England win fourth cricket Test to retain Ashes

England won the toss and put Australia into bat on the opening day of the fourth Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.England made one change from the team which went down by 267 runs in the third Perth Test with Tim Bresnan replacing leading series wicket-taker Steve Finn.Australia named an unchanged team preferring to go with their four-prong pace attack, meaning there was no room for uncapped left-arm spinner Michael Beer.England captain Andrew Strauss elected to bowl on a greenish-tinged drop-in pitch under cloudy skies.

Australia's acting captain Michael Clarke won the toss and chose to bat on the opening day of the fifth and final Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Monday.Australia gave batsman Usman Khawaja and spinner Michael Beer their Test debuts with Doug Bollinger named as 12th man.England were unchanged after crushing Australia by an innings and 157 runs in last week's fourth Melbourne Test to retain the Ashes.The tourists need to win or draw the fifth Test to become the first England team in 24 years to claim a series in Australia.

Winning next week's final Test to square the Ashes series with England would be a boost for the demoralised Australians, senior batsman Mike Hussey said on Saturday.Australian cricket plunged to the depths of despair after England pummelled the national side by an innings and 157 runs in this week's fourth Melbourne Test to retain the Ashes.Australia, trailing 2-1, can still draw the five-match series if they can fight back and win Monday's fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground under new skipper Michael Clarke, who replaces injured Ricky Ponting.

Australia's hopes rested on skipper Ricky Ponting to produce one of his great fighting innings and avoid an Ashes series defeat to England in the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground Tuesday.Australia faced a massive 415-run deficit after dismissing the tourists for 513 at lunch on the third day and needing to bat out eight sessions to prevent an England win to retain the urn.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting will miss next week's fifth Ashes Test against England after X-rays revealed further damage to a broken finger suffered earlier in the series, officials said on Thursday.Vice-captain Michael Clarke is expected to lead Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Monday, with the team to be announced later Thursday.England retained the Ashes with a crushing innings and 157-run win in the fourth Melbourne Test Wednesday, and are chasing their first series win in Australia in 24 years in the Sydney Test.

Australia hit back with two wickets as they attempted to restrict England's lead early on the second day of the fourth Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday.Castigated in the press after a horror Boxing Day when they were routed for a ground record low total of 98, Australia began positively with the wickets of Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss.England took a 59-run lead into the second day, resuming at 157 without loss, and on course to retaining the Ashes.

Australia won the toss and chose to bat on the opening day of the second Ashes Test against England at the Adelaide Oval on Friday.Australia have made two changes from the drawn Gabba opener with pacemen Doug Bollinger and Ryan Harris coming in for Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus, while England are unchanged.Johnson, Australia's leading active wicket-taker with 166 wickets in 39 Tests, was left out because captain Ricky Ponting said it was felt he was down on form and out of rhythm after going wicketless for 170 runs in the Brisbane Test.

A ninth-wicket stand of 41 between Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus revived Australia after the loss of four wickets on the second morning of the final Ashes Test against England on Tuesday.The pair came together with Australia in strife at 189 for eight, about 45 minutes before lunch at the Sydney Cricket Ground.At the interval, the Australians were still alive at 230 for eight with Johnson hitting freely on 30 and Hilfenhaus on 14.Australia added 96 runs for the loss of four wickets from 36 overs in the extended morning session.