Ashes 2025-26: Australia hold nerves in unnerving chase at SCG to retain urn 4-1
Australian cricket team (Source: Cricket Australia on X)
Published - 08 Jan 2026, 05:38 AM• Read time - 2 mins
Australia kept their nerves largely in an unnerving chase to win the fifth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on day five by five wickets and retained the urn.
Chasing 160 to win, the opening pair of Jake Weatherald and Travis Head got the Aussies off to another flying start. The duo added 62 in just 10.3 overs to foil England's plans of making a comeback.
Head blasted four boundaries before holing out to midwicket while trying to hit a short delivery off Josh Tongue out of the park. He scored 29 and was adjudged the Player of the Match (POTM). Weatherald (34), Marnus Labuschagne (37), and Steve Smith (12) all got starts but couldn't stick around for long as England created opportunities in the field.
The tourists gave Usman Khawaja a guard of honour, but he couldn't manage to make the most of his last hit in the middle as he was cleaned up by Tongue for 6.
Australia were stuttering at 121/5 but Alex Carey (16*) and Cameron Green (22*) united to take them over the line in a nervy run chase. Day 5 at the SCG attracted 25,847 spectators, bringing the overall match count to 211,032 - a record attendance at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Earlier in the day, England added 40 more to their overnight total to exasperate the Aussies on the field. England's star with the bat, Jacob Bethell, powered his way to 154 before Mitchell Starc nicked him off to Carey.
Starch claimed a three-fer by dismissing Tongue as England got bowled out for 342.
Mitchell Starc wins Player of the Series award
Starc was awarded the Player of the Series for his stellar all-round display. The left-arm quick finished the series with 31 wickets - the most by an Aussie in an Ashes series since Mitchell Johnson's tally of 37 in the 2013/14 series.
Starc played all five games in the series and did the heavy lifting in the absence of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. He also chipped in with 154 runs, most of which came at crucial junctures in the series. Notably, this is Australia's fourth consecutive Ashes win down under.
