(CNN) -- British Prime Minister David Cameron congratulated the England cricket team on Wednesday after it trounced arch-rival Australia to retain the Ashes, the most storied prize in the sport.
"Retaining the Ashes for the first time in almost a quarter of a century marks a very special end to the year for sports fans and a great late Christmas present for the country," Cameron said in a statement. "I look forward to welcoming them to Downing Street when they return".
The touring English team wrapped up the fourth Test match in Melbourne on Wednesday morning with an innings victory -- the most decisive manner of victory in cricket.
The win gave England a 2-1 lead in the five-match series being played during this southern hemisphere summer. With one of the earlier games having been indecisive and with only one Test remaining, the worst England can do is finish the series 2-2 -- an outcome which would see the team, as current holder of the Ashes, retain the title. CNN
