MELBOURNE – England revived their Ashes hopes with a stunning four-wicket win over Australia in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, ending a 14-year wait for a victory in Australia.
Ben Stokes’ team completed the chase on the second day of the match, with Harry Brook (18*) and Jamie Smith (3*) at the crease, successfully chasing down a target of 175 runs with ease.
The English side, despite a string of low scores in the earlier innings, maintained a brisk run rate of over five runs per over during their chase.
In a bold move, they promoted fast bowler Brydon Carse to No. 3 in an attempt to accelerate their scoring, which proved effective as they set the highest total of the match in the fourth innings.
This victory marked England’s first Test win over Australia on their home soil since January 2011, breaking a 14-year drought. It ended a 5,468-day wait and handed them a crucial morale-boosting win with one match still left in the series, reducing Australia’s lead.
Jacob Bethell top-scores with 40 as we complete our first Test win in Australia since 2011.
The series may have gone, but that’s a result to be proud of 🤝 pic.twitter.com/lkuzSY4Iar
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) December 27, 2025
England’s win has also strengthened their bid for a spot in the final of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship, increasing their win-loss ratio to 35.19%. Despite the improvement, they remain in seventh place on the standings.
Australia, although defeated, continues to hold the top position with an 85.71% win rate. However, their lead has narrowed, with New Zealand in second place at 77.78% and South Africa closely behind in third with 75%.
