Australia seal Ashes in ruthless fashion
It took Australia just 11 days of cricket to retain the Ashes on home soil, dismantling England with clinical precision in the first three Tests of the 2025–26 series. Their 82-run win in Adelaide sealed a 3-0 lead, and with it, England’s hopes of reclaiming the urn came crashing down — leaving captain Ben Stokes visibly emotional in the aftermath.
After winning the toss at the Adelaide Oval and opting to bat, Australia piled up 371 runs in their first innings. England managed 286 in reply, bolstered by a gutsy 106-run ninth-wicket partnership between Stokes and Jofra Archer. Still, they conceded a lead of 85. A blistering second-innings century from Travis Head, who scored 170 on his home ground, set England a daunting target of 435. Despite flashes of resistance, the visitors were bowled out for 352, with Starc, Cummins, and Lyon each taking three wickets.
“The dream is now over”: Stokes on emotional defeat
Ben Stokes didn’t hold back in acknowledging the heartbreak. Speaking at the post-match presentation, he admitted just how crushing the outcome was for the team.
“The dream that we came here with is now over, which is obviously incredibly disappointing. Everyone’s hurting and quite emotional about it. We’ve got two more games to go and that’s where the focus needs to switch to now. We came here with a goal in mind and we haven’t been able to achieve that. It hurts and it sucks, but we’re not going to stop,” said Ben Stokes at the post-match presentation.
England’s campaign, launched with ambition under the aggressive ‘Bazball’ approach, now faces a harsh reset. The team has not won an Ashes series in Australia since 2010–11, and this latest defeat — their third straight in Australia — underscores just how wide the gulf remains.
Australia’s consistency too much to match
Stokes was clear in identifying the difference between the two sides — consistency. While England showed promise in spurts, Australia maintained a high standard throughout all departments.
“Australia have been able to execute things on a much more consistent basis than us with the ball, with the bat, and in the field. This game is based on how you bat, how you bowl, and how you field, and they’ve outdone us on a much higher level,” he added.
That control, said Stokes, was something England couldn’t sustain despite having comparable talent. England’s inability to maintain momentum was a recurring theme, and Stokes conceded that Australia’s superiority had been well-earned.
A pledge to fight on in remaining Tests
Even with the Ashes lost, Stokes made it clear that England would not let the series drift aimlessly. With two more matches to play, the team’s focus is on pride and redemption.
“We’ve got two more games. We’ve got so much to play for. We’re not going to fall over and let this series drift. We’re going to leave absolutely everything out there in these last two games. We’ve got people travelling over to watch, we’ve got pride, and we’re going to give absolutely everything,” he continued.
Missed chances and key moments
Reflecting on the third Test in Adelaide, Stokes pointed to several crucial moments where the match swung away from England.
“We’ve shown passages in these games, and even this week we did well to take it where we did in the fourth innings and looked like we were on for another heist,” he said.
He acknowledged the failure to capitalise on opportunities, particularly after a promising start when England restricted Australia to a manageable first-innings total.
“Looking back on this game, losing the toss and going in to bowl and keeping Australia to an under-par score, and not being able to respond with the bat when we knew we had the opportunity to put up a big score,” he stated.
There was optimism after a spirited bowling effort on the fourth morning, but momentum slipped again late in the day.
“But then to fight back with the ball like we did yesterday morning, we were confident of having a good chance of chasing it down because of how good a wicket it was. Losing the three wickets at the end of yesterday set us back,” he noted.
Lessons taken, resolve renewed
Despite falling short, Stokes believes there are important takeaways from the experience — and that the squad has grown in the process.
“We’ve been on the wrong side of the result but there’s a lot we can take from this game and we’ve learnt a lot about our team,” he continued.
He admitted that England’s performances had simply not been good enough across the board.
“Our execution has not been good enough to come to Australia and compete with these guys, and I think the scoreline reflects that,” he concluded.
A whitewash still looms — but England aim to finish strong
England now face the challenge of avoiding a 5-0 sweep, with the remaining two Tests offering a chance to restore some pride and prove that progress has been made. As Stokes made clear, they won’t go down without a fight.
