Australias players celebrate after Australia defeated England and retained the Ashes on the final day of the fifth Ashes cricket Test match at the SCG in Sydney on January 8, 2018. Pic/ AFP

Australia ruthlessly extinguished England's resistance to claim an innings victory in the fifth Ashes Test and complete a 4-0 series rout on the final day in Sydney on Monday. The beleaguered tourists, with skipper Joe Root weakened by a stomach bug and unable to continue batting, dissolved after lunch, losing their last four wickets for their fourth comprehensive defeat of the series. "It has been a great couple of months. The cricket that we have played in the last couple of months has been outstanding," Australia skipper Steve Smith said.