TOP SPIN AT THE TEST

ENGLAND have now lost 13 of 15 Tests in Australia since Andrew Strauss’s team won 3-1 in 2010-11. ONLY once before, 1958-59, have England gone through a five-match Ashes series home or away without making 300. They lost 4-0 then, too. ENGLAND’S runs per wicket average of 20.21 is their lowest in an Ashes series since 1890 (16.29) — but that was in only two Tests and England won 2-0. NO BOWLER in Test history has taken more wickets at a lower average than Scott Boland’s 18 at 9.55.

FOR the first time in 10 Tests in Australia, England took all 20 wickets. The last occasion was 2014 in Sydney when they dismissed Australia for 326 and 276 — but still lost by 281 runs. STEVE SMITH’S dismissal for 27, caught off Mark Wood, dropped his Test average below 60 for the first time since September 2017.

JOE ROOT became the seventh man to hit 5,000 Test runs as captain after Clive Lloyd, Allan Border, Stephen Fleming, Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting and Virat Kohli.