Australia win final Test to seal 4-1 Ashes triumph over England

AFP | Sydney

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Australia won the final Ashes Test against England by five wickets yesterday to seal a dominant 4-1 victory after a gruelling series, sending the retiring Usman Khawaja out on a high.

The nervy hosts saw wickets tumble as they chased their 160 target, which they reached after lunch on day five with Cameron Green not-out 22 and Alex Carey on 16 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

For England it was the final chapter in a miserable series. “That’s Ashes cricket. Everyone got tense,” said Carey, who hit the winning runs.

“Usman is going to be missed. A great career and a great way to finish.”

Australia lost openers Travis Head (29) and Jake Weatherald (34), along with captain Steve Smith (12) and Khawaja, who made six in his final knock before retirement.

“It means a lot. So much has gone into it. The only thing I wanted was a win, as much as I wanted to hit the winning runs,” said Khawaja, who was almost in tears as he walked off to a standing ovation after being bowled by Josh Tongue.

“The whole Test match I found it hard to control my emotions,” Khawaja added after his 88th and final appearance on the Test stage.