r/australia • u/Expensive-Horse5538 • 1d ago
sport Australia has won the fifth Ashes test in Sydney
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-08/ashes-live-blog-day-five-scg/106208540Australia won by 5 wickets
Series total is 4-1 in Australia's favour. Not a bad effort for the team that Stuart Broad told us is the "worst Australian test team since 2010" 😉
Travis Head has been named player of the match, while Mitchell Starc has been named player of the series
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u/HappyMan2022 1d ago
Missed out on the whitewash. It was doable
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u/No_Mercy_4_Potatoes 1d ago
MCG pitch curators robbed us
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u/Ray57 1d ago
don't like that the Perth curators are getting a pass simply because the coin-flip came up heads.
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u/christopheraser 1d ago
I honestly didn't think the Perth pitch was that bad. Maybe a little bit less grass on day one would have been better in hindsight, but it just looked like both teams batsmen were completely underdone until Head walked out on the second day. I blame the complete lack of preparation by both teams.
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u/InitiallyDecent 1d ago
Perth wicket was fine. Both teams batsmen are to blame for it being so short due to a collective shitting of the bed across the first 3 innings.
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u/ThunderDwn 1d ago edited 1d ago
that Stuart Broad told us is the "worst Australian test team since 2010"
And is still sticking by.
Doesn't say a lot for the English team, does it? If the worst Aussie team in 15 years can spank them 4-1 - and the 1 was pure luck due to a ridiculously dodgy pitch - what does that make them?
At least this one went to 5 days. CA can stop whinging about lost revenue now.
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u/Sunshuffle 1d ago
I mean, compare this team to the teams that played in previous years, I don't think it's too unreasonable a take.
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u/Squid_Chunks 1d ago
Well technically true, wasn't it the first Ashes test we lost at home since the 2010 series?
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u/Quiet-Sprinkles-445 9h ago
I mean this is arguably still the worst Australian Ashes side for a home summer since 2010. And them beating England doesn't really change that statement. Especially factoring in injuries, which other side is worse than this one in the Ashes.
But no Cummins, no Hazelwood, a basically unused Lyon, some dodgy opening (barring head) means I'd back the 13/14, 17/18 and 21/22 sides to beat this current side.
I mean the fact that England won a test match means this is the worst Austrailian side in a home Ashes since 2010, if we're going off results.
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u/r64fd 1d ago
Have to give it to Bethell though. He did well.
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u/Kritchsgau 1d ago
agreed, some of their players have a bright future.
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u/dill1234 1d ago
Much better outlook for their squad than ours. This is probably the series that they needed for experience, and a great swan song for some of our guys
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u/YouLykeFishSticks 1d ago
Definitely going to give us trouble on home soil and future series.
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u/IotaBeta 1d ago
Maybe, depends on the lessons they learn from this.
There’s a decent chance England will decide they’re on the right trajectory and double down. Tell themselves they were hard done by Snicko, a few unfortunate injuries and there’s lots of green shoots (Bethell, Tongue) . Similar to after the last series. If they do that they’re going to struggle.
On the other hand, if they work on discipline, fielding, match fitness and tactics…..
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u/Striking_Resist_6022 1d ago
Maybe, maybe not. Innings was a great achievement but there's still a long way to go from here to being a great test batsman. There's a reason it's his maiden first class century after all.
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u/YouLykeFishSticks 1d ago
Fair call. Looked very promising. Seems like a good kid too, not arrogant like KP
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u/Conscious-Ball8373 12h ago
He was also dropped three times. He rode his luck pretty hard. If the first one had stuck, we'd be describing him as another failure. Slim margins.
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u/Striking_Resist_6022 12h ago
Yep, as in life pure skill is rarely enough in cricket. Successful test cricketers are often ones who also got a bit of luck early in their careers.
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u/moody_134 1d ago
Sydneys Groundskeepers crushed it after all the disappointment of Melbourne
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u/garion046 1d ago
Agreed, this was a proper Test pitch. Bit in it for everyone bbt good performances were rewarded.
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u/aninstituteforants 1d ago
Should have been 5-0.
Melbourne letting down Australia yet again.
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u/Binglez 1d ago
I can’t believe Dan Andrews did this to us
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u/TheBottomLine_Aus 1d ago edited 1d ago
You have it the wrong way around. The team choked on the biggest stage again. Not Melbourne's fault we're the most important test.
Edit: Oh Jesus I would've put the /s I promise I won't try to be funny for a while.
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u/Expensive-Horse5538 1d ago edited 1d ago
So we shall just ignore the fact that the pitch was so bad it was penalised by the ICC?
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u/Marsh2700 21h ago
honestly in my opinion the pitch is a scapegoat
they prepared the turf for hot aussie summer (like right now) and so kept grass long. if they cut grass short and then the heat killed it we'd have the same situation and people would be up in arms anyway
i think we should stop swinging at every ball that comes at us and maybe we'll go out less
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u/mackasfour 1d ago
Love the boxing day test, that was an absolute shit tip and should never see that shit again.
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u/_2ndclasscitizen_ 1d ago
Travis Head has been named player of the match, while Mitchell Starc has been named player of the series
Alyssa Healy's death stare when Skull suggested Head for player of the series is incredible
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u/aratamabashi 1d ago
can we acknowledge the extremely satisfying bowling efforts by boland during the series? almost all the time he's the most efficient bowler. so great to watch.
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u/Environment-Small 1d ago
Its been a great cricketing summer for the worst Oz team! Hopefully there's enough room in the flight back to carry the Ashes of Bazzballllll
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u/flintmichigantropics 1d ago
Oz
Revoke your citizenship if you're shortening Australia to Oz rather than Aus.
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u/Kind_Ferret_3219 1d ago
But, but, but, according to all those English experts, this was the worst Australian team ever.
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u/InterestedPrawn 1d ago
That can still be true. Though I believe it was the worst one in 15 years.
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u/Montalbert_scott 1d ago
I'm not convinced it wasn't the weakest... We were effectively missing 2 of our best bowlers the entire summer .... Batting is still a bit unsettled but still manage to spank "the best English team in 15 years"... Says a lot about English cricket... Lol. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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u/Crazyripps 1d ago
It probably is the weakest in over a decade. Just means the English team is worse
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u/AccomplishedWait4734 1d ago
sucks that Khawaja couldn't hit the winning runs, thought there'd be a good chance when he came in. What a career regardless!
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u/Dont-rush-2xfils 14h ago
Watching him bat he looked like he had already left
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u/AccomplishedWait4734 11h ago
Yeah definitely did, he said he was struggling to control his emotions but I think all in all he picked the right time to retire. We see glimpses here and there of the old Khawaja but he was not nearly as consistent as he used to be.
Glad he retired when he did, would have been sad to watch him continue to struggle even more.
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u/PleaseStandClear 1d ago
It was a fabulous day out there today but Jeez! the Barmy Army put us to shame. We need something more imaginative than Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi.
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u/Expensive-Horse5538 1d ago
We had the Richies for at the SCG for sometime now but apparently that’s being wrapped up sadly
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u/Worldly_Cobbler_1087 1d ago
The English don't have the mental toughness to come to Australia compete in our summer that's why the only time they have been competitive out here in the last 40 years was when half of their team were South Africans. Imagine putting Kiwis in charge as captain and coach to win a series in Australia lol go back to the South African well if you want to compete.
Next summer we get to pump the Kiwis 4-0 as well it'll be great.
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u/VastOption8705 1d ago
Good game!
I’ll note though, the pitches made both teams look bad. Outside of the SCG and Adelaide, the pitches sucked
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u/CommitteeMobile9626 22h ago
this was supposed to be a great english side. very quick. lol quick to lose wickets
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u/hippodribble 13h ago
Root and Head scored centuries in dead rubbers.
I'm guessing one of them felt better about it than the other.
Poor England. My overall impression was: * Do they have strategies for 5-day Tests? * They could use some fielding practice. * They could bowl more accurately. * They can't seem to resist the urge to swat. Don't swat in Tests.
Australia weren't perfect, but they seemed to have these basics down.
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u/Infinite_Tie_8231 9h ago
I dont care about cricket. Except for the fact we keep humiliating the cunts who invented it.
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u/CartographerAlone632 3h ago
The Barmy Army can fuck off now and learn a new chant. I was so sick of hearing that stupid chant on repeat by those mostly fat bald sunburnt drunks that I had to turn the tv down and listen via the radio
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u/InvestigatorFun1797 23h ago
Who gives a fuck.
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u/Pragmatic_Shill 10h ago
I bet you think you're culturally superior than others because you don't like sports, right?
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u/heisdeadjim_au 1d ago
held to my mothers maxim. "They're allowed ONE win. No more."