Bowlers lead Australia to 4-0 Ashes triumph

ICC Hobart Australia completed a remarkable series win, bowling out England for 124 on day three of the fifth Test in Hobart on Sunday. England openers put...

ICCHobartAustralia completed a remarkable series win, bowling out England for 124 on day three of the fifth Test in Hobart on Sunday.England openers put on their first half-century stand in the series, but the rest of the line-up couldn’t muster much as Australia sealed a 146-run win in Hobart in the fifth and final Test.Australia resumed from a tricky position at the end of day two and lost further wickets early in the day with none of their top seven batters crossing 30. Mark Wood dismissed nightwatchman Scott Boland early and then sent back Travis Head and Steven Smith in back-to-back overs to leave Australia reeling at 63/6. Cameron Green, who would later play a telling role with the ball, and Alex Carey resurrected the innings with a crucial 49-run stand.The partnership lifted Australia’s lead to a reasonable position, but England pulled things back a bit when Green and Mitchell Starc were dismissed in quick succession, the latter’s wicket giving Mark Wood his first five-wicket haul in the Ashes.Carey wasn’t done, though, and he and Pat Cummins gave Australia more cushion with 30 crucial runs before Carey was caught behind off Stuart Broad’s bowling one short of a half-century. Wood completed formalities to restrict Australia’s lead and England were left with 271 runs to chase in the final innings.Rory Burns and Zak Crawley reversed the trend by putting on a half-century stand, one that wouldn’t have been had Australia taken an early review against Burns. The 68-run opening stand put England on course for chasing the target down, a possibility that appeared very realistic until Green struck thrice in his first five overs to reduce England to 83/3.Burns was the first to go, trying to leave one from Green, only for it to ricochet off his bat to clatter the stumps. Dawid Malan followed suit, chopping one back onto the stumps against Green, who had troubled him in the lead up to the dismissal. Green then ended Crawley’s innings with one that seamed away to catch the outside edge. Joe Root and Ben Stokes joined hands to revive England’s chase, but the latter fell to a short ball from Mitchell Starc and England’s hopes plummeted.Scott Boland then got into the act, dismissing Root for the fourth time in the series. The England captain was a tad unlucky to receive one that stayed low and went beneath his bat to crash into the stumps. Sam Billings chipped one to mid-on off Boland soon after and Cummins cleaned up Ollie Pope to leave England at 107/7.Chris Woakes, Mark Wood and Ollie Robinson were dismissed in the space of six balls as England went from 82/1 to 124 all out, conceding the match by 146 runs. Australia sealed their first series win under skipper Pat Cummins, a thumping 4-0 victory to retain the urn.