Australia strengthened their bid for a third successive World Test Championship final with an 82-run victory over England in the third Ashes Test at Adelaide on Sunday, sealing an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
The win not only shut down England’s hopes of a first Ashes series triumph in Australia since 2010-11 but also kept Pat Cummins’ side firmly on top of the WTC standings, with a perfect record after six matches in the current cycle.
Chasing a daunting 435 for victory, England were bowled out for 352 midway through the final day, Scott Boland claiming the decisive wicket as Australia completed the job despite injury setbacks, including a hamstring problem that ruled spinner Nathan Lyon out of the remainder of the match.
Australia, who won the WTC title in 2023 by beating India, are well placed to reach the 2027 final at Lord’s, having won all six of their Tests so far in this cycle.
For England, the defeat further damaged their slim chances of reaching a first WTC final. Ben Stokes’ side remain seventh in the standings with a win percentage of 27.08, having managed just two victories from eight Tests.
There were signs of resistance from the tourists in Adelaide, where half-centuries from opener Zak Crawley (85) and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith (60) helped England register their best second-innings total of the series. Smith and Will Jacks (47) shared a stubborn stand on the final morning, briefly raising hopes of an unlikely escape.
Those hopes faded when Marnus Labuschagne produced a sharp slip catch to dismiss Jacks, before Boland wrapped up the innings with Josh Tongue caught in the cordon.
The fourth Test begins at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26, with Lyon’s fitness under scrutiny. Australia could turn to Todd Murphy, Matthew Kuhnemann or uncapped off-spinner Corey Rocchiccioli should the veteran be unavailable.
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