ENGLAND conjured a sensational victory from the wreckage of their Ashes tour – their first Test win in Australia for almost 15 years.
Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley and Jacob Bethell all made useful contributions as England chased down a target of 175 and won by four wickets.
Australia now lead the series 3-1.
The Fourth Test in Melbourne lasted a total of just 142 overs and was the second match of the series to be completed inside two days.
It is the first Test series since 1912 to feature a couple of two-day finishes.
The speed at which wickets tumbled on a seam-friendly, grass-covered pitch made a mockery of Test cricket.
There was plenty of bad batting but the groundsman’s decision to set his mowers at 10mm – rather than the usual 7mm – turned the Test into a lottery.
The tens of thousands of spectators with tickets for day three – not to mention day four and day five – will be disappointed.
And the accountants at Cricket Australia will be worried at another multi-million pound shortfall in gate revenue.
But, after weeks of misery and criticism, Ben Stokes and his players won’t care. The victory will help raise morale and might even save the jobs of team supremo Rob Key and head coach Brendon McCullum.
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Captain Stokes seems certain to stay in position.
Not since the Sydney Test in January 2011 – at the end of a series they won 3-1 – have England triumphed in a Test Down Under.
Australia began day two with a lead of 46 runs and ten second innings wickets intact.
But they were routed for 132 in 34.3 overs with England’s four seamers all helping themselves to wickets on the helpful surface, although Gus Atkinson left the field with a hamstring tweak.
Travis Head, the batsman of the series, made 46, stand-in skipper Steve Smith was left stranded on 24 not out and all-rounder Cameron Green scored 19. They were the only batsmen to reach double figures.
Head was the key wicket – bowled by a jaffa from Brydon Carse that pitched on leg stump and hit the top of off.
Head’s dismissal prompted a collapse in which Australia lost their last seven wickets for 50 runs.
England were set 175 to win – the highest total of the match.
Naturally, the batsmen’s tactic was to be aggressive and score as many runs as possible before receiving a delivery with their name on it.
At the end of a difficult week, Duckett produced his highest score of the series before being yorked by Mitchell Starc. A knock of 34 might not sound much but it came from just 26 balls and set England on their way.
England sent in fast bowler Carse at No3 to have a slog and try to disrupt the Aussie quick bowlers.
It didn’t really work but Crawley and Bethell rushed England closer to the winning line.
Crawley was lbw and then Bethell thrashed a catch to extra cover.
The young left-hander’s innings of 40 provided further evidence that he will be England’s long-term successor to Ollie Pope at No3.
Joe Root was leg before and Stokes was caught behind having a mighty heave before four leg byes from the pads of Harry Brook took England over the line.
