until this series began in Perth in November, there had been no two-dayers in Ashes cricket since 1921. Now there have been two in five weeks – the first series between any teams to contain two two-day Tests since 1896.
Questions will be asked about this Test with the two-day finish depriving the 100,000-capacity MCG of a further 300,000 fans attending – and some much needed revenue for Cricket Australia too.
Ben Stokes ‘proud’ of his England side
It’s been a tough tour for England on-and-off the field, with their four-day trip to Noosa in between the first and second Test defeats attracting some unwanted headlines.
And speaking about the backlash of that, which emerged in the build-up to this fourth Test, Stokes spoke of his pride at how his side fought off the adversity to win in Melbourne.
‘On the back of everything we had to deal with in this game, I couldn’t be prouder of the way we held firm as a group and as individuals as well,’ he told Test Match Special.
‘You get tested as leaders within sporting teams and organisations in different ways.
‘That was a test of character, a test of qualities of leadership. The way we went about it, not only in public, in terms of all the media and all that sort of stuff.
‘The way in which the leadership group – Baz [Brendon McCullum], myself, the other coaches and senior players – were able to keep as much focus as possible on the cricket was important.
‘Once you do cross that line on to the field you put everything else to one side and your focus switches to what you need to do.
‘It’s moments when you’re not on the field that things can start fluttering around in your head. I think the way we were able to keep that focus on the cricket was important in why we were able to get on the right side of the result.’
What next for the Ashes?
The fifth and final Test takes place in Sydney at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on January 4-8.
England will be hoping they can take the momentum from Melbourne into that and finish the series as 3-2 losers.
For Australia they will be seeking to end it on a high as 4-1 series winners.
