Australia took an unassailable 3-0 series lead and retained The Ashes before Christmas even as England's performances in the first three Tests drew sharp criticism for a lack of resistance.
Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen came down heavily on the Ben Stokes-led side after their 82-run loss in the third Test at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday, which marked their quickest Ashes surrender since 1921.
Pietersen noted that this defeat was tough to understand because Australia were without some of their key players including Josh Hazlewood and Steve Smith.
"No Hazlewood, hardly any Cummins, Smith, Lyon, etc, makes this defeat tough to understand," he posted on his 'X' handle.
"Seen more dismissals this morning that tell me all I need to know about an earlier tweet I wrote, saying that batters are not tuned into Test Cricket anymore."
The loss extended England's wait for a first Ashes series victory since 2015 and has set them up for another humiliation in Australia after suffering 5-0, 4-0 and 4-0 defeats in their last three series Down Under.
Chasing a stiff target of 435, England meekly surrendered on the final day after being bowled out for 352. Though half-centuries from opener Zak Crawley (85) and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith (60) helped England register their best second-innings total of the series, Marnus Labuschagne produced a sharp slip catch to dismiss Jacks, before Boland wrapped up the innings with Josh Tongue caught in the cordon.
The win kept Pat Cummins’ side firmly on top of the WTC standings, with a perfect record after six matches in the current 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.
The fourth Test begins at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26.
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