Australia Show Complete Dominance to Win Sydney Test Against England; Seal Ashes 4-1

January 8, 2026: Australia defeated England in the fifth and final Test in Sydney and sealed the Ashes series with a big 4-1 win. They chased a target of 160 runs and won the match by five wickets. England fought hard with the ball, and their spinners got good turn from the pitch. A target close to 200 could have made the match more competitive. However, Australia were the better team throughout the series and deserved to win the final Test and finish their summer on a high.

Australia were always the favourites at the start of the final day, but Jacob Bethell kept them on the field longer than expected. England had only two wickets left in their second innings, but Bethell scored a brilliant 154 before he was dismissed by Mitchell Starc. His knock helped England extend their overnight lead to 159 runs.

Mitchell Starc took both remaining wickets as England were bowled out for 342 in their second innings. It was England’s second straight 300-plus total in the Test match.

England Miss Specialist Spinner in Final Test

England’s decision to drop specialist spinner Shoaib Bashir for the entire series came back to hurt them on the final day of the Ashes. Without a frontline spinner, England relied on part-time options. Will Jacks, Jacob Bethell, and Joe Root bowled 12.2 of the 31.2 overs in the second innings and troubled the batters at times.

Will Jacks even dismissed Steve Smith with a brilliant delivery that turned sharply after pitching. Many felt that Bashir could have played a big role while defending a target of 160 runs.

Josh Tongue was the standout bowler for England as he picked up three wickets. However, the target was not enough. Australia’s top three batters all got starts, and although Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja, playing his final Test, were dismissed early, Australia stayed in control of the chase and comfortably reached the target to seal the series.