Australia clinches Ashes with 82-run Adelaide win as Lyon limps off
Travis Head century helps Australia reach victory in the third Test; England fall short as Lyon injury clouds Boxing Day plans
Australia sealed the Ashes with an 82-run victory in the third Test in Adelaide, a result that gave the hosts a commanding lead in the five-match series. The win came despite a worrying setback late in the day when star spinner Nathan Lyon hobbled off the field on crutches, raising questions about his fitness for the remaining matches.
England were bowled out for 349 in their second innings, with Jofra Archer dismissed for three off a Mitchell Starc delivery as Australia wrapped up the win. Earlier, Travis Head produced a century that anchored the Australian innings, and his post–century celebration included kissing the pitch at Adelaide Oval, a moment that became a talking point in the aftermath of the dramatic result.
Head’s innings came as Australia built a total that England failed to chase down, despite a late effort from their lower order. The visitors had started the morning with a sense of momentum, but the Australian bowling unit steadied, restricting England to a target they could not overhaul as the innings closed with Archer’s dismissal marking the final wicket. The two-time defending champions had hopes of a fightback, but the home side’s discipline in the field and accuracy with the ball carried them to victory.
Travis Head’s effort dominated the day for Australia, but the moment Australia fans will remember is Lyon limping off. Captain Pat Cummins acknowledged the concern over Lyon’s ailment, saying the team would not rush a star who had carried the attack for years. “You can’t really rush things in Australia,” Cummins said after the win. “It’s a good old-fashioned grind for a lot of the time and I loved the toil from all the guys today. It got a little closer than what I would’ve liked, but I’m pretty happy.” He added that Lyon’s availability for Boxing Day in Melbourne remained in doubt, and that the team would assess him in the coming days. 
England captain Ben Stokes admitted the result was painful for a squad that had pursued a bold plan at the outset of the tour. “That dream we came here with is now over, which is incredibly disappointing,” Stokes said. “Everybody’s obviously hurting and quite emotional about it. We came here with a goal in mind, and we’ve not been able to achieve that, and it hurts and it sucks, but we are not going to stop.” England’s performance across the series had been scrutinized, with Brendon McCullum offering a blunt assessment of what went wrong, arguing that Australia had been more consistent with the ball, the bat and in the field.
The fallout from the match also touched discussions about Boxing Day lineups and whether Lyon would be fit to shoulder the spin load in Sydney or Melbourne. Cummins resisted committing to a return date, noting the need for a careful evaluation in the next 24 to 48 hours. “You can will it to happen, but it doesn’t really work that way,” Cummins said. “It’s a grind, and we’ll see how he pulls up.”
The mood in Adelaide was jubilant for Australia and reflective for England, with Stokes expressing pride in the fight his side showed but acknowledging the gap to the hosts’ consistency. The series now moves to Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test, with Australia holding the upper hand and Lyon’s health likely to shape the rest of the summer. The next chapter of the Ashes will be watched closely by fans and analysts alike as teams reassess plans for the remainder of the five-match series. 