Australia have retained the Ashes and strengthened their grip on top spot in the World Test Championship standings after thrashing England by 82 runs in Adelaide, taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. The victory extends Australia’s perfect record in the current WTC cycle and puts them on course for a third consecutive final appearance at Lord’s in 2027.

Australia remain unbeaten with 100% record

Australia’s triumph in Adelaide was their sixth consecutive victory in the 2025–27 WTC cycle, leaving them with a flawless 72 points and a 100.00 percentage points tally—the maximum possible from six matches. Pat Cummins’ side have now won 12 of their last 13 Tests, with the only defeat coming in the WTC Final in June 2025 at Lord’s, where they lost to India.

The current streak started with a 2-0 away series sweep against the West Indies, followed by dominant performances in the first three Ashes Tests at home—an eight-wicket win in Perth, another eight-wicket victory in Brisbane, and now the 82-run triumph in Adelaide. Australia have achieved this despite missing veteran batsman Steve Smith and pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood in the Adelaide Test.

With 16 more Tests remaining in their WTC cycle—including two more Ashes matches and a challenging away series in India—Australia are well-placed to reach the Lord’s final in 2027. If they maintain their current form, they could become the first team to successfully defend a WTC title after winning the mace in 2023.

England sink to seventh with bleak qualification hopes

The Adelaide defeat has pushed England further down the WTC table to seventh place, one spot below India, with a meagre 27.08 percentage points. Ben Stokes’ side have won just two and lost five of their eight matches in the current cycle, collecting only 26 points (after a two-point deduction).

England’s losses have all come in recent months—a 2-1 series defeat to Pakistan at home in October 2024, followed by three heavy defeats to Australia in the ongoing Ashes. Their chances of reaching a first-ever WTC Final are now hanging by a thread, with only Bangladesh (16.67%) and West Indies (4.76%) below them on the table.

England still have 13 Tests remaining in the cycle—two more Ashes Tests in Australia (Melbourne and Sydney), plus series against Sri Lanka, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and South Africa. To qualify for the final, they would likely need to win at least 10 or 11 of those 13 matches, an extremely tall order given their current form and the quality of opposition.

Updated WTC 2025–27 standings

The latest World Test Championship points table after Australia’s Adelaide win:

South Africa and New Zealand are tied for second place with 75.00% after strong starts to the cycle, while India have dropped to sixth after a disastrous run of four losses in nine matches, including home series defeats to New Zealand (0-3) and South Africa (0-2).

Adelaide Test recap: Boland seals the deal

Australia sealed the Adelaide victory midway through the final day when Scott Boland claimed the decisive wicket, having Josh Tongue caught at slip to bowl England out for 352 in their chase of 435. England had shown fight through the innings, with Zak Crawley (85) and Jamie Smith (60) scoring half-centuries, and the total of 352 was their best batting performance across the three Tests​

Will Jacks (47) and Jamie Smith had safely navigated much of the morning session on day five, raising faint hopes of an unlikely English victory, especially after Australia spinner Nathan Lyon suffered a hamstring injury and was ruled out for the remainder of the Test. But Marnus Labuschagne held a brilliant catch at slip to dismiss Jacks, and Boland finished the job alongside Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, who each claimed three wickets.

Earlier, Travis Head’s magnificent 170 in the second innings had set up Australia’s commanding position, building on Alex Carey’s first-innings century (106) and extending the lead to an insurmountable 434. Jofra Archer’s five-wicket haul (5-51) in the first innings and his battling 51 with the bat had given England brief hope, but it was not enough to prevent another comprehensive defeat.

What’s next for both teams

The fourth Ashes Test begins on Boxing Day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26, with Australia aiming for a 4-0 lead and England desperately seeking pride and WTC points. Nathan Lyon’s fitness will be closely monitored ahead of the match, with Australia potentially turning to off-spinner Todd Murphy, left-armer Matthew Kuhnemann, or uncapped tweaker Corey Rocchiccioli if the veteran is ruled out.

For Australia, the focus will be on maintaining their perfect WTC record and building momentum ahead of their tour of India later in the cycle. For England, the challenge is to avoid a fifth consecutive Ashes series defeat in Australia—they last won Down Under in 2010/11—and to salvage some WTC percentage points from the final two matches.