Pat Cummins-led Australia registered a comfortable 82-run win over England in the third Ashes 2025-26 Test at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide on Sunday, December 21. The Men in Yellow retained their top position in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 points table with an impeccable record.
On Day 5, Jamie Smith and Will Jaques showed positive intent and added a valuable partnership of 91 runs. Smith brought up his half-century and looked set for more before becoming the victim of Mitchell Starc. Jacques and Brydon Carse brought the target below 100, but Australia took the remaining wickets to secure victory.
Updated ICC World Test Championship points table (WTC table) revealed after AUS vs ENG 3rd Test
Coming into the competition, Australia were on top of the World Test Championship table, and they retained their position after another strong win. They are well ahead of South Africa, who are second in the standings.
Meanwhile, England, who started the new WTC cycle with a drawn home series against India, have suffered three consecutive defeats in Australia. These defeats have hurt their position in the table.
Before the third Test, England were in seventh place with a low points percentage. The defeat in Adelaide has further hurt their numbers, leaving them below India in the standings with 27.08 PCT.
Here is the updated ICC World Test Championship points table:
| Situation | team code | team name | played | won | lost | Drag | dead | score | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | Australia | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 100.00 |
| 2 | SA | South Africa | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 75.00 |
| 3 | New Zealand | new zealand | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 66.67 |
| 4 | number | Sri Lanka | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 66.67 |
| 5 | Clean | Pakistan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 50.00 |
| 6 | IND | India | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 48.15 |
| 7 | England | England | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 26 | 27.08 |
| 8 | restrictions | bangladesh | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 16.67 |
| 9 | YK | west indies | 7 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4.76 |
Australia clinch the Ashes early as England continue to struggle
England lost the Ashes after just three Tests for the fourth consecutive tour. They have suffered 16 defeats in their last 18 Test matches on Australian soil.
Pat Cummins, returning after a long injury, took four wickets in the first innings and followed it with another powerful spell in the second innings. Nathan Lyon overtook Glenn McGrath in the all-time wickets list. Mitchell Starc also scored useful runs with the bat.
Australia’s bowlers worked in unison even in difficult conditions and never gave England a chance to breathe. In contrast, England relied heavily on one or two players. The difference in quality was obvious, and Australia executed their plans almost perfectly throughout the Test.
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