TOP SPIN AT THE TEST: Sorry England secure miserable record for most Test defeats in a calendar year

England meekly surrendered their fight for the Ashes with an astonishingly poor display in Melbourne as they went down to an innings defeat.

The hosts retained the urn with minimum of fuss as they charged into an unassailable 3-0 lead on Tuesday morning.

Here, Sportsmail’s LAWRENCE BOOTH provides the big stats behind a devastating defeat in Melbourne. 

This was England’s ninth Test defeat in 2021 – their most in a calendar. Previously, they had lost eight in each of 1984, 1986, 1993 and 2016. They have now lost 12 of their last 13 Tests in Australia since winning 3-1 in 2010-11.

Joe Root has set an unwanted record as England captain – overseeing the most Test defeats in a calendar year

England equalled their own world record for the most Test ducks in a calendar year – 54 back in 1998. Twenty different players have contributed to the haul, led by Rory Burns’ six and Ollie Robinson’s five.

Their total of 68 was their lowest in Australia since March 1904, when they were dismissed for 61, also at Melbourne.

Joe Root finished the year with 1,708 Test runs at 61 – just two short of Viv Richards’ 1976 aggregate for West Indies. The only player above them is Pakistan’s Mohammad Yousuf, who scored 1,788 in 2006. Next on England’s list, a long way back, is Burns, on 530. The only other player to average over 30 has been Dawid Malan (308 runs at 34).

Scott Boland’s second-figures of six for seven were the joint-second-best six-for in Test history, behind West Indies fast bowler Jermaine Lawson’s six for three against Bangladesh at Dhaka in 2002-03. England seamer Arthur Gilligan also took six for seven, in his first Test as captain, against South Africa at Edgbaston in 1924.

Scott Boland’s second-figures of six for seven were the joint-second-best six-for in Test history