England were hoping a new year would bring a change in fortune but it was more of the same for the tourists as the Aussies completed a 4-0 Ashes thumping.

England captain Joe Root had success again at the toss and had no hestiation in batting first after picking two spinners in his team including debutant Mason Crane.

Root was hoping he’d have a chance to bowl last on the usually spin-friendly pitch but it didn’t turn out that way as Australia only needed to bat once.

Here is how Roarers saw the match with their real-time comments published on our live blogs.

Day 1 – England 5/235

Mark Stoneman out early again
jameswm – Sensational previous over from Josh Hazlewood. Good over from Pat Cummins apart from the one that was too full. There’s a little bit in this deck if the Aussie bowlers keep putting it in the right areas.

There’s enough in the pitch that if we keep hitting the spot, we can pick up some wickets. We’ve bowled some good overs, just need to keep doing it and the wickets will come. Keep bowling 4th stump short of a length.

Ryan H – Yet another unfulfilled good start from Stoneman

England throw away a good start
jeznez – Sounds like Cummins and Starc are both giving too many relief balls. Will be interesting when Hazlewood comes on with Lyon. If they can keep the runs dried up then that might create the opportunity for a wicket.

Geoff from Bruce Stadium – Jeez some of the English batsmen are good at getting themselves out. Compare some of their dismissals with the powers of concentration of Steve Smith and even Shaun Marsh and Alastair Cook for that matter.

jeznez – Great stuff. Chance for Hazlewood and Lyon to be really tight here and turn the screws.

Did Australia unnecessarily risk bringing Mitchell Starc back from injury?
magic – Good session for Aus but there should have been more overs from Starc and than you might have got more wicket

Mattw – Starc was not particularly effective in his spells, especially average in his second spell, down a bit on pace which I suppose is to be predicted given his return after injury, hopefully he can come back in later and smash some out.

I must admit to being a little harsh on Starc in general, I love economical, accurate bowling, which I know is not what Starc is there for, but that is why his pace being up is so important for his bowling.

Joe Root and Dawid Malan dig in
Doctor Rotcod – Sounds like the English are learning concentration. Maybe Joe and Dawid are due centuries

Australia squander chances but make up for it with two late wickets
HB – I don’t think the captain should field at first slip. I get that they get the best view of the game there, but I think the captain is often too preoccupied with captaining to be reliable in taking those crucial sharp chances at first slip.

Ashan D – Australia’s ground fielding in these last two tests have been poor. Dropped catches don’t do any good. Smith may have taken some blinders, but in my book he is not a reliable slipper. I remember dropped catches as much as I remember his blinders. Anyone missing Renshaw ?

Slane – I thought the Poms were well on top till we knocked off Root and Bairstow. What a fantastic end of the day for Australia.

Mattw – Errrr, was all ready to write that had been a hard day after the ball got old and we were set for some pain tomorrow after a few lucky moments for England and a dropped catch.

Never mind, England’s tail to be ripped apart by the new ball tomorrow, an unbelievable seizing of the moment by our bowlers then, enough for me to forgive that awful review.

Day 2 – England 10/346, Australia 2/193

England’s quiet achiever
Jake – I never watch England play except in the Ashes so can only make a judgement on their players when I watch them play. Throughout the Ashes I have seen that Dawid Malan is their best player.

If I took any notice of the press, Root is apparently as good as Smith, Anderson is the No 1 bowler, Moeen Ali is a top shelf all-rounder and Bairstow is the best keeper/batsman going around.

None of this is even remotely true.

Captain Smith takes a blinder after an early blunder
rock86 – Geez Lyon must be filthy, drops a much easier one from him and the Smith takes that screamer….haha

HB – Smith is the opposite of most fielders: the likelihood of him catching it is directly proportional to the difficulty of the catch.

More dropped catches for the Aussies
Scott Pryde – Cummins will start around the wicket at Ali. He starts with a short one and it’s another DROPPED CATCH. Oh what is going on here? Ali pulls on the up and Hazlewood has made all the ground, getting there comfortably before dropping an absolute sitter. What is going on here?

You’d expect that to be taken by a six-year-old.

rock86 – 2 fairly easy dropped catches from Lyon’s bowling, kinda typical of his whole career really

rock86 – That is absolutely woeful fielding from Australia

The Bush – Haven’t been able to view them yet, but can’t remember reading Australia dropping two sitters like that in a row. Unbelievable stuff. If we don’t win this match, they have no one to blame but themselves.

Stuart Broad has some fun again with the bat
Ozibatla – Any chance Cummins can pitch the ball up? Its just rubbish at the moment. Truly amateur tactics here. Aussies getting everything they deserve

Alex – Yorkers please? Tail ender constantly moving around the crease and I don’t think I have seen one full delivery to Broad yet…

boonie – It’s beyond frustrating. The English are expecting the short stuff so hit the stumps

When Malan fell, England was 6/252. Once again we have bowled rubbish to the English tail. A Thommo toe crusher is lost on this current bowling unit

Cameron Bancroft falls for a duck
Ronan O’Connell – Bancroft now needs a good score in the 2nd dig or he’ll very likely be dropped for the SA tour.

Christo the Daddyo – Looks like he’ll be dropped I guess.

Nick Turnbull – I’d go with Joe Burns if he fails in the second innings.

spruce moose – It was the right call to bring Bancroft in, but he regrettably has not taken his chance.

A good unbeaten 82 in the Gabba has been cancelled out by an average series of results in some very batting friendly conditions – particularly his twin failed starts at the MCG. You’d have to think that the return of the shield will kick off a batting contest for an opener’s slot.

Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja pile on the pain for England
jamesb – In a negative way, you want Smith to fail so that someone else has to step up. This isn’t about the Ashes anymore. It’s all about preparing for South Africa

Bunney – Phenomenal record. Had he been greedy, he could have pushed for 6000 runs in Melbourne in 110 innings. Also the youngest ever to reach that mark.

Ronan O’Connell – A return to form from Khawaja would be massive for Australia ahead of the SA series. His ton against the Proteas in Adelaide last year is one of the best non-Smith tons I’ve seen in years.

Swans – How bad are England at cricket.

Day 3 – Australia 4/479

Our commentator predicts the future before Mason Crane picks up a wicket with a no ball!
Maggie – I’m sitting side on almost in line with batting crease at Centennial Pk end. Mason Crane is close to overstepping every ball. Be sad for him if he has a wicket disallowed.

Kishan Badrinath – Here’s a review for LBW, but I think it’s pretty optimistic from England. Usman Khawaja has shouldered arms to a ball outside off stump, but it doesn’t matter as Crane has overstepped!

Matthew Pearce – Oh dear. Once again. Curran was bad enough. What’s a leggie doing overstepping like that?

Smith misses out on a century, but 83 isn’t bad!
Ryan H – Only 83 Smithy?? Careless! Bit of confidence Moeen desperately needs

Raugeee – That certainly makes it more interesting.

Linphoma – Fine bowling. With Smith’s departure it looks a harder game for the batsmen.

Khawaja digs in for a BIG score
Worlds Biggest – Fantastic knock Usie and much needed, well done to young Crane too getting his first wicket.

Day 4 – Australia 7d/649, England 4/93

The Marsh brothers make hay in the Sydney sun
Geoff from Bruce Stadium – Mitch Marsh has really upped the ante after struggling early against the leggie

Mad Dog – Mitch Marsh now averages 29.23..and if I’m not mistaken, 106.66 for the series

Rob – Well done to the Marsh boys. On the cheeks side if Mitch gets hit on the pad instead of being bowled he would have probably been given not out for being struck outside the line of off. Ugly shot that he will get plenty of practice at in SA.

Australia decide not to declare
Rabbitz – I imagine that Smith wants to keep England out in the heat until just before Tea. Also they are only 250 odd in front he’ll want 300. My money is on a 14:30 declaration. With a 10 minute break that will give them 30 mins at the English before tea.

jamesb – Broad searching for that 400th wicket. He has been on 399 for about 400 years. It’s been that long.

Rob – England are getting a chance to save the game the longer Australia bat now.

Pedro the Maroon – Mason Crane fever seems to have abated. 1-176, Moeen is now averaging a mere 115 a wicket now for the series after plundering us in this innings.

Ronan O’Connell – Utterly dominant stuff from Australia. Yet again Anderson was the only England bowler who was competitive, the rest were extremely poor.

Johnno – A worry for England, they have failed to bowl out the Aussies a few times now this series.

Nathan Lyon continues his incredible form
Ouch – I almost feel sorry for England. They must be utterly demoralised.

Scott Pryde – What a ball from Lyon. Quicker ball this time and Cook has no idea. Plays late and down the wrong line, the ball turning back onto the off stump.

jamesb – The GOAT strikes!

Rabbitz – Good grief. You wander off for 20 minutes and the whole thing falls apart.

Day 5 – Englad 10/180 – Australia win by an innings and 123 runs

Joe Root struggles through a gastro bug
jeznez – Hats off to Root getting back out there. Immensely tough by him. Does he have a fractured finger on top of the dehydration?

Australia’s bowlers keep taking wickets
spruce moose – I hope M Marsh (or S Smith) go wicketless. If they don’t, then it will be the first series ever where only four bowlers I meant.

Ouch – Going out with a whimper.

matth – For the man of the series (excluding Smith) award, I think Cummins could be firming. He is now on top of wicket tally for the series, equal with Starc. However he has also done it with the old ball, as the new cherry belongs to Starc and Hazlewood. and he has averaged over 40 with the bat and under 26 with the ball.

Waddaplaya!!

Rafiqul Ameer – I really feel happy for Pat Cummins. I saw him during the Tiger’s series where he bowled really well without any luck at all.

Australia complete the demolition job
Wayne – Why do Aus fast bowlers keep trying to bounce them out. Just put it top of off and get them out on the drive

Worlds Biggest – Outstanding performance Australia, great to finish the series with a big win.

Ryan H – Paine finishes with 26 dismissals and a bat average of 47. While that was helped by some not outs and declarations, a truly vindicated selection.

Root falls just short of most runs of the series for England having needed to retire hurt. Malan takes that title instead.

All four Aus bowlers finish the series with >20 wickets.

dangertroy – Poor Joe Root – ill a asleep in the dressing room. He’s going to wake up thinking he had a nightmare that they lost the ashes… Someone is going to have to break it to him gently.

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