England's Ashes humiliation was completed with a 281-run defeat in Sydney, sealing a 5-0 whitewash for Australia. The tourists were found desperately wanting throughout the series, with the scoreline accurately reflecting the performances of the two teams. For the second time in three tours to Australia, England failed to avoid being battered in every Test, saving their worst till last.
Skipper Alastair Cook admitted the defeat was tough, saying, 'It is tough knowing you've been beaten badly in five games. Credit to Michael Clarke and his team who responded to everything we tried.' He added, 'We're sorry we've let you down, we haven't played very well.' Cook acknowledged the need for introspection, recalling how England rose from a similar whitewash in 2006/07.
Mitchell Johnson was again the destroyer, causing mayhem in the England batting lineup. The moustachioed tearaway fast bowler demolished English batsmen, their stumps, and their spirits, earning the man-of-the-series Compton-Miller Medal. Johnson said, 'It is something I will cherish for the rest of my life. The way we started the series is where it went well for us. We went hard at them and didn't let up.'
Australia began the day with Chris Rogers moving calmly to his third Test ton, his 119 taking him to the top of the runs chart for both teams across all ten Ashes contests. Brad Haddin smashed a quickfire 28, reaching 3,000 Test runs and beating Adam Gilchrist's record for most runs in a Test series by an Australian wicketkeeper. Haddin paid tribute to coach Darren Lehmann, saying, 'We deserved to finish the way we did and we're going to enjoy it for a long time.'
