With their opening match against Scotland having yielded no result, England needed to beat Australia on Saturday to propel themselves into a strong position to progress from Group B.
Yet instead they now find themselves fourth in the group and in need of big wins over Oman and Namibia to stand a chance, while also hoping for a capitulation from Scotland, who are second.
Chasing a target of 202, England were trundling along nicely until Adam Zampa (2-28) dismissed openers Phil Salt (37) and Buttler (42) in the space of two overs.
Will Jacks did not last long as Australia severely dented England's run rate, with the further quickfire dismissals of Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali all but ending England's chances.
And when Liam Livingstone was sent packing by Patrick Cummins late in the day, England knew their hopes of making it out of the group have suddenly turned bleak.
No player scored over 50 for either team, though David Warner (39), Mitchell Marsh (35) and Travis Head (34) were the leading lights for Australia with the bat.
Data Debrief: Aussies avoid four straight losses
Australia are now well placed to push on at the T20 World Cup, and getting one over their old rivals in the process is all the sweeter.
England had won six of their last seven completed T20Is against Australia, including their last three in a row, but Marsh's team pulled out the stops to avoid a fourth straight loss.
Zampa, meanwhile, just loves this tournament. He has taken at least one wicket in each of his last 12 innings at the T20 World Cup, including two in each of his last four innings.
Chris Jordan celebrated taking his 100th T20I wicket, but it proved fruitless.
Having seen Marnus Labuschagne achieve the rare feat of a double and single century in the same match with his 104 not out, the hosts had declared on 182-2 on Saturday.
With 498 to defend, hopes of an easy cruise to the finish line proved more complicated for Pat Cummins' side, with the skipper forced off with a quad strain in the fourth innings.
Though he later returned to the field, the tourists proved to be anything but easy pickings in Perth, with Brathwaite (101 not out) leading a spirited charge in pursuit, to finish the day on 192-3.
Nathan Lyon (2-54) and Mitchell Starc (1-36) made some headway with the ball, but there is still work to do for the hosts to finish the job.
The day had appeared to belong to Labuschagne, becoming only the third Australian and eighth player overall to post a double century and a single century across the two innings of a red-ball match.
However, Brathwaite, ably supported by Tagenarine Chanderpaul (45), gave the Windies a glimmer of hope heading into an intriguing final day.
Two declarations the treat for Australia
Having curtailed their own innings twice, it is a testament to the hosts' dominance that they look absurdly sharp ahead of what will be a busy month that also sees them welcome South Africa for red-ball encounters.
For Labuschagne in particular, with his total score eclipsing his previous best of 274 set against New Zealand in 2020, it proves that his resurgence in Galle against Sri Lanka last month was no fluke, too, in what will be a major relief.
West Indies on brink of defeat
Having seen Australia rack up their second-biggest total against them in the country – behind Sydney in 1969 – it was always going to be a long stretch for the tourists to take this one.
With a full day of cricket ahead, it will take some serious effort from their middle order and tail to either play for a draw or mount a shock result.
After threatening to post an even bigger total at various points of their second innings, West Indies folded for 193 after tea, setting Australia a target of 216. But it was by no means a foregone conclusion, as the regional side's bowlers hit back late on day three, leaving their host at 60-2 heading into day four of the second Test at the Gabba.
Still, with opener Steven Smith off to a positive start at 33 not out, with Cameron Green also there on nine, Australia remain in the driver's seat to secure a further 156 runs and claim a sweep of the home Test, though this unpredictable encounter may have more twists and turns with heavy showers forecast for days four and five due to the after-effects of Cyclone Kirrily.
Scores: Australia 289-9 dec and 60-2 (Smith 33*, Green 9*, Joseph 1-19) trail West Indies 311 and 193 (McKenzie 41, Athanaze 35, Greaves 33, Hazlewood 3-23, Lyon 3-42) by 155 runs
New-ball bowlers Kemar Roach and Alzarri Joseph started sluggishly and failed to make the most of favourable conditions under lights. Australia rattled off 24 runs before opener Usman Khawaja tickled Alzarri Joseph down the leg side.
West Indies' hopes of ending a two-decade Test drought against Australia were further raised when Justin Greaves squared up Marnus Labuschagne, whose edge was brilliantly snaffled by Kevin Sinclair in the slips. From there, Smith and Green survived a probing examination before stumps.
Green was all at sea and struck on the pads by Greaves, but West Indies were unsuccessful in their review. He then edged the next delivery in front of second slip. In contrast, Smith looked technically sound and hit the ball crisply to finish unbeaten on 33 from 56 balls.
After a frenetic day two, the match returned to normalcy as the surface settled and West Indies eyed batting long. Resuming at 13 for 1, West Indies needed to survive the new ball onslaught and reached the 25-over mark, after which batting has proven easier, relatively unscathed.
But the surface did not offer as much zip as it did late on day two when Australia had declared 22 runs behind and Josh Hazlewood had sent back Tagenarine Chanderpaul. McKenzie motored along to thwart Australia's pace attack. In contrast, skipper Kraigg Brathwaite was anchored to the crease and scored just six runs off his first 33 balls before whacking Starc uppishly through the covers for his first boundary of the innings.
The batters defied probing hard-length bowling from Pat Cummins and notched a half-century stand before Brathwaite chipped Green to cover. McKenzie slowed down and on his 50th delivery, he missed an attempted sweep to be trapped lbw on Lyon's second delivery.
Athanaze, who has had limited impact in the series, showed glimpses of why he is highly rated with several attractive strokes, as he combined well with Hodge after dinner to rattle Australia. But Lyon's later brightened their mood when he dismissed Athanaze on 35 after tossing up a delivery that was edged to slip, where Smith took a sharp catch.
It was a relief for Smith, who had earlier in the innings dropped Athanaze and Brathwaite, as West Indies fell away before their late fightback left the match delicately poised.
The Sydney Sixers Women won the toss and elected to bat, posting 152-2 from their 20 overs thanks to a brilliant 67-ball 82 not out from New Zealander Suzie Bates. Her knock included eight fours and two sixes. Sixers captain Ellyse Perry supported well with 58 from 44 deliveries including five fours and two sixes. Dottin took 0-21 from her three overs.
With the bat, Dottin was the second highest scorer of the innings with a 16-ball 25 including one four and three sixes as the Strikers were restricted to 134-9 from their 20 overs. Aussie Katie Mack top-scored with 34 while South African Laura Wolvaardt added 22 against English left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone’s brilliant 4-17 off four overs.
Dottin announced her retirement from international cricket in August.
The 34-year-old Russell, who was not picked by West Indies selectors for the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup, signed a limited contract that makes him available for four games for the Renegades. He had been overlooked in the BBL Draft in August in part due to his limited availability and high price tag.
The Jamaican will now play matches against the Brisbane Heat on December 15 and 21, Sydney Thunder on December 18 and Hobart Hurricanes in Hobart on Christmas Eve.
West Indies have only themselves to blame, dropping two catches in the final over bowled by Sheldon Cottrell and that proved costly in the end.
Chasing 146 for victory, Australia owed their victory to Aaron Finch (58) and Matthew Wade (39*) whose sixth-wicket partnership turned the match in favour of the hosts who had lost half their wickets early.
The pair came together with Australia struggling after Sheldon Cottell’s two wickets and one each from Yannic Cariah, Jason Holder and Alzarri Joseph had reduced the hosts were 58-5 after eight overs.
They eventually repelled the West Indies attack with a 69-run partnership that for a while took the match away from the tourists. The match swung significantly in Australia’s favour when Sheldon Cottrell, who had earlier removed David Warner and Mitchell Marsh in his first over, leaked 18 runs in his third over, the 12th of the Australian innings.
Bowling his final over, Joseph broke the stand when he dismissed Finch for 58 with the score at 127 with Australia needing just 19 from 17 balls.
The Antiguan conceded only four runs from that over to finish with the impressive figures of 2-17.
Odean Smith bowled Cummins for four to leave Australia needing 11 from the final over.
Cottrell gave up a four to Wade off the first ball setting the stage for Australia to achieve the target but with a lot of help from the West Indies.
Wade escaped the second ball when Reifer dropped him in the deep and square of the wicket which resulted in Australia getting two runs.
The hosts needed four runs from three balls when Mayers dropped Starc from Cottrell’s fourth and Australia took two more runs.
Starc got two from the Cottrell’s fifth to get Australia over the line with a ball to spare.
Cottrell finished with 2-49 while Smith bowled well to end with 1-19.
Earlier, Kyle Mayers scored 39 at the top of the order and Odean Smith 27 at the end as the West Indies posted 145-9 from their 20 overs. Brandon King (13) and Raymon Reifer (19) each got starts but the West Indies lost wickets regularly and were unable to get any momentum during their innings.
Josh Hazelwood was the best of the Australian bowlers with 3-35. Pat Cummins 2-22 and Mitchell Starc 2-40 were solid in support.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the reasons why England came up short in their bid to claim the urn for the first time since 2015.
Leach ruled out
Trusted spinner Jack Leach has had terrible luck with injuries and illness in his career but a stress fracture in his lower back a couple of weeks before the series began was a particularly cruel blow. Up until that point, Leach had been an ever-present in the ‘Bazball’ era, taking three five-fors and a 10-wicket match haul in 13 Tests, emboldened by Ben Stokes’ more attacking leadership. Leach being ruled out – and a dearth of county spinners – meant England had to hastily revisit their plans for Australia.
Declaration on the opening day
England had Edgbaston rocking and Australia on the ropes, with Joe Root starting to unleash his full repertoire after reaching his century, but Stokes wanted a crack at the opposition before stumps. He called Root and Ollie Robinson in with England on 393 for eight, coughing up the chance of going well past 400 for four overs at David Warner and Usman Khawaja, both of whom survived until stumps. Even though England eked out a slender first-innings lead, the tense climax that later unfolded meant England really could have done with the extra runs to put Australia under the pump.
Dropped catches
Fielding has been England’s weak link, with questions over Jonny Bairstow’s return as wicketkeeper just 10 months after a horrific broken leg increasing with every missed chance – eight in total. In Birmingham, his fluffed stumping of Cameron Green and drop of Alex Carey cost England 78 runs, although the hosts were profligate in general. Root and Stokes were unable to hold on to tough chances off Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon respectively, the fine margins that proved the difference in Australia’s win.
Moeen’s finger
Leach’s absence led to Stokes sending out an SOS to the more mercurial Moeen Ali, who reversed his Test retirement. He has returned just six wickets at an average of 64.5 and been outshone by part-timer Joe Root at times. This was evident in the opener in Moeen’s first Test in nearly two years, where the increased workload caused a blister on his spinning finger that then burst, impinging his ability to land the ball in the right areas. He was unreliable in Australia’s run-chase, sending down 14 overs, one fewer than Root, who was much more dangerous only for Cummins and Lyon to get Australia home.
Happy hookers
At 188 for one in response to Australia’s 416 at Lord’s, England were cruising. Australia turned to a bouncer barrage in desperation on an unhelpful pitch and the hosts obliged. First Ollie Pope, then Ben Duckett – two short of a first Ashes century – and linchpin Joe Root all flapped uncertainly as England lurched to 222 for four. Harry Brook later fell into the trap as England coughed up a big first-innings lead, with suggestions – rejected by the dressing room – they had taken an attacking approach too far.
Carey outsmarts Bairstow
The stumping heard around the world. Bairstow ducked a bouncer from Green then, believing the ball to be dead, immediately strode down the wicket after scratching his back foot in his crease. However, Carey gathered the ball and immediately threw the poles down. Cummins upheld the appeal and while the incident awoke the beast inside Stokes, the Yorkshireman’s perfectly legal dismissal left the England captain with just bowlers for company as they fell short in the chase. The issue mushroomed to the extent that the Prime Ministers of both countries had their say over the ‘spirit of cricket’.
Rain
Defeats at Edgbaston and Lord’s meant England needed to be note-perfect – and have a little fortune – to regain the urn. They rebounded at Headingley and were totally dominant at Old Trafford, bagging a 275-run first-innings lead to leave Australia shell-shocked. The writing looked to be on the wall when they slid to 113 for four at the end of day three but there was just a 30-over window over the weekend – with a Sunday washout – because of atrocious weather in Manchester. The idea that England should have declared earlier to give themselves more time to bowl out their opponents was arguably voided by them taking just one more scalp as Australia closed to within 61 with five wickets left.
Du Plessis announced earlier on Monday that he has taken a step back, relinquishing his responsibilities as Test and T20 captain, with Quinton de Kock, who last month took over the ODI job, poised to take over across all formats.
The 35-year-old was rested for the recent 2-1 T20 series defeat to England, as were Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje.
All three return to the fold in a 16-man group to face Australia in Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town on February 21, 23 and 26.
Reeza Hendricks, Beuran Hendricks and Sisanda Magala drop out of the squad.
De Kock captains the side as he did in Du Plessis' absence against England, with the upcoming series key preparation for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.
Independent selector Linda Zondi specifically hailed Du Plessis' experience following his return after the batsman expressed his determination to continue as a player for the Proteas.
He said: "As a selection panel, we are happy with the team that we have finalised for the Australia tour.
"We are confident that the return of Kagiso and Anrich will provide the boost that the bowling unit needs in order to return to its dangerous ways.
"The experience of Faf will add an extra dimension to the batting unit's already fledgling prowess."
AB de Villiers is not involved in this squad, although coach Mark Boucher has confirmed the explosive batsman is likely to be selected for the World Cup as long as he is in form and makes himself available.
Temba Bavuma is picked for the squad, but his involvement is dependent on the results of a scan on a hamstring injury he sustained against England.
Following the T20 series, South Africa will also play three ODIs against Australia.
South Africa T20 squad: Quinton de Kock (captain), Temba Bavuma, Faf du Plessis, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Pite van Biljon, Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo, Jon-Jon Smuts, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi, Bjorn Fortuin, Anrich Nortje, Dale Steyn, Heinrich Klaasen.
Du Plessis has stepped down as Proteas skipper across all three formats in recent weeks, with Quinton de Kock taking charge.
Although the 35-year-old is playing against Australia in the ongoing Twenty20 international series, he missed the clashes with England in the same format earlier in February.
And Du Plessis will be absent again when South Africa return to 50-over action on Saturday.
"With a busy year and a half in mind, the selectors have opted to give further rest to Faf du Plessis and other senior players, such as Rassie van der Dussen and Dwaine Pretorius, while giving themselves an opportunity to see what some of the country's up and coming talents have to offer," CSA posted on its Twitter page as the squad was announced.
Keshav Maharaj is granted a recall, having last played limited-overs cricket for the Proteas in August 2018.
The 30-year-old left-arm spinner has been a Test regular in recent years but is yet to play T20s for South Africa and has featured in just four ODIs.
Meanwhile, Lutho Sipamla, who debuted against England at the start of the month, and Janneman Malan, with two T20 caps, are among the younger players included, along with Kyle Verreynne.
Verreynne, 22, is yet to feature for his country at senior level.
South Africa ODI squad in full: Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma, David Miller, Kagiso Rabada, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi, Beuran Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Janneman Malan, Jon-Jon Smuts, Anrich Nortje, Lutho Sipamla, Keshav Maharaj, Kyle Verreynne.
Joe Root's England side are due to start their bid to regain the urn at The Gabba on December 8, with the fifth and final Test scheduled to begin at Optus Stadium in Perth on January 18.
However, England players have raised concerns about the possibility of their families not being able to join them for the trip due to Australia's tight border controls during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the prospect of lengthy quarantines.
Multi-format players such as Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler face the prospect of four months away from home as the T20 World Cup takes place in the United Arab Emirates and Oman ahead of the Ashes.
Talks between the ECB and Cricket Australia are ongoing to reach a compromise and Harrison is optimistic that a full-strength England party will make the trip.
"We are working very closely with Cricket Australia (CA) and I had my latest conversation with my counterpart at CA yesterday," Harrison said. "We are speaking every few days on the matter.
"All the right conversations are happening at government level in Australia and we will be using our own diplomatic channels in the UK to ensure the view of the players and the ECB [is heard].
"This is not players asking for anything unreasonable – these are very reasonable requests that we are asking the Australian government to give some leniency, frankly.
"It's going to be important for us to ensure we can give comfort to players that their families are going to be able to be in Australia and that those conditions in which they are quarantined will be reasonable, enabling the players to be at their best in that Test series.
"It's a conversation that's going to take place over the next few weeks but I am very confident we will get to a place where we can fulfil our obligations to tour."
England captain Joe Root and his deputy Jos Buttler are among the players who stated they were not ready to commit to the five-match series due to uncertainty over coronavirus restrictions.
Bubble fatigue and quarantine periods for the players' families are issues that have been raised, leading to doubts over whether the five-match Test series – due to start at The Gabba on December 8 – will go ahead.
The ECB on Friday confirmed England will tour Australia, providing "several critical conditions" are met before they board the plane.
"Over recent weeks we have made excellent progress in moving forward on the England men's Ashes Tour," an ECB statement said.
"To facilitate further progress and allow a squad to be selected, The ECB Board has met today and given its approval for the tour to go ahead.
"This decision is subject to several critical conditions being met before we travel.
"We look forward to the ongoing assistance from Cricket Australia in resolving these matters in the coming days."
Australia captain Tim Paine earlier stated he expects England to bring a "really strong" side to Australia, with only "one or two" players opting out of the tour.
"I'm hearing a lot of their players will commit," the wicketkeeper told SEN Radio.
"There might be one or two that don't, but I think we'll see a really strong England side come out here."
Australia's prime minister Scott Morrison last month warned England will not benefit from any "special deals" regarding quarantine rules when they arrive in the country.
Paine says he has spoken to the prime minister as Australia wait for confirmation that England will make the long journey to try to regain the urn.
"He was keen to find out what the sticking points might be from a player's perspective," said Paine of his conversations with Morrison.
"I shared a few text messages with him. He loves his cricket."
The first Test of the Ashes is due to begin on December 8 at the Gabba in Brisbane, though the full length of the Tour is expected to be 11 weeks, and during that time the England team will have to live under restricted conditions in an attempt to prevent coronavirus outbreaks.
Australia has been one of the most restrictive countries in the world during the pandemic, with strict border rules in force since March 2020.
Its international borders are set to reopen in November, though Prime Minister Scott Morrison suggested last month that England will not benefit from any "special deals" regarding quarantine rules if they are to travel to Australia.
Nearly 57 per cent of Australians are fully vaccinated, while 82.5 per cent of Brits are, though all state and international borders are not expected to be open until regional and national vaccination rates hit 80 per cent.
With players and management informed over the weekend of what life will look like for them in Australia, the ECB board is set to make a final decision on whether to go ahead with the trip by the end of the week.
An ECB statement read: "Over the weekend we have been talking to England men's players and management to provide them with the latest information about the proposed arrangements for this winter's scheduled Ashes Tour.
"We remain in regular and positive dialogue with Cricket Australia over these arrangements as the picture is constantly evolving.
"With health and wellbeing at the forefront, our focus is to ensure the Tour can go ahead with conditions for players and management to perform at their best.
"We will continue talking to our players this week to share the latest information and seek feedback.
"Later this week the ECB Board will meet to decide whether the conditions in place are sufficient for the Tour to go ahead and enable the selection of a squad befitting a series of this significance."
The decision to call a halt to this year's competition was taken on Tuesday amid the worsening COVID-19 pandemic in India.
After two cases were confirmed among the Kolkata Knight Riders, Monday's game against Royal Challengers Bangalore was postponed. A Sunrisers Hyderabad player then also tested positive ahead of their fixture with Mumbai Indians.
Focus is now on seeing participants leave the country safely, with fears players would need to self-isolate in India and also return a negative coronavirus test before attempting to get a flight.
However, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Sam Billings, Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali and Jason Roy all boarded a flight that landed at Heathrow on Wednesday.
They will have to quarantine in government-approved hotels for the next 10 days.
The remaining three England players who were on duty - Eoin Morgan, Dawid Malan and Chris Jordan - are expected to leave India within the next 48 hours.
Meanwhile, Cricket Australia boss Nick Hockley has confirmed the contingent of Australian IPL players will be moved to the Maldives or Sri Lanka in the coming days.
The Australian government has blocked citizens returning home within 14 days of being in India, meaning they will first have to isolate elsewhere.
The all-rounder will undergo an operation on his left arm on Thursday, with his spot in the ODI and T20 squads taken by D'Arcy Short.
Maxwell had been recalled by his country for the first time since taking a break from cricket in October to concentrate on his mental health, but he now faces up to eight weeks on the sidelines.
After the news was confirmed by Cricket Australia, Maxwell wrote on Twitter: "Shattered to be missing the South Africa tour. I wish all the lads the best of luck over there and I'll be watching from home!
"Thanks for all the wishes of support."
The Wallabies face three T20s and three ODIs against the Proteas, with Maxwell's absence coming after an injury he carried in the closing weeks of the Big Bash League season.
The 31-year-old helped Melbourne Stars to the final of that competition, where they lost to Sydney Sixers.
National selector Trevor Hohns lamented the loss of Maxwell but is confident Western Australia's Short can fill the void.
"We are disappointed to lose Glenn this close to the tour as we were looking forward to welcoming him back to the national side in both the 20- and 50-over formats after his break during the summer," Hohns said.
"Unfortunately, the pain he has experienced in the elbow in the latter stages of the BBL increased over the weekend and he will have surgery immediately to rectify the situation.
"An opportunity has now presented itself for D'Arcy and we're confident he'll make the most of whatever opportunities come his way in South Africa."
The hosts secured victory on day two in what was the second-shortest Test in the country after the same two sides played out what remains the shortest Test in history in 1932 in Melbourne.
A green pitch offered considerable bounce and movement, which led to wickets falling regularly as the match was over after a total of just 144.2 overs.
After a first innings score of only 152, South Africa limited Australia to 218, before capitulating with the bat again and posting just 99 in their second innings, setting the hosts a target of a mere 34 to win.
Even then, four Australia wickets fell as Kagiso Rabada (4-13) tore through their top order, though the target was reached in large thanks to the bounce of the pitch, with the top scorer being the 19 extras that mostly came from bouncers that flew over wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne and raced to the boundary.
"I did ask the umpires when [Rabada] got [Travis] Head out down leg, I said 'how long does it go on for until it potentially is unsafe?'," South Africa captain Elgar said.
"And then [Anrich] Nortje was bowling those short ones that were flying over our heads. I know the game is dead and buried, it was never to try and change or put a halt to the game. That's where the umpire's discretion comes into play, not us as players. I am definitely not going to say it was safe or unsafe.
"There were only a handful of runs left so I thought maybe they thought I was just trying to take the mickey," he added, having not received any response from the officials. "But it's not a bad reference point going forward to get a reply.
"You've got to ask yourself the question – is that a good advertisement for our format? Thirty-four wickets in two days – a pretty one-sided affair, I would say.
"The nature of it, how it started to play with some seriously steep bounce with the old ball, you are kind of on a hiding to nothing as a batting unit. I don't think it was a very good Test wicket, no."
Elgar's opposite number Pat Cummins, who took 5-42 in the second innings, felt the surface was well short of concerning levels.
"No way, it was fine," he said. "Sideways movement, there was a little bit of up and down bounce, but it was fine. There were no balls jumping off a length or anything like that.
"It was certainly tricky. Two days probably isn't ideal… personally, I don't mind it if the groundsman err on the greener side occasionally. [I've] played a lot of Tests where they've erred on the flatter side. I think it was the same for both teams."
Day two also saw Mitchell Starc take his 300th Test wicket when he bowled Rassie van der Dussen with a trademark inswinger, and Cummins paid tribute to his team-mate.
"You can talk about strike rate, average, all those things," he said. "[But] the longevity you've got to have to get 300 as a fast bowler, the injuries you've got to overcome… you've seen it all by the time you get 300.
"I've seen him mending a lot of scars, bruises and blisters in the change room. You see the toil behind the wickets and performances. It puts him right in the upper echelon of great Aussie bowlers. Now he's nipping the ball a bit more. I reckon his next 300 will come pretty quickly."
The Proteas were aided by rain delays in the final Test of a series the hosts had already won, but still had to see out the final day as Sarel Erwee (42 not out) and Temba Bavuma (17 not out) frustrated Australia.
Pat Cummins' side dismissed South Africa for 255 in their first innings and enforced the follow-on as they chased the win, but a series of failed reviews and some determined batting from the tourists saw the match end in a draw.
Elgar was out for 10 in the second innings, lasting just 25 balls, which ended a series for him in which he managed just 56 runs in total at an average of 9.33, though he was just happy to leave Australia without his team facing a 3-0 whitewash.
"It's good to end the tour like this," he said. "Touring Australia is never easy, but obviously the message to the group last night was we have got to go out and fight on day five, and I think it's going to help us in the future. It's going to lead us down the right road.
"I know I'm the captain but I'm also a run-scorer and I know that hasn't worked out of late, but I know I'll be back. I don't go lying down. I know my character and I know I'll come out stronger."
Cummins cut a frustrated figure after being denied a third win, admitting "the wicket probably didn't play exactly as we would have thought" but was left optimistic after another strong series for his team.
Australia begin their tour India next month looking to win there for the first time since 2004, and Cummins believes they have a good chance of doing so.
"I think we've given ourselves the best chance," he said. "[It was] another fantastic summer… Other than this game in a shortened time frame we've been able to get 20 wickets each Test in different circumstances.
"I feel like we are adapting really well, having the experience of Pakistan and Sri Lanka last year has put us in really good stead knowing no one is going in blind. I think [we've got] as good a chance as we've ever [had]."
As in the first two games in the five-match rubber, it was a low-scoring affair in Dhaka, with an anchoring 52 from captain Mahmudullah proving vital.
Shakib Al Hasan scored 26 as he and Mahmudullah added 44 for the third wicket – a sizable chunk of Bangladesh's 127-9, which hit the buffers when seamer Ellis (3-34) struck with the final three deliveries of the innings to become the first player to take a hat-trick on his first appearance in this format.
While Bangladesh did not bring such firepower to Australia's response, the home attack strangled hopes of victory with a miserly display that limited the tourists to 117-4.
Left-arm seamer Mustafizur Rahman was the pick with a ludicrously miserly 0-9 from his four overs, while Nasum Ahmed (1-19) and Shakib (1-22) each went at less than a run a ball across their allocations.
Ben McDermott scored 35 at the top of the innings and Mitchell Marsh continued his impressive recent form with 51 from 47 deliveries, although when Shoriful Islam (2-29) had the number three caught at long-on, Alex Carey (20 not out) and Dan Christian (7 not out) were unable to get Australia over the line.
Landmark outing for Zampa
Dhaka has been something of a spinner's paradise and leg-spinner Adam Zampa claimed 2-24, trapping opener Soumya Sarkar lbw on the sweep and having Shakib caught down by Ashton Agar at long-off. It meant Zampa became the second Australian in T20Is to reach 50 wickets after Mitchell Starc.
No runs from Rahman
Perhaps stung by being the second part of Ellis' hat-trick, Mustafizur responded by strangling the life out of Australia. Of his 24 deliveries, 15 were dots – including five in the penultimate over when the game was taken beyond Carey and Christian.
Despite impressing in his 14 appearances, Ellis has struggled to establish a regular spot in Australia's T20 side - notably missing out on selection for the 2022 World Cup - while he only featured once for Punjab Kings during the 2024 Indian Premier League.
However, the 29-year-old boasts the second-best powerplay economy (7.08) in all T20s since 2020 within Australia's World Cup squad - behind only Josh Hazlewood (6.58) - while he comfortably boasts the strongest record at the death (overs 17 to 20) during that span (8.88)
Paine believes Mitchell Starc, who played a starring role in the Kolkata Knight Riders' IPL success, and Adam Zampa should lead his nation's attack, along with Ellis - ahead of the likes of Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.
"I think Australia have a great opportunity, and I hope they take it in this World Cup, and that is to pick Nathan Ellis. He would be my third quick," he told ESPN.
"He's got a different skillset, comes from a different angle, different height, and I think some variety in the attack will be really important to win this World Cup.
"His international record for the opportunities that he's been given is outstanding, and I think now is the right time.
"That's not to say they [Cummins and Hazlewood] are not the best couple of bowlers in the country; they are outstanding bowlers, and will continue to be. I just think Nathan Ellis complements the rest of that attack really, really well."
Australia - winners of the tournament in 2021 - are drawn in Group B alongside England, Scotland, Oman and Namibia.
Having been reintegrated to the team after his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal against South Africa in 2018 resulted in a one-year ban, Warner edged out Steve Smith by one vote to win the country's top individual prize.
He expressed his thanks to team-mates, coaches and Cricket Australia after beating Smith and last year's winner Pat Cummins to the accolade.
Warner also fought back the tears as he thanked his parents and wife Candice, who he described as his "rock and inspiration".
"I'm taken aback by this," said Warner. "It has been quite challenging. I want to thank Cricket Australia, Belinda Clark, Kevin Roberts and Justin Langer for that opportunity [to come back].
"You were really working your backsides off behind the scenes to reintegrate the three of us [Warner, Smith and Cameron Bancroft] into the cricketing family.
"Everything to get us back in there amongst the guys, taking us to Dubai, starting that way, was absolutely fantastic and the way [ODI captain] Aaron Finch and [Test captain] Tim Paine accepted us and were always in contact with us, we really appreciate that.
"I want to thank my home club team at Randwick-Petersham for giving me that opportunity to go out there and play grade cricket.
"I realised a lot of things during that time off that we don't actually understand or realise when we're in this bubble, the importance of what this game is and the smiles on the faces that we bring to a lot of people.
"Sitting back and reflecting upon the time I had away from the game, you don't realise the importance and effect it has on everyone. It put things in perspective.
"Getting cricket taken away from you, something you've always dreamed of, it really hurt, so I'm just extremely grateful to be accepted back by Cricket Australia, the peers and also by the fans.
"I had mixed emotions about how I was going to be received back here at home - I definitely knew what I was in for in England and obviously in a couple of weeks' time [in South Africa]. But it's just been remarkable to come back.
"Standing here I'm just really proud to have that opportunity again."
Warner struggled in the Ashes but otherwise enjoyed a superb year across all formats.
But he thought his woes against England would have cost him a shot at the Allan Border Medal, which only Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting have won on more occasions.
"It was a shock and a surprise," he said. "When it is that close, you really don't know so it's a big surprise to be honest.
"I had an absolutely horrendous Ashes and generally, across the Test matches, that's where a lot of the votes are polled, so I didn't think I had a chance.
"I really had the hunger and determination to come back and do the best for our team. We've been great across all three formats for 12 months, I couldn't be any prouder to stand here and receive the award."
Ben Stokes will not be bringing the Ashes urn back home after a fifth-day washout in Manchester but the captain believes his England side have played their way into the nation’s hearts.
Relentless rain at Emirates Old Trafford on Sunday ruined England’s hopes of putting the finishing touches to a dominant performance in the fourth Test, with five of the last six sessions in the match lost without a single ball bowled.
That was enough for Australia to get out of jail with five wickets in hand, retaining the Ashes with an unassailable 2-1 lead despite being beaten at Headingley and roundly outclassed in the first three days here.
Fans on both sides of the rivalry will now be denied the spectacle of a blockbuster series finale at the Kia Oval, but Stokes is confident his team’s thrill-a-minute style has already secured a place in the game’s folkore.
England have recast themselves as foot-to-the-floor entertainers in the ‘Bazball’ era, drawing in new fans and taking the Test format into places it has not been since the beloved summer of 2005.
“It’s a tough one to take, a tough pill to swallow. We were completely and utterly dominant throughout the hours of play we had, but the weather didn’t help us and we can’t change that,” Stokes said.
“If this game went without rain we probably would have been favourites to be sat here at 2-2 and I think that would have elevated everything that this series has already done for Test cricket.
“But I think what we’ve managed to do has already done wonders for cricket in England. I said in the dressing room that the reward for your work isn’t what you get, it’s what you become. And I think what we’ve managed to become is a team that people will remember.
“We’ve become a team that have been so unbelievably well followed and we will live long in the memories of those who have watched us.
“As much as I would love to be an Ashes-winning captain, I want this team to be a legacy team. Regardless of how the series ends up, people will always talk about us.”
Stokes refused to fumble for distractions, brushing aside questions about reserve days and the tradition of the holders having the right to retain in a draw series.
“Test cricket is five days. I don’t ever see there being a reserve day in a series like this,” he said.
“This is the way it’s always been. We know we can’t get the urn back but we can draw the series and that’s what we’ll be trying to do.”
There is precious little time for Stokes to rally his troops for that challenge, with the fifth and final Test starting on Thursday.
Whether England can carry their momentum through remains to be seen, but the prospect of denying Australia a first series win on these shores since 2001 is a motivation in its own right.
“We have to get over the disappointment and focus on that game,” Stokes said. “It is a massive one for us and we know 2-2 sounds a lot better than 3-1.
“The mentality and mindset within this dressing room is to go out and win. Every time we walk out on the field that’s all I encourage the players to do, just concentrate on what you need to do as an individual to influence a game in the right way.
“There’s no doubt if we’d managed to get a result in this game next week would have been a very, very special week in the history of English cricket, not just Ashes cricket. But we’ll be treating it as we do every other game.
“We’re always putting our front foot forward and trying to press the game as hard as we possibly can. As a captain that’s something that makes me very proud as a leader of the 10 other guys out there.”
