‘Finally we’ve won one’: Stokes delighted by Ashes Test win but pitch was ‘not ideal’

• England captain and Joe Root revel in rarest of victories

• ‘Narrative that we haven’t won goes back to zero now’

Ben Stokes shared a hug with Joe Root and spoke of an “awesome feeling” after watching his England side claw back some respectability on this failed Ashes tour with a rollercoaster two-day victory in Melbourne.

Of the England squad, none had felt the pain of an 18-match winless streak more than the captain and his predecessor. Stokes had played in 13 Tests here without ever tasting a victory, while for Root the number was 17. With both men aged 34, this tour may well have been their last chance.