Australia Retains the Urn | A quick recap of the Ashes
What's up, homies? I hope everything is just fine!
Well, the 2025-26 Ashes series concluded on January 8, 2026, with a dominant win by the Aussies. They outdid England in every aspect, winning the tournament 4-1, with total control and consistency. It's not just clinical performance from the Aussies, and some moments from England, but also the fans enjoyed every bit of it with record-breaking crowds.
So, Australia retained the Ashes once again, being the owner for five consecutive seasons now. So, Congratulations to them.
As I said in my small overview earlier, this is a tradition since 1882 now between the founders of Cricket, England, and the most successful team in Cricket, Australia. So, this is the 74th edition, which was played in Australia from 21 November 2025 to 8 January 2026.
Five matches were held at 5 different locations, and straightaway after the first three matches, Australia lifted the trophy. Anyhow, England managed a juicy win in Melbourne to avoid a whitewash. Australian pace attack led by Mitchel Starc, and the usual hammering from Travis Head made a pain in the a## for the visitors.
Result Summary
| Test | Venue | Winner | Margin | Man of the match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Perth | Australia | 8 Wickets | Mitchell Starc (7/58 & 3/55 |
| 2nd | The Gabba, Brisbane | Australia | 8 Wickets | Mitchell Starc (6/75, 77 runs & 2/64) |
| 3rd | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | Australia | 82 Runs | Alex Carey (106 & 72 runs) |
| 4th | Melbourne | England | 4 Wickets | Josh Tongue (5/45 & 2/44) |
| 5th | Sydney | Australia | 5 Wickets | Travis Head (163 & 29 runs) |
- Player of the Series: Mitchell Starc
It was an unforgettable series for him. At the age of 35 years old, many fast ballers can not do the same. But this guy is delivering it over and over again.
31 wickets at an average of 19.94, and 156 runs with two fifties. He has contributed with crucial runs as well.
Eventhough Travis Head scored 600+ runs, with three centuries, Starc gave it all with an all-round performance. And without the full support from Cummins, Hazlewood, and Lyon, he carried it with the younguns.
Most Runs
- As I said, Travis Head was the best batter of the tournament by far. He got promoted as the opener and proved why he is the current best all-format batter. He scored 629 runs at an average of 62.90 with three centuries, with 2 150+ scores.
- Joe Root was England's top batter with 400 runs. He scored his 1st Century in Australia; in fact, he got two. Jacob Bethell, the 22-year-old youngster from England, scored his maiden century in his second match, scoring 154 runs in the fifth match. It looks like they got a new star.
Most Wickets
As I said, Starc is the true hero here. Now he has overall 433 wickets in Test Cricket in 105 matches, officially the highest wicket-taking left-arm fast bowler in Test history, surpassing Wasim Akram. He is now in the 11th position at all-time leading wicket takers. In this tournament, he has bowled 153.1 overs at an average speed of 142kmph. It's an insane stat for a 35-year-old.
Scott Boland has been exceptional for Australia as always, and Neser stepped up with both bat and ball in the three matches he played. The inexperienced attack of England was highlighted a lot, as Archer was injured early. But Brydon Carse and Tongue did well.
Some facts and highlights
So, up to now, there have been 350 Ashes Test matches. Australia has won 146 while England has just 111 victories. 93 of them have been drawn.
England's victory in the 4th Test at MCG was their first Test win in Australia after 2011, ending an 18-match losing streak.
Starc broke the record for most Test runs at number 9, with 1,408 runs with eight fifties. He is not just a baller.
Steve Smith became the second-highest run-scorer in Ashes history behind Sir. Bradmon.
Joe Root became the second-highest run-scorer in Test Cricket as well.
On day 01 of the fourth Test, at MCG, a crowd of 94,199 attended. It's the largest in the history of cricket in Australia, claiming that Test Cricket is still alive.
Harry Brook became the fastest batsman to score 3,000 runs in Tests in terms of balls faced.
Usman Khawaja retired from Cricket in the last match.
In the tournament, Brendan Doggett and Jake Weatherald debuted for Australia.
So, it was an entertaining tournament, and comment on your favorite moment.
Sources
Until the next time! Enjoy!
Thank you.
Best Regards!
Upvoted! Thank you for supporting witness @jswit.