Australia gained the sweetest revenge for last week's Headingley indignity a few minutes before tea at the Oval yesterday. There was nothing to it: Glenn McGrath to Phil Tufnell, an edge to Shane Warne at slip and it was all over.

Bowled out for 184 the second time around, England had lost the final Test by an innings and 25 runs, and the series 4-1, which was a fair reflection of the disparity between the sides. England have been outclassed all the way, although there is no disgrace in that.

After the presentations - Steve Waugh accepting the large crystal replica of the Ashes urn with as much grace as someone who covets the real thing could muster - there was a lap of honour, much champagne spraying and then a ritual disposal of kit to the Australian throng which had gathered in front of the dressing rooms. It was the start of what was surely a long, lush and noisy night.

Yet again the magnificent McGrath, in his absolute pomp now as a fast bowler, had been the principal destroyer, the last two wickets in three balls giving him a five-wicket haul for the third time in Tests this summer and 32 wickets in the series.

England's coach Duncan Fletcher had no hestitation in nominating him as Australia's man of the series. Few would argue with that for he is enshrined now in the records as the most successful fast bowler that country has produced, passing Dennis Lillee's 355 wickets during the day.

Only one Australian stands ahead of him, but what a man. In a series that has benefited seam, Warne has been astonishing, and no less so yesterday when he bowled the first complete over of the day and did not stop until he had sent down 25 more.

His progress towards what surely would have been another five-wicket harvest was halted only by a stubborn ninth-wicket stand between James Ormond and Darren Gough.

But he bowled brilliantly, a wiser bird these days than the man of many tricks who first came here eight years ago and none the worse for that. He spun his leg-breaks vast distances as the Oval pitch began to wear, adding four for 64 to his seven in the first innings - he took 11 for 229 in all - a performance against England bettered only by his 11 for 110 at the Gabba in December 1994.

Yesterday's first hour, during which England lost four wickets for nine runs as Warne and McGrath turned the screw, soon dashed any optimism. Warne made the first incision, having Mark Butcher, England's man of the series, caught by Waugh at silly point from pad and bat.

McGrath responded in the next over with two wicked deliveries in succession to Marcus Trescothick. The first the batsman edged shoulder high between first and second slip, where Ricky Ponting moved in front of Warne at first slip and dropped the chance. McGrath dug in the next ball fractionally and it flew at Trescothick's gloves, ballooning into the air to give the bowler a simple return catch.

Nasser Hussain followed almost immediately, lbw to a quicker ball from Warne, and then Usman Afzaal stretched wide outside off-stump and was well caught by Ponting, leaving the innings in tatters at 55 for five.

Mark Ramprakash and Alec Stewart steadied things for a while, adding 40 before Ramprakash steered Warne to gully. Stewart and Andy Caddick were bowled, by Warne and Brett Lee respectively, with successive balls and only the ninth-wicket stand gave England the vaguest chance of avoiding an innings defeat. McGrath saw to that notion.