Australia hammered England by 10 wickets in the final Test to complete a 5-0 Ashes series clean sweep for the first time in 86 years at the Sydney Cricket Ground yesterday.
The Australians were left with the comfortable task of scoring just 46 runs to wrap up victory after they dismissed the beleaguered tourists for just 147 little more than an hour into the fourth day.
Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden, playing together in their last Test as Australia's most prolific scoring opening pair, reached the target just before lunch to wrap up a conclusive victory in a one-sided series.
Langer, playing in his 105th and final Test, was not out 20, with Hayden on 23.
It was the perfect send-off for Australia's three retiring cricket greats, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Langer.
McGrath claimed three fourth-day wickets to finish with 3-38 and took a wicket off his last ball in Test cricket, while Warne left with the distinction of topscoring in Australia's first innings with 71, to go with his two wickets in the match.
All three, who played a combined 374 Tests, received rapturous applause from the capacity SCG crowd to signal the end of a golden era for Australian cricket.
Warne finished his incomparable 145-Test career with 708 wickets, the most in Test cricket and McGrath ended his 124 Tests with 563 wickets, the most by a fast bowler.
They clocked up 1,001 wickets between them in the 104 Tests they played together.
"To win 5-0 is a fantastic achieve-ment by this group of guys. This team's played some sensational cricket through the whole summer," Warne said.
"England have played some good cricket at times too, but when the big moments have come the Australian team stood up."
Ricky Ponting was thrilled to send the three out as winners, but admitted he was emotional at the end of the match.
"It's not so much the end result ... probably just the occasion with the three guys finishing up. I admit I shed a tear out on the ground," he said.
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