( CNN ) -- Australia has won the Ashes -- now it wants to rub salt in English wounds by pulling off a whitewash . Tuesday 's victory in Perth gave Australia an unassailable 3-0 lead with two games remaining -- two games in which it will attempt to exact revenge on an England side which has dominated the Ashes in recent years . Having lost the previous three Ashes series , Australia was expected to put up a brave fight against an England side which triumphed 3-0 on home soil only a few months ago . Instead , it produced a performance full of courage , vigor and quality -- blowing England away with a level of cricket which simply proved too aggressive and intense for the touring side . Victory in Perth by 150 runs ensured the Ashes urn returned to Australia after a 1,577 day absence and left captain Michael Clarke with even more reason to celebrate his 100th Test match appearance . `` This is a special feeling , '' Clarke told reporters after sealing his first Ashes series win as skipper . `` You wo n't find one guy in the changing room , player or support staff , who wo n't say this is the pinnacle , playing Test cricket against England . `` I am going to enjoy 3-0 for as long as I can tonight . I am going to enjoy this feeling , but I can guarantee you there wo n't be any complacency . `` We will turn up in Melbourne 100 % ready to go and be doing everything we have done in the first three Test matches . '' Australia will now be aiming to produce a repeat of the 2006-7 series when it defeated England 5-0 in a humiliating whitewash . That defeat signaled a period of introspection into English cricket with the publication of the Schofield report -- a 19-step guide to improving the national team . Since then England has improved rapidly , winning three Ashes series in succession in 2009 , 2010-11 and 2013 . In August 2011 it became the top ranked side in Test match cricket -- but it has struggled since being replaced by South Africa at the summit in 2012 . Its 2013 3-0 home victory over Australia was far from convincing with England 's batsmen coming in for particular criticism . The team 's failings , particularly with the bat , have been greatly exposed by an Australian side led by the fast bowling of Mitchell Johnson . Johnson has taken 23 wickets in the opening three Tests after failing to make the squad for the previous Ashes series . Only Ben Stokes , 22 , has managed a century for the tourists in the opening three Test matches . England , which lost Jonathan Trott to a stress-related illness following the first Test defeat at Brisbane , has failed to reach 400 in a single innings since it faced New Zealand in Wellington in March 2013 . Here , against a rampant Australian bowling attack , it wilted like the England teams of old , which were so often brushed aside . Needing an unlikely 506 in its second innings to win the contest at Perth 's WACA stadium , it fell 150 runs short despite a magnificent 120 from newcomer Stokes . It means England will now head into the Boxing Day clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground with only pride to play for . `` The simple fact of the matter is we have n't had enough players in form with either bat or ball , '' captain Alastair Cook told reporters . `` You ca n't put it any more honest than that , and people in the dressing room know that . `` It hurts like hell when you come into a contest and you end up being second best . '' The two teams will meet in the fourth Test at the MCG on December 26 before moving on to Sydney for the final contest on Friday January 3 .
Australia has won the Ashes following victory in Perth . Host nation leads the five-match series 3-0 . England have lost their last two Tests against Australia, and are now on a run of just one win from eight matches since they toured to India in January 2012. England beaten by 150 runs in Perth to concede series .