Australia held the Ashes with pounding innings and 14-run win in the third Test in Melbourne on Tuesday, with debutant paceman Scott Boland ruining England’s hapless batsmen with a staggering six-wicket pull.
Boland, simply the second Indigenous Australian to play a men’s Test match, fell off the Melbourne Cricket Ground turf with a prize stump and astounding innings figures of 6-7 as England gave in for 68 preceding lunch on day three, they’re thirteenth most reduced absolute in Tests.
“I thought we had a very decent shot at winning however I had no clue we would do it before lunch,” said 32-year-old Boland, who won the Johnny Mullagh award as the player of the match.
“Clearly I thought [debuting] would have been truly intense, a major move forward from anything more I’d played previously. I was expecting to make somewhat of an effect.”
Australia fixed the series 3-0 before a bubbly ‘Boxing Day’ Test horde of 42,000, leaving England playing for pride in the last Two tests in Sydney and Brisbane.
With Australia having won by 275 runs in Adelaide and nine wickets in the Brisbane opener, home chief Pat Cummins was left squeezing himself as Boland and Mitchell Starc (3-29) wrapped up the series inside an hour and a half on a brilliant morning in Melbourne.
“Simply an amazing not many weeks, so glad for the gathering here and everything’s clicked,” said Cummins, who has driven his side easily as a late substitution for Tim Paine.
“So glad for Scottie before his home group today, simply an astounding inclination.”
Britain commander Joe Root was left crushed. He has now lost seven of eight Tests as chief in Australia in the wake of neglecting to wrest back the urn on home soil in 2019.
His top score of 28 in England’s subsequent innings said a lot of the group’s batting deficiencies, and he was in no disposition to examine the fate of his captaincy.
“I think they’ve certainly defeated us in the three games,” Root said.
“We’ve not been sufficient”.
“For what is a significant youthful batting bunch, they’re learning here in the most extreme climate.
“We need to attempt to ensure we leave this visit having gained a few successes.”
