England retain the Ashes with fourth test victory

England ensured the Ashes would be returning home with them after they completed an innings and 157-run victory in Melbourne.

The comprehensive victory - with Australia finally bowled out for 258 - means England will head to the final Test in Sydney with a 2-1 lead and the knowledge that they have secured the Ashes Down Under for the first time since the 1986-87 tour.


The tourists had gone into the fourth day at the MCG needing just four wickets on paper to complete the win - although the injury to Ryan Harris meant that they only really needed three.

And it didn't take long for England to strike, with Chris Tremlett removing Mitchell Johnson in the second over of the day.

Tremlett, who bowled superbly on day three without taking a wicket, got one to nip back into the left-hander, with the ball clipping Johnson's inside edge and pad before hitting the stumps.
Defiant

Kevin Pietersen almost removed Peter Siddle in the next over with a sharp run out chance that just missed the stumps.

Siddle was living a charmed life early on as Tim Bresnan had him in all sorts of problems, with one uppish drive shooting just past the diving Ian Bell.

However Brad Haddin was in no mood to let England have things their own way as he remained defiant - although he was grateful to see one edge effort just drop short of Matt Prior.

Haddin and Siddle, though, brought up the half-century partnership off 62 balls - although there was a let off as the 63rd delivery was edged between Prior and Paul Collingwood off Graeme Swann.

And Swann was cursing again as an edge from Haddin evaded Collingwood, with the wicketkeeper bringing up his eighth Test half-century.

Swann, though, got the breakthrough England needed when he saw Siddle caught by Pietersen on the boundary for a Test-best 40 - bringing an end to a dogged 86-run stand.

And Ben Hilfenhaus quickly followed as he edged Bresnan behind to Prior to spark wild celebrations among the England players.

Scoreboard-
Australia first innings 98 (C. Tremlett 4-26, J. Anderson 4-44)
England first innings 513 (J. Trott 168 not out, M. Prior 85, A. Cook 82, A. Strauss 69, K. Pietersen 51; P. Siddle 6-75)
Australia second innings (overnight 169-6)
S. Watson lbw Bresnan 54
P. Hughes run out 23
R. Ponting b Bresnan 20
M. Clarke c Strauss b Swann 13
M. Hussey c Bell b Bresnan 0
S. Smith b Anderson 38
B. Haddin not out 55
M. Johnson b Tremlett 6
P. Siddle c Pietersen b Swann 40
B. Hilfenhaus c Prior b Bresnan 0
Extras (w-2, lb-6, b-1) 9
Total (for nine wickets, 85.4 overs) 258
Fall of wickets: 1-53 2-99 3-102 4-104 5-134 6-158 7-172 8-258
Did not bat (injured): R. Harris
Bowling: Anderson 20-1-71-1 (w-1), Tremlett 17-3-71-1, Swann 27-11-59-2, Bresnan 21.4-8-50-4 (w-1).
England lead series 2-1 with one test remaining, retain Ashes.