Nottingham: England regained the Ashes by sealing an innings and 78-run victory over Australia on the third day of the fourth Test here on Saturday.

England needed only three wickets to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series and they took it without much trouble at Trent Bridge. Australia were bowled out for 253 runs in their second innings.

They claimed those three wickets within an hour of play on Saturday. Pacer Ben Stokes claimed a wicket on Saturday to end with figures of 6-36 in the second innings.

The win caps a remarkable reversal from the 0-5 whitewash suffered by England Down Under in 2013-14.

Stokes second over of the morning set England on their course for victory as he claimed the opening breakthrough, forcing Mitchell Starc to edge one to Ian Bell at second slip for a duck.

Fellow pacer Mark Wood got in on the act as he bowled Josh Hazlewood (0) as England sensed victory in double-quick time with barely an hour of the morning session having passed.

Adam Voges (51) did go to his half century but it was his partner Lyon whose wicket led to the regaining of the Ashes, as he played on off the bowling of Wood to spark scenes of wild celebration as England reached the crowning moment.

England took a giant step on their road to victory when Australia collapsed to just 60 all out in 111 balls on Thursday with right-arm Stuart Broad taking eight for 15.

Within moments of the loss, Australian captain Michael Clarke announced his retirement after the final Ashes Test at The Oval cricket ground, in London, this month.

He told Channel 9: “The time is right. I want to play the last Test at The Oval and give it one more crack. I’ll take so many memories away. I’m looking forward to sitting and cheering the boys on. It’s the right time.”

England have now won five of the last seven Ashes series and the last four at home.

(IANS)

by BBC

England paceman Stuart Broad took 8-15 as Australia were bowled out in the quickest time ever in the first innings of a Test on a remarkable first day in the fourth Ashes match at Trent Bridge.

Broad equalled the fastest five-wicket haul, taking 5-6 in 19 balls, as the tourists were 60 all out in 111 balls.

Australia are just the fourth side in Test history to bat first and be fielding before lunch on the first day.

Broad, 29, also became the fifth English bowler to reach 300 wickets.

He also returned England’s third best Ashes bowling figures of all time – only beaten by Jim Laker’s 9-37 and 10-53  at Old Trafford in 1956.

And his five-wicket haul is the fastest taken from the start of a Test innings, beating the 25 balls required by South Africa’s Vernon Philander to claim five New Zealand wickets at Cape Town in January 2013.

Broad had Chris Rogers caught at first slip by Alastair Cook with just his second ball – claiming his 300th wicket and inflicting a first duck in 46 Test innings on the Australian opener in the process – before having Steve Smith caught at third slip by Joe Root from his sixth delivery.

He then had Shaun Marsh caught by Ian Bell at second slip in his second over and Adam Voges spectacularly caught by Ben Stokes at fifth slip in his third.

Michael Clarke became Broad’s fifth victim, slashing a ball to Cook at first slip from Broad’s 19th ball, thus equalling the number of deliveries needed by Australia’s Ernie Toshack to claim five wickets against India at Brisbane in 1947 – though Toshack did not open the bowling.

Mark Wood and Steven Finn also took a wicket apiece as Australia were reduced to 38-7 in 11 overs.

Broad then claimed the last three wickets as Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson both edged to Root at slip before Nathan Lyon was the last man out, caught by Stokes at sixth slip, 20 minutes before lunch.

Nottinghamshire seamer Broad is playing in his 83rd Test, having made his debut against Sri Lanka in 2007.

He joins Fred Trueman, Bob Willis, Sir Ian Botham and his team-mate James Anderson in England’s 300 club – with his eighth wicket drawing him level with Trueman on 307.

Anderson, who reached the 300 mark in May 2013, is England’s leading wicket-taker with 413 – although he is missing the fourth Test with a side injury.

Broad has played in three winning Ashes series – in 2009, 2010-11 and 2013 – and scored a Test century against Pakistan at Lord’s in August 2010.