Australia beats England to win Test and reclaim Ashes

Perth: Australia beat England by 150 runs today to win the third Test in Perth and reclaim the Ashes from their bitter rivals, with skipper Michael Clarke hailing an "outstanding" effort.

England were all out for 353 on the final day at the WACA Ground to hand the home side an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

It capped a remarkable turnaround for Australia, who went into the series just months after a 3-0 Ashes loss in England.

'Boof' behind Australia's Ashes turnaround

"I don't really know what to say. We've got them back, I couldn't be happier," Clarke said of the Ashes, which England had held for the past three series.

"Credit to the team for how they played: they were outstanding."

Despite a determined rearguard action -- led by rookie English batsman Ben Stokes, whose maiden Test century frayed Australian nerves -- the home team ran through the English tail after lunch to claim a famous victory.

The Australians had won the first two Tests in Brisbane and Adelaide and secured the urn when rejuvenated paceman Mitchell Johnson claimed his 23rd wicket of the series to remove Jimmy Anderson and end the England second innings.

Although the Ashes have been regained, Clarke said Australia were targeting a 5-0 win in the series as they seek to climb from fifth in the world Test cricket rankings.

"We want to get back that number one ranking," he said.

England captain Alastair Cook praised the character of Stokes and admitted the English were starting to dream of the impossible, but added that the result reflected the series.

"Just when we got a partnership going, we haven't managed to turn it into big one," he said.

"We have been outskilled in all aspects, and it is hard to say that. They have been ruthless. It hurts."

Set a record 504 to win, England went to lunch on the final day at 332-6, needing 172 more runs with four wickets in hand and Stokes still at the crease. However, Australia turned the screws when spinner Nathan Lyon (3-70) picked up the wicket of Stokes for 120 in the third over after the break.

Stokes, who scored the first English century of the series in just his second Test, attempted to sweep a ball outside off stump and got a thin bottom edge, with wicketkeeper Brad Haddin continuing his outstanding series by hanging on to a diving catch.

It was the end of a superb knock by Stokes, who showed up his more senior teammates by staying at the crease for 257 minutes and facing 195 balls, hitting 18 fours and one six.

His departure also ended a 40-run partnership with Tim Bresnan.

Lyon then picked up Graeme Swann for four, caught at short leg, as Australia closed in on victory.

Bresnan (12) was the next to go, brilliantly caught by a diving Chris Rogers at mid-off from the bowling of England's chief nemesis Johnson as celebrations by local fans went into full swing.

The match was over when Johnson (4-78) claimed his final scalp of the innings, with Anderson caught at short leg by George Bailey.

England had resumed on 251-5, but Stokes defied the Australian attack for the entire morning session, losing only Matt Prior (26) along the way.

Stokes, 22, was temporarily denied a century when he drove Johnson straight and the ball deflected off the bowler's hand into umpire Marais Erasmus, costing him the two runs he needed to reach the milestone.

But he got a top edge to fine leg for a boundary from the next ball to notch his first Test century.

Cook stands by team after Ashes defeat

Cook stands by team after Ashes defeat

Perth: England captain Alastair Cook described today Ashes loss as the lowest point of his career, but rejected suggestions his team's flaccid defence was a sign it was in terminal decline.

The tourists went into the series as firm favourites after their 3-0 victory in the series in England earlier this year.

But even Cook conceded they were completely outplayed in the first two Tests in Brisbane and Adelaide, and again in Perth -- where they lost by 150 runs to give the home side an unbeatable 3-0 lead with two Tests left to play.

A feature of the series has been the poor performance of senior English players, including Cook himself, powerful batsman Kevin Pietersen, wicketkeeper-batsman Matt Prior, spinner Graeme Swann and swing bowler Jimmy Anderson.

Cook, who suffered his first series defeat as skipper, told reporters he realised there would be a detailed autopsy of the team's failure.

He accepted that key England players were down on their best form in the first three Tests, but said it was premature to read anything more long-term into it.

"I wouldn't necessarily say that," he said when asked whether the loss signalled an English team in decline.

"What I would say is, unfortunately, when we needed people to be in form and playing well, we haven't done that, and that's why we lost.

"We haven't done ourselves justice out there in these three games, people haven't performed like we know they could have done, and it's frustrating when that happens."

Cook pointed to the Australians, with veterans like Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson playing some of the best cricket of their careers, as evidence that form can be turned around by experienced players.

Not for the first time in the series, it was Johnson who delivered a dagger to English hearts by removing Prior in his third over with the second new ball, ending a 76-run partnership with Stokes."You only have to look at the Australian side, there's a few guys on the back end of 30 delivering a huge amount of success for Australia," he said.

"The simple fact of the matter is we haven't had enough players in form with either bat or ball," he added.

"You can't put it any more honest than that, and people in the dressing room know that.

"It hurts like hell when you come into a contest and you end up being second best."

Cook answered "Yes" when asked if the Ashes defeat was the lowest moment of his career but did not elaborate.

But he said the English would not be pushed into making wholesale changes for the last two Tests in Sydney and Melbourne.

"I think for this tour we'll do what we always do -- try to pick the side and try to prepare the side which we think is the best side to win the next game," he said.

"When the game's just finished and everyone's really emotive and it's hurting like it's hurting, you could make some very radical decisions which could be the wrong ones.

"These have to be very cool, calculated decisions at the right time."

Cook said there was always pressure on England players to deliver due to the depth of talent in domestic cricket.

Proof of this, he said, lay in youngster Ben Stokes, who was called into the team for the second Test and scored his maiden Test century in the third.

Cook conceded his own form had been below-par, but refused to blame the extra pressure of captaincy.

He also backed Andy Flower to continue as the team's coach.

Clarke vows no let-up as Aussies seek clean sweepClarke vows no let-up as Aussies seek clean sweep

Perth: Captain Michael Clarke vowed there would be no let-up in the final two Tests as rampant Australia eye a 5-0 clean-sweep against England after regaining the Ashes today.

Despite registering their third big win in a row to take an unbeatable 3-0 lead, Clarke said Australia hoped to inflict even more pain when the series resumes in Melbourne.

Emphatic victories in Brisbane, Adelaide and now Perth have returned the trophy to Australia for the first time since 2007 and left old enemy England reeling.

"This is a special feeling," Clarke said of his first Ashes series win as skipper.

"You won't find one guy in the change room, player or support staff, who won't say this is the pinnacle, playing Test cricket against England.

"I am going to enjoy 3-0 for as long as I can tonight. I am going to enjoy this feeling, but I can guarantee you there won't be any complacency.

"We will turn up in Melbourne 100 percent ready to go and be doing everything we have done in first three Test matches."

Clarke is the only player in the Australian team to have experienced an Ashes series win before, when the home team thrashed England 5-0 in 2006-2007.

However, he said the job was not complete, with Australia looking for another white-wash by winning the remaining two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney.

He added that Australia's aim now was to "get back that number one ranking" after a period of decline following the retirement of a number of greats.

Clarke also hailed coach Darren "Boof" Lehmann, who took over with Australia in disarray just before this year's earlier Ashes series in England.

The captain said the Australians had worked harder on their game over the last 12 months than at any other point of his career.

"Boof's been fantastic, no doubt about it," he said. "There's been a lot of people behind the scenes."

Australia named an unchanged squad of 12 players for the Melbourne Test, with Lehmann indicating he hoped to stick with the same team. "If they're fit that eleven will play," he said.