NOS Sport•
Australian cricketers have won The Ashes for the 35th time. After the previous edition had not produced a winner, the cup holder had already finished with arch-rival England after three of the five test matches: 3-0.
The Australians had already won the first two test matches convincingly and did not encounter any problems in the third match, played in Adelaide. Australia stood at 720 runs after two innings and England did not come close: 638 runs.
The final two test matches of the 74th edition of The Ashes will still be played. These will be played in Melbourne and Sydney.
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England and Australia have been fighting their feud on the cricket field since 1882 during The Ashes. The name refers to the defeat that year, after which it was stated that English cricket was dead and ready to be cremated.
The countries cannot win a large trophy, but a cup of only 10.5 centimeters in the shape of an urn, which would contain the ashes of the bails (part of the wicket).
England have won 32 times, most recently in 2015. Seven times the series of five-day matches remained undecided.
The rivalry between the two countries was heated up considerably for the series of matches. Stuart Broad, an important player for England for many years, called the Australian team the worst since 2011, when England last won on Australian soil.
The Australian team was said to be too old and also struggling with injuries. Despite their self-confidence beforehand, the English were unable to achieve anything.
The BBC speaks after the defeat of a “humiliation that will go down in history as the worst in a long time, not only because of how quickly it happened, but also because this was the chance to win back the Ashes from a weakened Australia.” The Guardian calls it a “heartbreaking defeat”.
The Australian ABC is of course more lyrical: “Australia beats words with action by outclassing England.”
