England regain Ashes

Michael Hussey was the last man out after tea at The Oval, caught for 121 by Alastair Cook off Graeme Swann as Australia were dismissed for 348, falling well short of the 546 victory target set by England.

Swann claimed 4-120 and Steve Harmison picked up 3-54 but it was two run outs in six balls - including that of captain Ricky Ponting - that put England on the way to victory and sent allrounder Andrew Flintoff into Test cricket retirement as a winner.

Hussey scored his first Test century since last October but his 330-minute fighting effort that may have saved his test career was in a losing cause.

England's talismanic all-rounder Andrew Flintoff was able to bow of test cricket with the fairytale ending he had hoped for.

Australia was always behind the game once it replied to England's first innings 332 with a below-par 160 when Stuart Broad took an inspired 5-37 and Swann 4-38.

The tourists would also regret not being able to win the first Test in Cardiff when they failed to take England's final wicket. That match was drawn, England won the second Test at Lord's, the third Test was drawn before Australia leveled the series in Leeds.

There had been periods in the day when it looked like Australia might achieve a spectacular rearguard action to stave off defeat or claim the win.

Hussey, who survived two drops by Paul Collingwood at slip to Swann on 21 and 55, put on partnerships of 127 with Ponting and 91 with Haddin but neither were significant enough to deny England.

The pivotal sequence came after lunch when Ponting and his vice-captain Michael Clarke were run out.

Ponting, who received a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd after having been booed to the crease in previous tests, was out for 66 after Hussey called him for a quick single.

Mid-on fielder Flintoff picked the ball up cleanly and unleashed a powerful direct throw at the stumps that left Ponting a meter short of his ground.

Ponting was disconsolate as England celebrated wildly at the key breakthrough. It might yet be Ponting's last Ashes test in England. He would be 38 in 2013 on the next tour.

The England team was jumping with joy again next over when Australia's top run-scorer Clarke departed the same way.

He clipped Swann towards square leg and set off for a run not expecting the ball to hit the ankle of short leg fielder Alastair Cook and dribble back towards him.

England captain Andrew Strauss reacted quickly and threw at the stumps, before the third umpire gave him out with Clarke's bat only on the line.

Australia had gone from 217-2 and looking relatively comfortable despite a crumbling pitch to 220-4.

That became 236-5 shortly after when Marcus North was stumped by Matt Prior off Swann. He attempted a sweep shot only for the ball to bounce up to Prior, who grabbed it and dislodged the bails before North could place his back foot behind the line.

Before lunch, Simon Katich offered no stroke to Swann, expecting more sharp turn but was out lbw by a straight delivery. He made 43 in 68 balls. Shane Watson departed three balls later for 40, trapped lbw by Stuart Broad.

England was also thankful to its debutant Jonathan Trott for his composed innings of 119 on Saturday that allowed his side to set Australia such an intimidating target.

"We'll see how I'm going in four years," Ponting said. "Hopefully I'll have another chance to play another Ashes series back in Australia, but it would be nice, with everything I've done in my career and the games I've played, to have some good memories from this ground. I might have to come back next time and find some.

"With a loss, I'm more determined than ever to be a better player and leader than I am at the moment. I don't really know what to expect when I get back. Hopefully most of the questions will be from journalists, not from people above. But we'll see. I've felt I've given myself the best opportunity and done a good job as a captain and leader in this series. Leaders are always looked upon on their results on their team. Unfortunately for me and the rest of the guys we haven't got the results we would have liked. Ultimately it is my responsibility to get the best out of the guys and to win series. I felt I ticked most of those boxed, other than making a few more runs myself."

"I don't think you can get any more disappointed than I am right now," he said. "Looking back at 2005, I was feeling exactly the same back then. We all spoke about it and built the series up so much...but we've come up short. I'm obviously hurting, the rest of the guys are hurting as well.

"For me, the leader, the captain, the most experienced player, it's difficult for me to accept. It's just as difficult for the rest of the guys. We couldn't have done anything else, we have given ourselves the best opportunity. Just a couple of really bad sessions during the course of five Tests have cost us the series. When we were been good we were exceptional, when we were bad we were very poor. We need to become more consistent in our performances across the board."

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Ponting, who has now lost two Ashes series in England, said he wants to remain as skipper of the side.

Hilditch said calls for Ponting's dismissal would be "completely unfair" and added: "He had a very good series. He's been under incredible pressure."

Hilditch also refused to blame Australia's selectors for the defeat.

They have come in for heavy criticism in the Australian press and from former Test players, particularly after the omission of spinner Nathan Hauritz for the final match at The Oval.

England off-spinner Graeme Swann took eight wickets in the match, while Australia skipper Ponting used part-time slow bowlers Marcus North, who took four wickets, and Michael Clarke.

Former Australia spinner Shane Warne said the decision to leave out Hauritz, who played in the first three Tests, was "staggering".

However, Hilditch stated: "I think it would be jumping to conclusions too quickly to blame the selectors.

"I think everyone will be looking for people to blame. I don't think that in any way we can hold the selectors accountable for us losing the Ashes."

And he questioned whether it was the non-selection of Hauritz or the Australian first-innings' collapse, when they were dismissed for 160, that cost them any chance of victory.

"At the end of the day, the players go out and do the business on the field," he said.

"We've lost the game by 200 runs, which is a pretty significant defeat, and having a spinner in the side wouldn't have helped us in the first innings, when we were bowled out for 160 and effectively lost the game."

Australia's defeat has resulted in them losing their ranking as the number one Test team, with South Africa replacing them in top spot.

Ponting took a young team to South Africa earlier in the year and won the Test series.

"It was only six or seven months ago that we had fantastic series in South Africa where we beat the number one team in the world with a pretty similar line-up," said Hilditch.

"The selectors were hailed for their selection."

Australia have lost several established players in recent years, with the likes of Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer retiring.

"I don't think Cricket Australia is under any illusions as to where this team is at," conceded Hilditch.