Cummins stars as Aussies sweep aside England
Australia completed a 4-0 Ashes series win, with Pat Cummins’ express pace easing his side to victory by an innings and 123 runs in the Sydney finale.
Man-of-the-match Cummins cleaned up England’s trail clinically after lunch on day five of the fifth test, finishing with figures of 4-39 in the final innings of the series.
The speedster, playing his first home test series after almost six years of injury hell, also bagged four scalps in the first innings to finish as the leading wicket-taker of the lopsided series with 23 scalps.
England finished at 180-9 yesterday, with sick skipper Joe Root unable to return to the crease after retiring hurt a second time.
Root, set to resume on 42 in the morning, was hospitalised because a stomach bug which had left him severely dehydrated with diarrhoea and vomiting.
Root arrived at the ground in a bad way with his hospital wristband still on, but he marched to the middle when Nathan Lyon dismissed Moeen Ali for a recordequalling seventh time this summer.
The captain was unbeaten on 58 at the meal break but too exhausted to continue his four-hour innings.
Cummins struck twice in his second over after lunch on day five, trapping Jonny Bairstow lbw and bothering Stuart Broad with a bouncer. The 24-year-old, armed with the second new ball, then removed Mason Crane with another rearing bumper.
The series finished when Jimmy Anderson was judged caught behind, with the No 11 batsman wanting to refer the on-field verdict but unable to do so because England had no more reviews left.
Australia banked victories in Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Sydney. Man of the series Steve Smith led the way by scoring 687 runs at 137.4.