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One of the most anticipated cricketing event of 2025 was the Ashes. The rivalry dates back to eras. There was a lot of hype ahead of the Ashes and many felt this was going to be one closely fought series. England had never won a series in Australia since 2010/11 and Australia were the holders of the urn. So it was much anticipated that England under their new Bazball era might change things. They had been planning for this series for the last four years under McCullum and Stokes. As the series began in Perth let us see how the Ashes 2025 panned out and who came out on top.
First Test at Perth
England went down to a crushing defeat in the first Ashes Test as Travis Head’s blistering century completed an astonishing Australia fightback in Perth. It was the first two-day Ashes Test since 1921, Head dismantled the England attack with the second-fastest Ashes hundred of all time, made off only 69 balls.
Head’s 123 led Australia to their target of 205 in only 28.2 overs – just a session of batting. An eight-wicket victory puts the home side 1-0 up in the five-match series.
Second Test at Brisbane
Set a target of 65 for victory after England was bowled out for 241 in the second innings, Australia raced to an eight-wicket win in 10 overs.
Australia go 2-0 up in the series, which pushes England back into a must-win territory. They need to win all three remaining Tests to avoid a series defeat
Third Test at Adelaide
Australia beat England by 82 runs to win third Test and secure Ashes with two games to spare. Starc, Cummins and Lyon took three wickets each for hosts.
A dominant Australia collected the last four wickets they needed the Final day of Test to win the third Test and retain the Ashes in just 11 days of cricket, crushing any hopes of Bazball.
Fourth Test at Melbourne
The Boxing Day Test at MCG with more than 90,000 fans was another two day affair. 36 wickets fell inside 2 days and the match was completed as England finally broke their horrific record in Australia with a win.
Harry Brook and Jamie Smith partnership saw England reach their fourth-innings target of 175 and clinch a four-wicket victory. That was after rolling Australia for just 132 in the second innings.
England had failed to win a Test in Australia in their previous 18 attempts (16 defeats, two draws) dating back to the 2010-11 Ashes. But, against opponents well short of their best after pouring their energies into the first three Tests of the series, Ben Stokes’ men finally have something to show for a trip Down Under. This pitch got lot of criticism from former players as it heavily favoured bowlers. The fifth Test will begin on Sydney as the New Year Test and England will be pleased to finish 2025 on a high.
