Scott Boland six-for leads humiliation as Australia romp to Ashes glory

Scott Boland's six-wicket haul on his Test debut allowed Australia to wrap up the Ashes 3-0, by lunch on the third day at the MCG.

Australia's quicks continued their demolition job on England, with Boland adding to his two wickets from three balls during a devastating final hour on the second day, with four more on the third morning to seal an innings victory as the hosts retained the urn.

Boland took six wickets in 21 balls in all while Mitchell Starc, who had a big hand in reducing England to 31 for 4 in a cauldron-like atmosphere on day two, added the wicket of Ben Stokes inside the first 25 minutes of the resumption, to end with 3 for 29.

Pat Cummins, whose pressure was instrumental in keeping England's beleaguered batters under Australia's thumb, went unrewarded in England's second innings, having helped restrict them to a first-innings total of 185 when he and Nathan Lyon claimed three wickets apiece.

But the day - as short as it was - belonged to Boland, who was selected as an MCG specialist after his performances for Victoria and who became the fourth Indigenous Australian to play Test cricket. After taking 1 for 48 in England's first innings, he was simply unplayable for a side with its confidence beaten and its batting in disarray. In a historic moment, Boland won the Mullagh Medal as Player of the Match, named after Johnny Mullagh, who toured England as part of the Australian Aboriginal team in 1868.

With players from both sides cleared to resume after returning negative tests following a Covid scare the previous morning, England's task always looked insurmountable, even with Stokes and Joe Root still in. But the emphatic way in which Australia rammed home their advantage consigned England to new lows, their 68 all-out the lowest Ashes total in Australia since 1936 and England's lowest total in Australia since 1904.

Starc rattled Stokes' middle stump with a rapid, fuller ball that sailed through the gate as the batter moved forward in defence to remove the man still remembered for his heroics at Headingley in 2019 but who is in a much different place now after taking an extended break from the game.

Boland entered the attack and struck with his fifth ball of the day, trapping Jonny Bairstow lbw for 5. Bairstow, dropped by Cameron Green at gully on the first ball of the over, reviewed the lbw decision, but it was upheld on umpire's call on impact and hitting the stumps.

Root must have wanted to disappear when a Cummins delivery struck him in the groin - the third time Root has suffered such an injury in just over a week. He shook it off more quickly than he did Starc's effort in Adelaide, which came off the back of a serious knock in the nets which had sent him to hospital for scans earlier that day.

Root hung around long enough to be England's top-scorer - yet again - with just 28 this time, but he fell driving at Boland and edging to David Warner at slip. After scoring 1708 runs in 2021, Root ended the calendar year two runs shy of second-placed Viv Richards and 80 off Mohammad Yousuf's record.

England brought up another less-coveted record, however, when Mark Wood and Ollie Robinson departed in the space of three Boland deliveries without scoring, taking their side's tally of ducks to 54 this year and equalling their worst performance in that department of 1998. Wood spooned a return catch to Boland to give him his five-for and then Robinson fenced at one outside off stump, stabbing a catch to Marnus Labuschagne at third slip.

It was Green who bowled last man James Anderson for 2 to seal the result on a day that Australia - and Boland - will long remember. England, meanwhile, face a serious period of analysis if they are to prevent a 5-0 sweep.