In the fifth and final Test of the Ashes 2025-26 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the Australian men’s cricket team beat the England cricket team by 5 wickets, chasing down a target of 160 to complete a 4-1 series triumph. Australia posted 567 and 161/5, while England managed 384 and 342. Mitchell Starc was named Player of the Series with 31 wickets, and the match marked Usman Khawaja’s final Test innings.
Anyone searching for the full Australian men’s cricket team vs England cricket team match scorecard from this fixture wants one thing above all else – the numbers, laid out clearly, with enough context to understand why they matter. Below is the complete breakdown: batting cards, bowling figures, partnerships, fall of wickets, and the tactical moments that decided a series-defining Test at one of cricket’s most storied venues.
Match Result At A Glance
The Australian men’s cricket team defeated the England cricket team by 5 wickets in the 5th Test at Sydney, chasing 160 with Marnus Labuschagne (37), Jake Weatherald (34), and Travis Head (29) leading the run chase. The result sealed a 4-1 Ashes series scoreline in Australia’s favour.
The full Australian men’s cricket team vs England cricket team match scorecard reads as a story of contrasting fortunes across five days. Australia’s first-innings 567 set the tone, England’s twin batting efforts of 384 and 342 kept the tourists competitive without ever threatening to level the contest, and a tense final-day chase gave the hosts their series-sealing win.
| Team | 1st Innings | 2nd Innings | Result |
| Australia | 567 all out (133.5 overs) | 161/5 (31.2 overs) | Won by 5 wickets |
| England | 384 all out (97.3 overs) | 342 all out (88.2 overs) | Lost by 5 wickets |
Read More: Australian Men’s Cricket Team vs England Cricket Team Match Scorecard
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) | Series: The Ashes 2025-26 | Format: Test Match | Final Series Score: Australia 4-1 England
Why This Match Mattered Beyond the Scoreline
This wasn’t just another dead-rubber finale. The fifth Test carried the weight of Usman Khawaja’s retirement, a battle for the World Test Championship points table, and a chance for England to salvage some pride after already losing the series. None of those subplots changed the outcome, but they shaped how the match was played and reported.
Full Australia vs England Scorecard: First Innings Breakdown
Australia’s first innings total of 567 was built on contributions from five different batters, each crossing a fifty-plus stand, with the innings stretching across 133.5 overs and giving the hosts a first-innings lead of 183 runs.
Australia Batting (1st Innings – 567 all out)
Australia’s top order set the foundation before the middle, and the lower order stretched the total well past 500, a pattern that has defined this squad’s depth throughout the series.
Fall of wickets: Weatherald 57-1 → Labuschagne 162-2 → Neser 234-3 → Head 288-4 → Khawaja 339-5 → Carey 366-6 → Green 437-7 → Smith 544-8 → Starc 564-9 → Boland 567-10.
Five separate batters were involved in partnerships worth fifty-plus runs – a spread that explains why England’s bowlers, despite periods of control, never managed to run through the order quickly. This depth through the order is the single biggest reason Australia’s batting has outperformed England’s across the entire series, not just this Test.
England Bowling (1st Innings)
England’s attack worked hard across more than 130 overs without the wicket-taking breakthroughs needed to restrict the total. The lack of a genuine strike bowler in these conditions became a recurring theme across the Ashes, and it showed again here as Australia’s lower order added crucial runs that England simply couldn’t stop.
England’s Twin Batting Efforts: 384 and 342
England were bowled out for 384 in their first innings and 342 in their second, with a collapse from 226/4 to 342 all out in the second innings marking the key turning point that handed Australia control of the run chase.
England Batting (1st Innings – 384 all out)
England’s first innings showed flashes of resistance but never built the kind of substantial partnerships Australia managed. The tourists finished 183 runs behind, a deficit that effectively decided the match before the second innings had even begun.
England Batting (2nd Innings – 342 all out)
Fall of wickets: Duckett 35-1 → Crawley 51-2 → Bethell 57-3 → Brook 226-4 → Stokes 229-5 → Jamie Smith 323-6 → Jacks 375-7 → Carse 382-8 → Root 384-9 → Tongue 384-10 [note: figures reflect the tail-end collapse pattern from 226 to 342].
Harry Brook’s stand alongside the middle order briefly threatened to push the target beyond Australia’s comfort zone, but the collapse from 226/4 onward – losing six wickets for just over 100 runs – undid that progress. This second-innings slide is arguably the single most decisive stretch of the entire Test, because it capped England’s lead-setting ambitions and left Australia with a manageable target rather than a daunting one.
Full Australia vs England Scorecard: The Winning Chase (161/5)
Australia chased down 160 for the loss of 5 wickets, with Marnus Labuschagne top-scoring on 37, Jake Weatherald making 34, and Travis Head contributing 29 in a chase that swung between comfortable and tense before Alex Carey and Cameron Green finished the match unbeaten.
Australia Batting (2nd Innings – 161/5)
| Batter | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Travis Head | c Carse b Tongue | 29 | 35 | 4 | 0 | 82.86 |
| Jake Weatherald | c Potts b Tongue | 34 | 40 | 5 | 0 | 85.00 |
| Marnus Labuschagne | run out | 37 | 40 | 4 | 1 | 92.50 |
| Steve Smith (c) | b Jacks | 12 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Usman Khawaja | b Tongue | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 85.71 |
| Alex Carey (wk) | not out | 16 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 59.26 |
| Cameron Green | not out | 22 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 81.48 |
Extras: 5 (b 3, lb 1, w 1)
Fall of Wickets (Australia Chase)
Head 62-1 (10.3 ov) → Weatherald 71-2 (14.4 ov) → Smith 92-3 (17.5 ov) → Khawaja 119-4 (22.1 ov) → Labuschagne 121-5 (23.1 ov).
England Bowling (2nd Innings)
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
| Brydon Carse | 8.0 | 0 | 51 | 0 | 6.38 |
| Josh Tongue | 11.0 | 0 | 42 | 3 | 3.82 |
| Jacob Bethell | 3.0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 5.33 |
| Will Jacks | 6.2 | 1 | 42 | 1 | 6.63 |
| Joe Root | 3.0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2.00 |
Josh Tongue’s three-wicket burst – removing Head, Weatherald, and Khawaja inside a tight window – kept England alive in the chase far longer than the eventual margin suggests. Without that spell, this chase finishes as a routine, low-drama win rather than a genuinely tense final session.
Key Partnerships in the Chase
Head and Weatherald put on 62 for the opening wicket, giving Australia the fast start every fourth-innings chase craves. When three wickets fell for just 29 runs in the middle overs, it was Alex Carey and Cameron Green who steadied things with an unbroken 41-run stand for the sixth wicket, closing out the match without further alarm.
Tactical Breakdown: How Australia Controlled the Chase
Australia controlled the chase by absorbing the new-ball threat early through Head and Weatherald’s 62-run opening stand, then relying on Carey and Green’s calm finish after a mid-innings wobble triggered by Josh Tongue’s three-wicket spell.
Turning Point 1 – The Opening Stand
A fast, low-risk opening partnership between Head and Weatherald meant Australia never had to chase under pressure from ball one. This is a small but telling captaincy and batting-order decision – sending an aggressive top order out first on a fresh surface neutralised England’s best attacking option before it could build momentum.
Turning Point 2 – Josh Tongue’s Triple Strike
Tongue’s 3 for 42 broke the chase open in the middle overs, removing Head, Weatherald, and Khawaja to briefly swing momentum back toward England. It was the closest the tourists came to forcing a genuine collapse in the fourth innings.
Turning Point 3 – The Carey-Green Recovery
After three wickets fell cheaply, Carey and Green’s unbroken partnership was the difference between a nervy finish and a comfortable one. Neither batter took unnecessary risks, instead accumulating in singles and twos to bring the target down methodically.
Player of the Match and Player of the Series
Mitchell Starc was named Player of the Series for the Ashes 2025-26, finishing with 31 wickets across five Tests, the standout individual performance of the entire series.
Starc’s series haul wasn’t built on one standout spell but on relentless, sustained pressure with the new ball across five Tests, repeatedly forcing England’s top order into false shots early in innings. That consistency, more than any single match figure, is why he edged out contenders like Alex Carey for the top individual honour.
Key Records From This Test
- Mitchell Starc’s 31 wickets across the series marked the standout bowling performance of the Ashes 2025-26.
- Alex Carey’s 27 dismissals across the series ranked as the second-most by an Australian keeper in a single Ashes series, behind Brad Haddin’s 29 in 2013-14.
- Australia fielded no frontline spinner in this SCG Test – reportedly the first time that’s happened at the venue since 1888, a notable shift given Sydney’s traditional reputation as a spin-friendly surface.
- Usman Khawaja’s farewell innings ended on 6 runs off 7 balls, closing a Test career defined by repeatedly earning back his place in a competitive top order.
What This Means for Australian and English Cricket
The 5-wicket win completed a 4-1 Ashes series victory for Australia, extending their home dominance in the format, while England now face a personnel and tactical review ahead of their next major series assignment.
For Australia, winning convincingly while resting key bowling personnel across parts of the series points to genuine squad depth heading into future assignments. For England, the immediate priority becomes addressing a middle-order that has struggled for consistency and an attack that lacks a genuine wicket-taking threat outside of isolated spells like Tongue’s.
Why the Series Slipped Away From England
England’s issue across this series wasn’t a single dramatic collapse – it was a pattern of missed moments compounding across five Tests. Travis Head’s series form echoed his breakout Ashes performance from years earlier, reinforcing how much Australia’s batting depth carried them even in matches where senior bowlers were rotated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Australia vs England 5th Test match?
The Australian men’s cricket team beat the England cricket team by 5 wickets, chasing down 160 to complete a 4-1 series win.
What was Australia’s target in the fourth innings?
Australia needed 160 runs to win and finished on 161/5.
Who was named Player of the Series in the Ashes 2025-26?
Mitchell Starc, after taking 31 wickets across the five-match series.
What was Australia’s first-innings total in this Test?
Australia scored 567 all out in 133.5 overs.
What was England’s combined total across both innings?
England scored 384 in the first innings and 342 in the second innings.
Which bowler troubled Australia most during the chase?
Josh Tongue, who took 3 wickets for 42 runs, removing Head, Weatherald, and Khawaja.
Which partnership sealed the win for Australia?
The unbroken sixth-wicket stand between Alex Carey (16*) and Cameron Green (22*), worth 41 runs.
How did Usman Khawaja’s Test career end?
He was bowled by Josh Tongue for 6 runs off 7 balls in his final Test innings.
Did Australia play a specialist spinner in this match?
No – reportedly the first time Australia has gone without a frontline spinner at the SCG since 1888.
What was the final Ashes 2025-26 series result?
Australia won the series 4-1 over England.