Even with a bit of morning rain forecast in Adelaide tomorrow, Australia will wrap up the series in 11 days’ cricket, equalling England’s quickest Ashes surrender since 1921. If one Australian great ran through England’s middle order as the shadows lengthened, another had undermined them early on. If England replace Pope with Jacob Bethell at the MCG, he might just have played his final Test innings. Earlier, their own second innings had ended in a surprising hurry, after Head and Carey extended their fifth-wicket partnership to 162. The Ashes are gone, and England will be playing simply to avoid the ignominy of a whitewash.

Source: Daily Mail December 20, 2025 10:51 UTC