Australia seals Ashes series with 82-run win in Adelaide as Lyon injury clouds celebration

Australia has sealed the Ashes series in style, delivering an 82-run win over England in Adelaide to stretch its lead to 3-0 and leave the urn on home soil for another year. Mitchell Starc spearheaded a decisive late spell, taking three of England’s last four wickets as Australia defended 435 and dismissed England for 352 in the middle session of day five. Starc finished with 3-62 and was Australia’s most threatening bowler across the match, ensuring the hosts wrapped up the urn in the opening three Tests of the series. The victory capped a dominant home summer that had already seen Australia win the first two Tests by eight wickets apiece, in Perth and Brisbane, and completed the fastest Ashes clinch in Australia, reaching the target after 786.3 overs.

The win came at a cost, however, as Nathan Lyon left the field midway through Sunday’s play with a right hamstring strain and later required crutches. The 38-year-old spinner had helped swing the momentum in Australia’s favour late on the fourth evening with three key wickets, but his injury immediately raised questions about his availability for the remaining Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and the Sydney Test to follow. Lyon’s absence would complicate Australia’s bowling options with short turnarounds ahead of the next two matches, and Pat Cummins later offered only cautious optimism about his own fitness for Boxing Day.

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Cummins, who had only recently returned from a back issue, bowled superbly in his comeback week, taking three crucial top-and-middle-order wickets in each innings in Adelaide. Yet his long-term workload remains a concern as Australia weighs how to balance his bowling with his captaincy ahead of the next two fixtures. After his early success, Cummins did not bowl in the last two hours of play on Saturday and was seen grabbing at his back while fielding, which did little to quell speculation about whether he will be ready to lead in Melbourne.

In Adelaide, Travis Head and Alex Carey provided the backbone for Australia’s innings. Carey anchored the opening-day reply with a 106, supporting Usman Khawaja’s 82 as Australia established a first-innings lead of 85. Head’s near-flawless 170 in the second innings helped build the platform for Australia’s 371, a score that England could not overhaul despite a late surge. England’s resistance was led by Ben Stokes (83) and a late push from Jofra Archer, but Australia’s bowlers, led by Starc and backed by Lyon earlier in the match, held firm as the visitors collapsed under the pressure.

England’s chase began with intent but gradually lost traction as Australia’s bowlers shifted momentum. A key moment came when Jamie Smith began to cut loose after Lyon left the field, hitting four boundaries in a row off the second new ball, but the drama swung back when Smith edged a Starc delivery to slip, ending England’s hopes of a record-breaking chase. Starc then removed Will Jacks with a one-handed slide catch from Marnus Labuschagne at second slip, and Jofra Archer fell to a sharp take at deep backward point before Scott Boland wrapped up the win by dismissing Josh Tongue.

The result leaves Australia with an unassailable 3-0 lead, and England’s win drought in Australia stretched to more than five years. It is now 5,462 days since England last won a Test in Australia, a reminder of Australia’s dominance on home soil this decade. The triumph also continues Australia’s ability to win without Steve Smith and Pat Cummins featuring in the same Test this season, while Josh Hazlewood’s absence through injury has further constrained the bowling depth.

With Lyon’s fitness still in doubt, selectors face a quick decision ahead of Boxing Day. Corey Rocchiccioli, Matt Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy are among the contenders to replace Lyon if he cannot bowl in Melbourne, while Cummins’ own fitness status will shape the captaincy and bowling plans for the tour’s next phase. For now, Australia savours a series-clinching win even as it files away the injuries and the uncertainties heading into the next city, where a revived England side will look to salvage some pride and avoid a whitewash.

The series has reinforced Australia’s position as the holder of the Ashes heading into the next cycle, and Head’s and Carey’s performances will be remembered as pivotal contributions to the team’s success. As the celebrations began in Adelaide, the broader cricket world shifted focus to the health and availability of key players for Boxing Day, and to whether Australia can sustain its momentum through Melbourne and Sydney under the pressure of a looming schedule and the weight of expectations.