England won the 4th test match and retained the Ashes

England celebrating their victory against Australia

                    England won the 4th test against Australia and retained the Ashes.Needing just 4 wickets to win the  fourth test, England won by an innings and 157 runs.This is one of the worst defeat of the Australia.
                    Australia lost 2 test in a home series.Ponting is the first captain to lose 3 Ashes.Trott is the man of the match for his 168* runs.With 1 match to go England lead the series 2-1.The final match is on January 3rd.

                    Ponting said at presentation as

"It would have been a nice toss to win. Our batting was not good on day 1. We wanted to hang on until tea as we knew that the pitch would flatten out. But, the England bowlers bowled extremely well and they made good use of the conditions. It has been a tough week for the team, and it is not good to be defeated by an innings and plenty in this match. England have bounced back well after their loss in Perth. There is still a chance for us to level the series in Sydney, but it is disappointing that we have lost the Ashes. England have really bounced back well in the last couple of series. We had to maintain the level of cricket that we played in Perth, but we were unable to sustain the momentum. We will have to sit down and have a chat with the selectors. I don't know about the changes that we will make at Sydney. My series has been horrible and I take full responsibility for the loss. I have one more Test match and I hope to make amends.

Well, day 4 has gone just as expected. England skittle out the Aussie lower order in less than a session. They started well by getting Johnson early, but a partnership between Haddin and Siddle prolonged the inevitable. Siddle succumbed to temptation for a big hit and the English bowlers wasted no time in removing Hilfenhaus. Ryan Harris didn't come out to bat and England create history at the MCG! This is also Australia's biggest loss against England since Old Trafford 1956!"               Strauss at presentation:

"We have worked very hard to achieve this. We want to win the series and it has been a top quality performance from the lads after being thrashed at Perth. The bowlers bowled brilliantly here. The conditions in Australia are hard. Tremlett has been outstanding and we knew that Bresnan would be capable. We have to keep our feet on the ground and it is a real special occasion to win at the MCG. We were shocked with what happened at Perth, but we knew that if we applied pressure and restrict Australia, it would work. The last tour here was horrendous and we have really turned the corner. I would like to thank the Barmy Army for their outstanding support. We are very lucky to have so many fans behind us and the back room staff have been excellent. We are going all out for a win at Sydney and we want to win a series in Australia."