First Ashes Test, Brisbane (day four of five)
England 147 (Cummins 5-38) & 297 (Root 89, Malan 82; Lyon 4-91)
Australia 425 (Head 152) & 20-1
Australia won by nine wickets
Australia beat England by nine wickets in the first Ashes Test to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series; Joe Root (89) and Dawid Malan (82) fell early on day four as Nathan Lyon took his 400th Test wicket to trigger a collapse from 223-2 to 297 all out; hosts chased down 20 to win.
England’s hope evaporated into a crushing nine-wicket defeat by Australia on the fourth day of the first Ashes Test at the Gabba.
After the optimism of their third-day fightback, England meekly lost their last eight wickets for 77 runs in the morning session, including the crucial departures of Joe Root for 89 and Dawid Malan on 82.
Malan was Nathan Lyon’s 400th Test wicket, the off-spinner going on to claim 4-91 as England were bowled out for 297.
Australia were left with only 20 to chase, which they completed soon after lunch in the Brisbane sun to give Pat Cummins victory in his first Test as captain.
The home side go 1-0 up in the five-match series and continue their 35-year unbeaten run against England in Brisbane.
England have now lost 10 of their past 11 Tests in Australia and won only one of 10 matches since they beat India in the first Test in February.
With England needing to win the series in order to regain the Ashes, Root’s side have almost no margin for error in the remaining four Tests.
The second Test in Adelaide, a day-night match played with a pink ball, begins on Thursday (Dec 16).
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that the fifth Test, originally scheduled for Perth, will instead be held in Hobart, also as a day-nighter.
