Ashes 2017/18, 5th Test: What went wrong for England

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Joe Root's England failed to show resistance against Steven Smith & Co. as the visitors succumbed to another crushing defeat by an innings and 123 runs on Monday.

The hosts won the fifth and final Test comfortably and claimed the series 4-0 to retain the iconic Ashes urn.

Pat Cummins, who claimed eight wickets in his maiden home Test, was named the Man of the Match, while Australia captain Steven Smith was awarded the Compton-Miller Medal as Player of the Series for his 687 runs at 137.40. 

Australia and England will now lock horns in the fifty-over format of the game as they will play a five-match ODI series beginning January 14.

Now, let's find out what went wrong for the touring party in the fifth and final Test at the SCG.

#5 Absence of a genuine all-rounder

During the entire Ashes series, England missed Ben Stokes as Moeen Ali could not play the role of a genuine all-rounder for the visiting team.

In the presence Stokes, England's batting runs deep. However, his absence meant that the touring party had to reshuffle their entire batting order and it did not work well for them.

Ali, who has been England's go-to man in the past, looked completely out of touch in Australia.

Before the just-concluded Ashes series, whenever bowling failed Moeen Ali, he had his batting skills to fall back on.

An excellent and skilful player of spin, Ali scored two tons in the series against India and cemented his place in England's batting order at five.

But in Australia, Ali has been totally ineffective as a bowler and a batsman too.

Riddled by injuries, Ali was dismissed 7 times by Nathan Lyon in the series and his problems against the short ball were exposed by Australia's high-quality pace attack.

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