HOW THE 'WORST' AUSTRALIAN TEAM IN 15 YEARS RETAINED THE ASHES AGAINST ENGLAND

In the batting lineup, there were questions over who would open and who would bat at No. 3. Steve Smith led the team in the absence of Cummins in Perth and Brisbane but was ruled out of the third test because of...

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Apparently, the worst Australian cricket team in 15 years just won the Ashes with two matches to spare against the best England squad assembled since 2011. Longtime protagonist Stuart Broad lit the fuse ahead of a volatile contest for the longest-running rivalry in test cricket when he described the host squad as the worst to contest the Ashes in Australia since England won the 2010-11 series Down Under. The 167-test veteran played two matches for England in that winning series. Since then, a drought has extended to 16 losses, two draws and no wins for England on Australian soil. Marnus Labuschagne, who produced a spectacular catch to help hasten the end of England's dogged last-day comeback in the third test on Sunday, reflected on the pre-series pronouncements by Broad and others.

"Have to say, being called the worst Australian team in 15 years... like it's nice to be sitting where we are, 3-0 up," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

"The job's not done yet. We want to make sure it's 5-0 and really take that urn."