Australia retain Ashes after Old Trafford victory

The series can still be drawn, but Australia will return home with the urn, having won the reverse series four-nil

Australia have retained the Ashes after beating England by 185 runs on a tense final day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford.

The series can still be drawn, but Australia will return home with the urn, having won the reverse series four-nil.

For a while, it looked as though Tim Paine’s side would run through England’s batting lineup; they lost two wickets in each of the day’s first two sessions, with Pat Cummins doing much of the damage.

However, England eventually found some staying power in the Somerset pair of Craig Overton and Jack Leach. The duo battled hard for more than an hour to make the tourists fret.

Yet, after Leach was caught at short leg by Matthew Wade off the bowling of Marnus Labuschagne, the resistance subsided. Overton was trapped in front by Josh Hazlewood soon afterwards.

Jos Buttler had earlier played his own vigil, spending 151 minutes in the middle for his 34.