England regained the Ashes with a thumping innings and 78-run victory over Australia early on day three of the fourth Test at Trent Bridge – just 599 days after losing the urn in Perth in 2013.
Alastair Cook's side completed a stunning transformation by seizing an unassailable 3-1 lead after just 62 deliveries in 40 minutes of play, finishing off the tourists on only the 14th day of the series with the fifth Test at the Oval still to go.
The winning moment came when Nathan Lyon dragged Mark Wood (3-69) on, sparking delirious celebrations among the England players in front of a sell-out crowd - Australia bowled out for 253 in 72.4 overs.
England have now won five out of the last seven Ashes series, while Cook is only the third English captain after WG Grace and Mike Brearley to win two Ashes series at home.
Australia, for their part, have triumphed in only two of their last 18 Ashes Tests in England since Edgbaston in 2005 while captain Michael Clarke has been on the losing side in a fifth Ashes series, the most by any Australian for more than 100 years.
Clarke subsequently announced that he will retire after the Oval Test. "You never want to walk away from the game but I think my performances in this series and over the last 12 months have not been acceptable to me," he said.
The Test already appeared as good as over when Australia resumed on 241-7 needing to score another 90 runs to make England bat for a second time in the match and so it proved.
It took the home attack just 12 minutes to break through, Ben Stokes (6-36) improving his day two figures of 5-35 as Mitchell Starc fell for a 17-ball duck diverting a short-of-a-length ball to Ian Bell at second slip.
Josh Hazlewood similarly failed to cope with the moving ball and was clean bowled 10th ball by Wood 12 minutes later, the ball hooping through his defences and knocking out middle stump.
Adam Voges, 48 not out overnight, did register the third half-century of the innings – making his second score of over 50 in six Test matches off 111 balls.
But Australia's fate was sealed when Lyon, attempting to leave a Wood out-swinger alone, played on leaving Voges stranded on 51 not out from 118 balls.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the victory, Cook said: "It's an unbelievable moment. I couldn't be happier. From what we've been through as a side through the last 18 months to play like we have in three of the four Tests against a good Australia side is incredible."
The victory represents Ian Bell’s fifth Ashes win, equalling Ian Botham’s modern-day record, while Joe Root became only the sixth England player to be ranked number one with either bat or ball since 1980 following his first innings 130.
Australia failed to recover from being bowled out for just 60 in the first innings after Stuart Broad, leading the attack in the absence of the injured Stuart Broad, took two wickets in the first over of the match including his 300th career scalp.
The Nottinghamshire all-rounder went on to claim Test-best figures of 8-15 on his home ground - a feat that earned him the man-of-the-match award.
Coverage of the fifth Ashes Test live on Sky Sports Ashes HD from August 20. You can also watch the fifth Test with a NOW TV Sports Day Pass. Plus, our Ashes Events Centre - the best of Sky Cricket's analysis at your fingertips - is available on our iPad app.
