England’s men win first Ashes Test down under in 15 years

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And Richardson runs in bowls to Brook. He turns that away. It's flick something Battle five pad. It doesn't matter. They're leg buys and the ball skims over the boundary. And then they win their first Test match in Australia for the best part of 15 years. The second in this series that has been completed within two days. And they can actually probably enjoy themselves for the first evening here in Australia for a while.

The news from Melbourne is that England have won their first Test match for nearly 15 years in Australia. They've won by four wickets. They were set 175 to win. They got there in 32.2 overs. They were helped by an excellent opening stand between Crawley and Duckett. They put on 51 in seven overs. England were positive and that got them going. They lost wickets towards the end, but they were rarely time during that England chase when he thought they were going to stumble this time. So they've got over the line. Australia bowled out for 132. Travis Head made 46. Steve Smith was left 24, not out. Didn't get any support from the lower order. Cameron Green played a poor shot when Australia were trying to battle after lunch. He was caught at slip for 19. The tail fell away. Bryden Carr's taking four for 34, Josh Tung two for 44 and Ben Stokes three for 24. Gus Atkinson walked off with a hamstring injury, so England were down to three bowlers. So great credit to that bowling attack. They might have wilted. And Australia, if they had been able to extend it into the afternoon, they might have been able to put some Pressure on England and build a. A really challenging total, but 175 to win. The context of this series thought England might find it difficult and the context of this surface as well, but they got there in 32.2 overs. Jacob Bethel, one of the big moments of his life, actually, his cricketing life, making 14 a really assured fashion for his slap one to cover Harry Brook at the end was 18 knot out. Route was out towards the end for 15, Stokes for 2. But England have won in Australia and we haven't said that for a long time, not since Sydney in 2011. I've got Phil Tuft alongside me. Glenn McGrath is here, Jonathan is down on the far side of the ground and we'll get some reaction from England captain Ben Stokes and others. How would you sum it up then? Toughers?

Well, no, you just said, haven't won there for 15 years, you know, and that just shows how hard it is to come down there and even just win a game, let alone a series. But I think they've done that one for the coach and the captain. You know, I think that they've. It was nice to freshen it up a bit, wasn't it? Sometimes you just bring a few new faces into the side. It just gives you a bit more of a buzz and a bit more of a lift. But I think they've, they've, they owed their skipper one there, you know, a performance just. They've been in some. They've been coming for some criticism the way they've played and they done cricket. We've been here, Rob Key, we've been hearing sort of coming over here, trying to explain it away to these thousands of fans here that have, you know, followed them through thick and thin. So you really do get the feeling that that is a dressing room that is still very much together, you know, to pull out a. To put out a performance like that is tough. 3 nil down. Many a sides would have just crumbled.

At the start of the game and at the start of today. Did you think it was possible?

Yes, absolutely. Because in these games, anything can happen. Look at Perth, you know, Perth was, you know, we were all sitting there on the first one, weren't we? Going sort of like, what did they need? 200 Australia, 205. Could be tricky. Could be tricky. That is, as Glenn was saying, basball is for the full fittings.

It is, without a doubt. And yeah, look at this test. I think this is why England like to play. They actually like to bowl first and chase in the fourth innings. They've been very good at it. Which then makes you think about Perth even more.

They.

They won the toss. They had four fast bowlers and they decided to bat. If they decided to bowl first, then who knows, could have been different results. So it shows here that, yeah, they bounced back. I think they deserve the win. They needed a win.

Yeah.

Not only for themselves, but the supporters that have traveled from the other side of the world. So to do it in two days, I don't think anyone thought that at the start of the Test, but that pitch had a bit of life in it. And, yeah, England hung on long enough and bowled well enough in that second innings to set a target they could chase. So well done to Ben Stokes and his team.

And the way they approached it today was the right way as well. We sense that was how they were going to do it. They were going to take it on.

They had to, you know, to go out there and just look to, you know, to hit it around, get singles on a pitch that's doing a bit. But, yeah, to me, like Tougher said, this is what baseball was for. His fourth innings to go out, put the pressure back on the. The Australian bowlers. And they did that. That opening partnership with really set it up and got the momentum for them. And to be honest, you know, Australia couldn't claw it back from there.

Yeah, I really happy for Josh Tongue. You know, might be saying, well, where was he for the first two perhaps? You know, he's come in and really stamped his authority on this side and he's sort of like the first pick now from the seamers. Okay. Joffer Arch, he should be. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, Joff Rachel has gone off with a side strain and everything, but he's really stood up for his skipper and said, right, listen, you know, man down as well today. I think they'll be disappointed as a unit of how they've bowled, but today was how you do it. You pitch the ball up. You don't keep saying, and there's Travis Head cut, another one. And so they hung in there with the ball and then just, you know, had a little bit of luck with the bat and got themselves over the line. It is tough to play and win down in Australia. And they've managed to do it.

Josh Chung taking 7 for 89. His match figures. But Brydon cast today as well because he's gone around the park a bit, hasn't he? He's been England's leading wicket taker. Well, he came up with 4 for 34 today.

Well, finally, look to pitch the ball up, you know, there's no point in running in banging it halfway down when the pitch is doing something for you. Glenn said, I think this morning, just listen, just get it in an area and let this pitch do it for you a little bit. And he sort of got it and did that. Is that kind of bow. All, all fast bowlers are different. You know, some. Some of them are going to be different trajectories and, you know, different swing and seam and angles and what have you. But you, you've still got to have that fingertip control. As a class international seam bow. Any bowler to, when asked to, you know, to put it in areas to get wickets, you got to be able to do it.

And we also saw Brydon Cast come in at number three today. That was interesting. I missed that out in my roundup. So they lost that wicket of at 51. I thought, well, big moment here for Jacob Bethel to walk into a pressure situation. Brighton Cast came out at number three.

No, I didn't mind it, you know, to come in for someone to hopefully score some quick runs for him, put the pressure back on, you know, if he went out and got a cameo sort of 20 quick runs, it just makes that target so much smaller. So I didn't mind. It didn't really come off. But yeah, yes, it was good.

Yeah. I think also that might have just been a little sort of help for Bethel, you know, with like, right, listen, we are just going for this one way. Well, we've asked everyone else to drop down one and someone just to go in and sort of pinch it really. So even if it didn't come off, there was that sort of feeling then in Bethel that he hasn't got to go out there and just sort of just try and sort of knock it.

Around like Glenn, Jonathan in just a moment. I sense you haven't seen much of Jacob Bethel. What did you make of him on what you saw this afternoon?

Yeah, no, I think I'm pretty much the same as everyone in his commentary box. We haven't seen. I haven't seen anything of him. You guys have seen a lot of him either, but no, he looked quite composed. It was a pre pressure situation. I thought he played it well and just worked it around.

Actually. Let's go to Jonathan now.

Yeah, just down here. Well, actually in the shadows, but almost the sunshine. Joe Root. Well, you've not experienced this before. How does it feel?

There's been a lot thrown at this group over the last couple of weeks and I think the character and response from everyone's been great. And the togetherness of the team, you know, I guess we obviously put on a challenging service. I'm speaking obviously as a battery, a challenging service. But the way that we found a way to win here.

It'S down to.

The way that we played over a period of time. Right. This is being brave enough to take the game on when things aren't in your favour. And I think that's the art of batting sometimes, is understanding what the situation requires. And today I think we found the balance of it really well. We saw in the first innings, if you allow bowlers to bowl that same length, that same ball, it's doing so much that there was going to be one with your name on it. The proactive nature in which the guys went out with, especially at the top of the order, Jacob coming in and playing like that as well, I think just shows great skill, great nous and great bravery and courage. Like I say, there's been a lot of questions asked about our method and how we go about things. So I think we stayed true to it and delivered really well today.

Yeah, I mean, that setup, that situation was really made for your method, actually. Was it a smallish run? Chase seized the initiative. It's kind of what the blueprint has been.

Well, no, I think that in circumstances that was the case. But not everyone does it the same way. Right. And I think it's understanding, you know, how you want to go about and score your runs and no one goes out there to play a bad shot or to get out. You're always trying to look at moving the game forward and scoring runs. You know, it's not about survival, it's about scoring runs. And my method is different to a lot. Well, pretty much everyone else in that team, but it's understanding and playing with conviction with the surfaces that are presented. And, you know, like I said, we obviously got the right side of it, but to chase 170 on there was because of a brilliant effort with the ball as well. And those, those guys deserve a lot of credit. Obviously, Gus going off and guys having to pick those overs up. Some guys bowling long spells there and they kept working hard and they got the rewards for it. And nice for us to hang onto.

A few as well.

Yeah, I'm not going to expect you to have a go about the pitch, but I mean, in terms of test match strips that you've played on, how would that rank?

Well, I think rather than having a go at it, I think the argument is, was it too one sided in terms of batter V, I guess there are people that are more qualified to judge that. It certainly was challenging from my point of view out there, you've got world class attack and you know the ball's moving considerable amount. So at the end of the day, your job is to try and get on the right side of the result and make sure that you either out skill or you outsmart the opposition. And I think when we had our opportunities this game, we really did take them catching too, unfortunately. But it had been easy runs behind on that service to think that you were a long way out of things. But we knew that if we got things right, we stick to what we knew was that the lengths were going to work for us, we were going to get our rewards and things could happen very quickly. And at no point did the attacks, I guess their intent waver. They kept pushing forward for us and creating opportunities. And then like I say, the way that the guys played showed great courage, great bravery and great skill.

Yeah, just the last one. Is it frustrating to win a game as tight as that, having come from 3 nil down? I mean, is it tempting? Or do you inevitably look back and think, oh, what might have been?

I think you're always disappointed when you lose a test match, but, you know, you look at the opportunity. At Perth, we presented a similar kind of situation with a very one sided sort of wicket there and we tried to do what we did today and it didn't quite work out. And you can find yourself, if you're not careful, questioning whether that's the right way to do things when you win. You know, if we win in this fashion there, it's completely different.

That's the game.

Sometimes you've got to play with conviction. You got to trust in your method and, you know, I've been here 17, 18 times, whatever it is, and found myself on the wrong side of the result, a lot of them. So certainly enjoy tonight and really proud to be a part of a group of players that have produced a performance like that on that surface.

Thanks, Tortus. Joe, enjoy the night. It might be lively looking at those behind you. I think.

Yeah, might lead them to it, but.

Love to see you, Joe. Thank you. Well done. Congratulations. There we are. Who do we have coming now? We've got Josh Tutton coming, I think here in a second. His headphones are really loud. Josh, well done. Congratulations. Got a very nice medallion there. Well bowled. Well bowled.

Yeah, thank you very much. Felt really good. Obviously a pitch that helps us bowlers, but we still had to put the Ball in the right areas for long periods of time, still making sure we're hitting the pitch hard. And obviously that fuller length as well is where we got our success.

Yeah, that's the thing. About to be grumbling about it, but actually there is pressure on the bowler in that situation, isn't there? I mean, every run counts, every bad ball that goes for four hurts. I mean, you've got to be right on it.

Well, obviously, winning the toss on day one, there's obviously a bit of pressure on the bowlers when there's a bit of green on the wicket. But look, full credit to all of our bowlers. I thought we stuck in really well even today. Obviously, Gus went down, unfortunately, but I thought Stokes in Carson got exceptionally well as well.

Yeah, interesting tactic. Brydon cars slipping out there at number three. I mean, you were padding up. As were you.

No, I wasn't. No, not. Not a chance.

No, no. I mean, it's the first time you've savored this. It's pretty special, isn't it, to come here 12,000 miles from home and have a reception like that.

Yeah. Look, the whole series have been amazing. I've just played my first game last week in Adelaide and the support out there was incredible. And obviously then coming to the MCG full of 95,000 people in boxing Day. Yeah, they've just been so good and it's so good to play in front of them.

Yeah. Is this something that you always dreamt of one day, coming out and playing against Australia? Really?

Yeah, 100%. Look, my dream was always to play for England, whoever against. But this is on the top of my list, playing in Ashes, away from home and with the support of the barmy army as well. Yeah. I can't really describe what I'm feeling, really.

Go and enjoy it. Thank you, Josh. Thanks for talking to us. There we go. Man of the match. Josh Tunne for his. Well, particularly his excellent efforts in the first innings. We're just waiting, Simon. Ben Stokes is having a chat with Isha Gour at the moment, so I suspect he'll come to us shortly. But there you go. You've heard from Joe Root and Josh Tung. I was looking around Emmanuel at the moment, but back to you for a moment.

Okay, Jonathan, we'll be down there as soon as Ben Stokes is with you. Pretty noisy down there at the presentation ceremony. I can see the mass ranks of supporters just behind it. And of course, they're still singing. The barmy arm is still singing on the far side of the Ground almost as if they've been locked in the ground and there might be a few lock ins tonight in Melbourne later on. So Joe Root speaking there and also Josh Chang. I mean he did bowl well and you made the point of us. Where was he in the first two test matches of the series?

Yeah, a little bit. I mean he finished the summer well, didn't he against India as well and got wickets. I think he was in sort of England's best bowler last summer. So you were sort of scratching your head. I mean he was almost sort of seen as the replacement for an archer, wasn't he? For that sort of pace and bounce and sort of or a cast to sort of rotate. But I think now he's, he's got himself right up the pecking order. I think he's first on the team sheet now for England in the same bowling department.

He did mention that, you know, the pitch was helpful. What did you feel about it overall, Glenn?

Yeah, the pitch was definitely helpful. There's no doubt about that.

Too helpful probably a little bit.

10 mils of grass, probably too much. They 7 millimeters of grass last year and the test match was perfect. So. But listening to Josh Tongue, you know he was very right in what he said. You win the toss, you put the opposition in, you're expected to bowl them out or to take wickets and you still have to get the ball in the right area and not go too hard and go searching for wickets. So you know, credit to the England bowlers, the way they bowled in that first innings to knock Australia over that first day and probably more credit to them today. I thought they bowled better today. Better areas under pressure and. Yeah, and, and they got the rewards. So it looks like Josh Tongue might have been play the match which I think he deserved.

Yeah, no, absolutely. I was sitting there listening to Jim Maxwell, he said man of the series in four years time. Josh Tongue. There you go Jim. Seen a bit of cricket.

Well, it's a big call, isn't it? Well, let's, let's focus on this series. First time there's another Ashley series in England to come as well. That's not too far away. And also before that that there's another match here, a day night game to celebrate 150 years of test cricket between England, Australia. It's a day night match in, in March, in about 15 months time. But just, just kind of put this result in some sort of context if you can. Toughers.

I'm feeling even sort of slightly more frustrated of what might have been. It'll be interesting to see what Ben Stokes has to see. But this is what we were expecting. Expecting. This is what I was expecting, really. I was expecting really, you know, both games going down to the wire, not necessarily going five days. We all said it. We all said it. It's just that when we got here for those first three, they sort of slipped through our fingers. We knew that this was sort of possible around the corner. So, you know, another two day Test match. Doesn't look great, does it? Doesn't look great. People's going to lose money, cricket, Australia is going to lose money and all that, that kind of stuff. But it's, I, I put this down to the England side even having been through a lot of scrutiny in those first three Test matches, just putting it out for their skipper.

Let's go back to Jonathan.

Yeah, Ben Stokes is here and he's got a smile on his face. That's, that's something.

Yeah.

Look, the, the game was set up there for us to, to chase down a total and sometimes when you've got a target, it just makes things a lot easier. And the way that that wicket played throughout was pretty clear and obvious how we had to try and take that game on. You know, think not the best advertisement for Test match wickets, but, you know, you have to face the conditions that's in front of you. And I think the way in which we bowled this week was exceptional. The way in which we went about that run check race is exceptional as well. And especially on the back of everything that we had to deal with building up to this game. I couldn't be prouder as the captain of the way in which we held firm as a group and as individuals as well, you know, it's, yeah, it's a very, very obviously proud moment knowing that how tough this tour has been, how everything has gone before this tour as well for other teams who have come here. So to get that win and you know, over a long period of time that we've been waiting for is, you know, pretty pleasing.

Yeah.

You must be really pleased with the response of the team actually, because that was a pretty rotten build up to this.

That was, sorry.

A rotten build up you had up to this match. Was he very pleased?

I mean, definitely. And you know, you get tested as, you know, leaders within, you know, sporting teams and organizations all the time in different ways. And you know, that was a test of character, a test of, you know, qualities of leadership. And I think the way that we went about it, you know, not only in the, in the public in terms of all the media and all that kind of stuff, but also behind the scenes, it was so, so important that we were able to make sure that everyone's focus was still on the cricket. You know, it would have been so easy to put all our focus and attention onto all that kind of stuff outside of the dressing room and then we lose our focus on what we need to do out there on the field. Because at the end of the day, the most important thing for us is what we need to do out there at. And yeah, look, we stayed so focused and committed to making sure that we put everything in possible to get a win this week. And I'm very, very proud of the group and I'm very, very proud of certain individuals who fronted up this week.

Back to the pitch. Were you expecting that? I mean, I know you won the toss and put him in, but were you expecting it to be quite so tricky?

Definitely. I think even Steve knew that I was definitely going to do, you know, a bit. But yeah, that was, yeah, not the best.

Was, was quite interesting to watch, but bit of pressure on the bats. A little bit pressure on the bowlers too though, isn't it? I mean, you bowl a bad ball, it goes before it hurts. On a pitch like that, in a low scoring game like that, yeah, I.

Guess you can, but, you know, 36 wickets in less than two days and nothing over 200, you know, I think you can read into that a lot and just say if that was another condition somewhere else and that had happened, you'd probably be getting a pasting. But again, you know, that's what we were faced with. That's what we had to try and play our cricket on. And, you know, when the pressure was on us and the moment mattered, we were able to stand up and deliver something good in that pressure moment, which to be honest, we've sort of not been able to do so far in the series. So, yeah, very, very good. We're obviously very ecstatic about the result that we managed to get here. We know we've still got one more game to go and the focus hasn't moved away from that. Even before this game started, we had two games and we want to get two results in our way.

Seen a few random things and unexpected moments. I think Brydon Kaas walking out at number three would rank quite high. What was going on there?

Yeah, well, look, it was one of those. You look at the way that all the top order batters were just struggling to find a way to be able to score runs and the ones who did score runs were either down the order, who sort of, you know, flashed it a few slightly wider ones, and even, you know, like, the way that Brookie took it on in the first innings looked to be very, very proactive and trying not to knock bowlers off their lengths and put them under pressure. So, you know, we thought it was, you know, something that we were willing to risk. You know, if he did come off and get a quick 30 or 40, that's a. That's huge in little run chases like this. It didn't work out that way, but there was, you know, method to the mayhem. So I wouldn't say it was funny. No. Yeah, well, it was a tactical plan that unfortunately just didn't pay off for us. But, you know, the way that, that cricket, it played out, you know, we thought, why not just send someone up? He's got a good eye, got a good, you know, chance of, of potentially slogging a quick 30 or 40 on a pretty tricky wicket.

Last one, I mean, to see. Turn around. I mean, in the sunshine there, all these England supporters who, who have come out, that must be a very special feeling, isn't it, to reward them now?

Definitely. They've been with us not only on this tour, they're with us everywhere we go, whether we be in England, abroad and other countries, but obviously in particular in the Ashes. It means so much to us. We know how much it means to the fans who follow us around, so. And I guess the great thing about it is the noise and the chance and the atmosphere that they bring is completely the same, even from the first, the games before this. So that says a lot about the fans that we have. They are with us through thick and thin and, yeah, hopefully tonight they will do stuff that's going to give them a slightly bad head in the morning.

I'm sure they will. Look after yourself, Ben. Have a nice night. Thanks for talking to us. Good to see you smiling. There we go. That's nice. A much more relaxed Ben Stokes talking there with all the England supporters all around. It's not just the barmy armies and all around us here, too, waving and applauding and just being generally happy. And a tour that's had a lot of ups and downs, difficulties. I thought he was very strong there on the response that he's had from his team and the build up to this game particular, all the Noosa business and everything else. Clearly there's been a lot going on behind the scenes there to try and keep the players focused and get them to to stand up and to play with that stuff in the background during this match. I mean, there's a lot of stuff that's not going to go away, and a lot of things, obviously, about this tour will still be talked about when it. When it's done and dusted. But for now, at least, that's one very happy dressing room. Who have risen to a pretty difficult challenge here, playing on this pitch. And they've won. And it's now 3:1 with one to play.

John, it's quiet down a little bit around you now, so we can reflect a bit more on the game. I was toughest to put the game in, in context. Australia have won the Ashes. They. They were three nil up. England come here and they've. They've won the game. I mean, how significant is this victory for England?

Well, I think it's significant for the players, definitely. I mean, just being down here. Yeah, they're all out doing interviews and you know what it's like. You know, when England lose a match. You. The poor old captain gets flushed out, maybe the coach, and that's it. You don't see anybody else. But I can see Jacob Bethel there. We heard from Joe Root. There's others around too, I can see, who are giving interviews and just enjoying the atmosphere. I mean, it's pretty lively down here, you know, up there in our commentary box, often behind glass, you don't really. You don't really get to feel what it's like, but just. I mean, I remember being out here when we won the ashes here in 10, 11, the barmies and the sprinkler and all that stuff. Actually, it rather came flooding back as I walked back out onto the grass here, because, of course, it hasn't happened since. So, you know, this big Colosseum like this, you get the sound, you get the atmosphere and so on. So, look, as far as the tour as a whole is concerned, we will never be able to get away from the fact that we were told at Adelaide that they hadn't prepared enough. And that was the admission from the management, reflecting on them losing the Ashes three nil. That's still the case. This game was very much set up, I think, for the England style of particularly batting, chasing a small target, going at it hell for leather, knocking the bowlers, who've got very little to very little wriggle room, and the captain, too, having to set fields, bearing in mind that you've got players coming out there and playing shots. I mean, this is. This is kind of made for this team's blueprint to go out and win a game like this, a low scoring game, attack the fourth innings target as they have done. So, you know, they still had to do it and they've had to do it from a pretty low confidence base. And with all the stuff that's been going on in the press of the last couple of weeks and Noosa and everything else, losing the Ashes, all those things, they've had to come from that, from that sort of level. So, I mean, Ben Stokes there, I haven't seen him smile like that for weeks. You know, he, yes, he's lost the Ashes, but they're not going to go home having lost 5 nil and be whitewashed again. They've, they've finally, they finally broken the duck. They've won a game and I'm sure they'll be pretty confident about winning at Sydney now as well.

And if they did do that and it was 3:2, does that make a significant difference to the management and their futures?

So that's the big question, isn't it? I mean, I think when you've got the coach saying we didn't prepare enough and we haven't done things right and you've lost a series 3 nil, then that still stands, you know, but if they can come back and win a couple of games, you know, if Jacob Bethel can show. It was difficult game for him here, coming at number three. I mean, he didn't bat like a test match number three today because the situation wasn't for him to do that. So we didn't learn a lot about him. He got a good 40. You can see he's got a bit of character going out there. It'd be nice to see him bat number three at Sydney in a. In a more normal situation on a, a, On a. On a flatter pitch in which he can just go out and show us, show us what he's made of. Josh Tung again, has reminded us of the talent that he has. So too did Atkinson before he went and twanged his hamstring. I mean, there are, you know, we know that there are good players in this side and that. That's the frustrating part of it all. And I think at the very start we said, look, what we don't want is for England's players to go back and leave Sydney and look in the mirror and know they haven't given it their best shot. And there's still that. That lingering feeling that actually a very talented set of cricketers up against. It's been, it's been Australia's second 11 all the way through. England haven't played against their strongest team yet, you know, have. Have they given it that Absolutely best shot. And judging by what Brendan McCallum said at Adelaide, he'd probably say, well, they, they haven't, they haven't done because they didn't prepare properly. And that's. Those words are still going to echo at the end of this tour, regardless of what happens. It might mean that there's more leeway given perhaps when this series is reviewed and there always are reviews into these things, of course, and maybe a bit more give and take perhaps, because you see a situation like this in which that method actually was the difference between the two teams. Probably. But the overall message still has to be that you don't come to Australia and expect to win the Ashes with the sort of preparation that they had this time.

Jonathan, we're sitting here looking at a scorecard which says that England's leading scorer, individual scorer in the match was Harry Brooke with 41 and they. But they still won the game. What about this surfer office and, and what about the spectators who had tickets for tomorrow? It's a great day for England. They've won the Test. That's all you can do, isn't it? Turn up and win the game. What about the, the pitch and the spectators who had tickets for tomorrow and those for later in the game? What about that? Is the surface good enough?

Yeah, I think Stokes is very strong on the pitch, wasn't he bearing in mind, you know, the rules and regulations and everything else, that captains really can't go criticizing umpires, they can't go criticizing pitches. You know, it's, it's a. They've got to play with a pretty straight bat. But I think he made it absolutely clear to me, I mean, he threw it back at it, didn't he? About, you know, what do we think watching it? You know, clearly there's a lot of dissatisfaction there about the standard of the pitch and you don't want test matches ending in two days. And I don't know why the groundsman here decided that. Who's going to leave so much grass on it? It's clearly, it's a mistake. And cricket Australia are going to pay a heavy price for this game having ended so soon. And no one wants that, you know, don't want two day test matches. You want test matches to go on into the fifth day, if possible. Lots of ebb and flowing and pitches slowly deteriorating. The usual stuff that you get in a test match, which there wasn't Here, I mean, this is just. Just zipping around from the word go. Whether there was, and we talked about this yesterday, that feeling of the Ashes being over and therefore perhaps batsmen not quite scrapping as they would if everything was still on the line. And I include Australia in that, by the way, as well. In fact, I think they had a pretty poor game here. The Australian batsman, some pretty casual dismissals going through it. Whether they just taken their eye off the ball a bit after winning the Ashes in Adelaide, and England still had, well, there two things. England, I think, and I mentioned this to Stokes before the match, actually. The stuff that happens off the field and when you're in the crosshairs and you're getting a sort of stick that they were getting in the media, that could be. That could be a galvanizing thing. You know, you can actually. It can actually pull a team together. It can go one of two ways. You either adopt a sort of a bunker siege mentality in which the world's against you and the wheels come spinning off and you lose, or you do get together, you know, the world's against us. Let's get out there and show them. And I talked to him about that before the game, and he said that might very well be an impact. And I think. I think that is what's happened here. I think that has spurred them on to stand up and show that actually, you know, they have got some character, which is all, I think, as a captain, you want to see from your players. So it's a difficult one, isn't it? I mean, three, two, when you come back, having lost three nil, of course it sounds better and, you know, you've won a couple of games, but the focus in my mind still has to be on the start of the tour and what went wrong there.

They've got a week now, another week before the next Test match and the final game. You see no Atkinson, I would think, for Sydney with that hamstring injury. Hamstring injuries tell you when they're ready, rather than the other way around. So you almost certainly. He'll be out of that game. They've lost Atkinson, they've lost Archer, they've lost Wood. What do they do next?

Well, let's have a. Well, I suppose Matthew Potts gets a run out. He's been here from the start, you know, he probably needs to have a game, doesn't he? I mean, there's not. There's not much left, so I imagine he'll go to game. I've seen him running lots of Laps and I've seen him bowling a lot in the nets, but I mean he hasn't had a game of cricket, has he? I wonder when he last played a match. Did he play in Canberra? I can't even remember now.

Yes, he did, he did.

So there you go. He's had a run out there, but otherwise he's hardly done anything. So I'm gonna say give him a game. But in terms of how England play it, they show the same character that they have here. I mean their players all went over, they all, you know, savoured the end there with the spectators, the barmies and all that making a tremendous noise. It is special. It is special to come to Australia and win. It is you kind of outnumbered and you, you know, you've got it, you've got to stand up and do it. So there's no doubt that was, that was a really special moment for the players, none of whom have experienced that before. And so hopefully that'll, that'll, that'll make them even more determined when they get to Sydney to do it again.

Jonathan, thank you. England have won this game by four wickets. Glenn's here and tough as is here. Glenn, it can't be five nil.

No, no, it can't.

Yeah.

You've got to be put your predictions out there at the start and if things don't go well, you've got to be adaptable and flexible, don't you? So I've had to rethink things slightly.

So I've decided to go for one.

I thought you might do one thing.

One thing I think there will be is a flat pitch in Sydney. I think it's going to be an absolute belt. I know that can get a little bit rainy and overcast around there and everything, but they won't want another two day test match.

Well, the pitch last year against India was. They left far too much grass on it. It was a two and a half day test match and you know, it is the pink test for my foundation. We, I wanted to go at least four.

What day is that?

What day three is the main day, that Jay McGrath day. But predominantly it's the whole test match. But yeah, you don't want it to be over in two days in that respect.

Well, make sure it's a good deck for Sydney.

Yeah, I mean we're traditionally in Sydney and then in the old days the ball spun, didn't it? Or you play two spinners. So is there any chance, do you think of that?

Well, there might be.

Be nice if there's a little bit of turn. There's been a little bit of seamless previous years. I think the team that I was lucky enough to play and we won too many test matches too quickly and they started to try to make flatter pitches and I think that probably destroyed the spin in Sydney. But yeah, it was renowned for its spin. Hopefully it'll be a good cricket wicket which we've seen in the past and the weather will be fine. So yeah, hoping to go there for another at least a four if not five day test match.

So with no Atkinson and England beginning to run out of pace bowlers. And if it does spin, does that mean Scherbashir comes into it or not?

I don't know, I'm not sure really. I mean what we've seen all Australian summer down under is good professional bowling from Australia. Seen bowlers that look to hit the top of off stump. Now there you go, Tongues come in and perform well. Pots as well is sitting there. He's that type of bowler. Fisher is here. So I don't think you can just throw the spinner in unless it looks like it's going to turn. And you know, the, the wise men place the hands on the, on the hallowed 22 yards and decide whether it's going to turn or not. But I think England will probably stick with, you know, hitting them with pace. Good to see Jacob Bethel get some runs. That's another positive. You know, we were all a little bit worried for him making his debut as well. And the other thing I was very strong on there when I listened to Ben Stokes was that the management, how strong the management has had to been, you know, and the back room staff, there have been a bit of criticism. You know, you could hear John sort of saying, oh, you know, preparation and everything like that. He was very strong on his mate Brendan McCullum there. And the people also sort of like involved in that group and in, in the back room sort of people for that England side that saying that, you know, that this is just as much down to them because they were in a pretty tricky spot after Noosa and three nil down after all that criticism. So I could really feel that coming through in his voice and his smile, which is good. So yeah, it was an interesting interview.

Let's talk about Australia. We haven't really focused on that much, John.

Heads will roll. Heads, heads have got a roll.

First loss in, you know, 19 Test matches at home. Like, oh, what's gone wrong?

Was their batting a bit careless in this game? Glenn?

Yeah, you look At a few of those dismissals, first innings as well, you could probably say so. A little bit loose. You know, Cameron Green's come under a bit of pressure with a couple of shots. You know, the shot he played today and being run out in the first innings, you know, Jake Wetherald just left one there, got strangled down the leg side. So, you know, on these pitches, it does funny things to batsman's minds and they start, you know, the shot selection, you know, you start questioning it as well. So, yeah, it's just one of those things you've got to. They'll sit back here. I don't think Australia will panic too much. You know, the pitch, you know, you've got to take into consideration. I can't say they're making too many changes come Sydney, you know, Pat Cummins, was he fit enough to play? I. I think maybe he was. And they're just taking the easy option. Will he come back? Who knows? So, yeah, there's a. There's a little bit for Australia to think of, but they've got a few extra days to do it. But, yeah, it'll be interesting to see what. What squad they pick for Sydney.

I mean, you played in. In teams from memory. I'm just trying to think specifically where you. You said earlier actually in the game that you would, you know, win the series, then you might drop a game. Is there a slight lessening of intensity sometimes when you've won the series?

Oh, yeah, you hope not. But sometimes there can be. And it's funny watching the players go about it. You know, they get bold and they sort of have a bit of a laugh and you think, does, you know, does it mean that much to you? And I think it still does. The players know each other from both teams better now than they ever have as well. So there's that difference. But, yeah, you know, it's.

It's.

You hope not, but just a feeling. The commentary box out the back, you know, with the England and the Australian commenter. I don't think anyone's disappointed in. In England winning this one, which is a little bit unique. I, you know, I hope it's different out in the ground yet. Every game is incredibly important all the time, and that's why it should be played. So you hope not.

Okay, time for some more reaction now. Jacob Bethel scored an important and mature 40 today. Came in in a pressure moment. He's been speaking to Isha Goa. Jacob Bethel, at the age of 22, your first taste of Ashes cricket and you get the win. You must be Thinking, no problem.

Yeah, it's not as simple as that. But, yeah, it was lovely to come in and make an impact and more importantly, an impact to a win.

How hard is it to face Mitchell Stark coming at you at 145 kilometers an hour here at the MCG?

Yeah, I've faced him once in Whitemore Creek before, so had a little eye, but it definitely feels a lot quicker when it's nipping around. But, yeah, great experience thrown in the.

Deep end there at number three. When the ball was nipping around so much. What did you talk about with the. Your teammates on the back of that first innings? And, and how did you kind of apply yourself when it came to the second innings? Because you picked up 40 in good time.

Yeah, I think going out first innings, it was kind of identifying that I was doing a lot and, and I probably didn't have enough conviction to. To go out there straight away and, and kind of try and put them off their length. But the second innings, especially when you're chasing one of those niggly totals, it. It was pretty clear that you had to go out there and, and try and get them off it as quickly as possible.

And whose idea was the ramp immediately after tea?

Well, I'd like to think mine, but.

Yeah, the keeper was up and the third man was pretty wide, so I figured it'd be the best way to get him back as soon as possible.

Well, it was great to watch and you gave your side a great chance when it came to the run chase. Have you ever experienced an atmosphere like this before?

No, definitely not. I think, what was it, 93,000 yesterday, 92,000 today. It's been. Been pretty special. Got my parents in the crowd as well, so time that, well, them coming over for this game and yeah, it's been pretty incredible. And like I said before, it's nice to have it as a win. And just lastly, we just spoke to Joe Root.

You had a picture taken with him in Barbados at the age of 15. You then get to bat with him seven years later on the MCG surface. Must have been an incredible moment for yourself.

Yeah, it's pretty special. Still feels surreal. I've batted with him a couple of times now in Test cricket. Yeah, our dad's played together and it is pretty special to actually live us playing together, Test cricket as well. So, yeah, we've not been able to finish a job today together, but it was unbelievable to experience out there with him.

Well, you've had a taste of it now, so all the best in the next Match and for the rest of.

Your career, thank you very much.

Jacob Bethel, who made 40 today in England's four wickets victory, reaching their victory target of 175 in 33 overs and he was the leading scorer for England today. More reaction now this time from the Australia camp. What did Steve Smith, their captain, make of it? He's been speaking to Isa as well. A tough one for you to lose, but you hung in there. What are your reflections on this match?

Yeah, tricky one obviously. A very quick game. Yeah, I think, you know, we got 50 or 60 more across both innings then. Yeah, we, we might have been there at the end, but yeah, credit to England. They came out today and bowed really well this morning. Didn't let us get away. And then the way they started with the bat, they, they were very aggressive, got a few away. Probably softened our ball a little bit and probably didn't offer as much from that point. So credit to them, the way they played.

Did the pitch change at all?

Not really.

I think it did a fair amount for the whole game. Just probably when the ball got softened from a few lusty blows from their top order today, where it started to go a little bit less potentially. But yeah, without that I think it was still going to offer plenty.

And what is your genuine opinion of the pitch? Because it was so heavily in favor of the bowlers?

Yeah, I think a little bit too much. Yeah, it was tricky. No one could really get in. I think when you see 36 wickets across two days, that's probably too much. So probably did a little bit more.

Than they probably wanted to.

Maybe, maybe if we drop it down to 8 mils it'd be about right potentially. All right, Steve, thanks for your time.

And all the best in the next test in Sydney.

Thank you.

Australia's captain Steve Smith giving his opinion on the surface and a pretty uniform opinion I think from pundits players during this test match about the state of the pitch. And so let's go to the, the stats and what, what they tell us. We can see the, the bold facts there. 36 wickets in a short space of time within the two days and another game finishing within two days. Z, what are you starting with in your statistical roundup?

Well, well let's start with England breaking that, that sequence of 18 without a win in Australia means they, they do not hold that record on their own. New Zealand also had an 18 match winless run in this country that they broke with a win in in hobart in the 20112012 season. Although they had more draws than England did. 16 defeats, two draws. But before this game, England's previous longest winless run in Australia was 12 matches. The last three of the 1936-37 series. All five in the first series after the Second World War and the first four in the 1950-51 series.

What about short games?

Short games? So two day Test. There had not been one in the Ashes since 1921. Now we've had two in four matches. There'd never been two in a series since the 1890s when England played a very, very weak South African team. And never been two two day games in an Ashes series since 1888 when all three games were completed in two days. But cricket and pitches were very, very different then. 142 overs in this game, 5 balls longer than Perth. The 2nd and 3rd shortest tests ever played in Australia, 9th and 10th shortest ever played anywhere in the world in terms of completed tests. So ignore in games that were shortened by rain or other other factors, 847 and 852 balls. There hadn't previously in the Ashes since the 19th century been a game below 1000 balls or 170 over. So that puts in context quite how absurdly short these games have been.

What about 50s as well? No 50s in this match. How rare is that?

That is very rare. In all Tests it was the 16th ever. Just the fifth since 1935, the second in the Ashes since 1896. The other was a game Edgbaston in 1981, the fourth Test of that series. England hadn't been involved in a Test with no 50 since then. Australia hadn't until earlier this year when they had a similar game in the West Indies. England won without anyone scoring a 50 for just the third time in the last 60 years and just the second time against Australia since the 19th century. Australia failed to score a 50 in an Ashes Test for the first time since they were spun to defeat by Phil Tufnell at the Oval in 1997. And it's only the third time in a home Ashes Test they failed to post a 50 since Don Bradman's debut in 1928. So just a couple more things about the the high paced nature of this series. England have lost a wicket every 37 balls in this series. That's their second worst such figure currently. Obviously it might change after Sydney, but It's currently their second worst in any Test series behind the 1888 Ashes that I mentioned a while ago. Australia have lost a wicket every 43 balls, which is their worst against England since 1905 and their 11th worst of all time. That's including two and three match series as well. Overall, a wicket every 40 balls in this series, currently the lowest figure in any Test series of four or more tests. And third on that list is Australia against India here last Australian summer. So two of the three series in which wickets have fallen fastest out of series of four or more matches have been in Australia in their last two seasons. So in terms of the nature of pitches in Australia, completely different to what we've seen for most of Australian cricket history and something that Australian cricket clearly needs, clearly needs to address. Australia were bowled out in under 80 overs in this match, one ball short of 80 overs for the first time since that Brisbane Test of 1928. And there were 21 single figure scores, which is the joint second most in an Ashes Test in Australia. Just a couple of other small things. No overs of spin for only the second time in an Ashes Test after the 1981 Trent Bridge Test. And Josh Tungsten player of the match, 43 wickets now in his first eight Tests, which is the joint seventh most wickets in the first eight Tests of an England bowler's career and the third most in the last hundred years of test cricket since when only Frank Tyson, 1950s pace demon and Ken Higgs Haggis cricketing hero in the 1960s has taken more than tongue in his first eight tests.

Thanks very much Andy. You can watch clips on the BBC Sport website, an app with full highlights on BBC iPlayer every day of the series from 5pm also on iPlayer. Look out for the TMS Ashes debrief with Alex Hartley and Michael Vaughan for all our content on BBC Sounds. Just search Ashes where we'll have a podcast every day. We're back on air 10.55pm on January 3rd for the fifth and final Test at Sydney.

The TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 live.

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