England retain Ashes

England wrapped up a crushing innings and 157-run victory over Australia in the fourth Test to retain the Ashes at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday.

It has been 24 years since England last won the Ashes Down Under when Mike Gatting’s team claimed the series 2-1.

Australia’s humiliation was complete when Ben Hilfenhaus was the last man out before lunch on the fourth morning, caught behind off Tim Bresnan for a duck after Ryan Harris was unable to bat because of an ankle injury.

“Winning the Ashes in Australia has always been a bit of a Holy Grail for English sides,” skipper Andrew Strauss said.

“We haven’t won the Ashes yet but we obviously retain the urn which has been one of our primary goals and the guys deserve everything they get because the players stood up and performed when it mattered.”

There was only going to be one outcome after Australia were routed for a miserable ground record low of 98 on Sunday’s opening day after Strauss had won the toss and put the Australians into bat on a greenish wicket. The English responded with a towering 513 to hold a match-winning 415-run innings lead which Australia found totally beyond them.

Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin was left unbeaten with a defiant 55 including four fours and a six in Australia’s second innings of 258 for nine.

Bresnan finished as England’s best bowler with 4-50 off 21.4 overs, while England number three Jonathan Trott was named man-of-the-match for his unbeaten 168.

In 1986 England won the series and the Ashes after their innings and 14-run victory at the MCG.

Australia can still level the series if they can fight back and win next week’s fifth Sydney Test, but the Ashes are gone.

England last won at the MCG in 1998 with Dean Headley taking 6-60 in the second innings as the tourists won by just 12 nail-biting runs.

The heavy defeat was only Australia’s second in their last 12 MCG Tests, the previous coming two years ago against South Africa by nine wickets.

Australia lost Mitchell Johnson in the second over of the final day, bowled by Chris Tremlett for six.

Haddin and Peter Siddle stalled England’s victory push with some lusty hitting in a 86-run partnership with both clubbing sixes off spinner Graeme Swann.

Siddle finally fell for his Test best 40 when he hoisted Swann to Kevin Pietersen on the long on boundary.

Hilfenhaus only lasted four balls before the axe finally fell on Australia.

The crushing loss, the sixth biggest behind England’s innings and 579 run win at The Oval in 1938, will heap further pressure on embattled Australian captain Ricky Ponting.

It was Ponting’s third loss of an Ashes series following his earlier defeats in England in 2005 and last year. Given the lack of experience in the scarred Australian team Ponting is expected to hold on to the captaincy for next week’s Sydney Test, fitness permitting with his fractured little finger.

MELBOURNE, AFP

Australia 1st innings 98 
England 1st innings 513 

Australia 2nd innings 
(overnight 169 for 6):

S. Watson lbw b Bresnan 		 54
P. Hughes run out (Trott) 		 23
R. Ponting b Bresnan 			 20
M. Clarke c Strauss b Swann 		 13
M. Hussey c Bell b Bresnan 		 00
S. Smith b Anderson 			 38
B. Haddin not out 			 55
M. Johnson b Tremlett 			 06
P. Siddle c Pietersen b Swann 		 40
B. Hilfenhaus c Prior b Bresnan 	 00
Extras (b1, lb6, w2) 			 09
TOTAL (9 wkts, 85.4 overs) 		258

DID NOT BAT: R. Harris 

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-53, 2-99, 3-102, 4-104, 5-134, 6-158, 7-172, 8-258, 
		9-258
BOWLING: Anderson 20-1-71-1 (1w), Tremlett 17-3-71-1, Swann 27-11-59-2, 
		Bresnan 21.4-8-50-4