In general, it seems things are going very well for Australian cricket, even if they’re coming off a shock loss to the Windies in Brisbane.
While Pat Cummins’ decision to declare at 9/289 – still 22 runs behind – has been widely criticised, his side still picked up a wicket with a newish ball and let’s be honest, Josh Hazlewood might reasonably be expected to do better bowling with a brand new pink ball under the Gabba lights than facing a fired up Shamar Joseph. We saw how that turned out…
Regardless, the point here isn’t whether it was the right call, but just how rare such an occurrence is. It’s extremely hard to fault this current Australian team.
Usman Khawaja with the ICC World Test Championship Mace. (Photo by Ryan Pierse-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)
Since 2021 Australia’s men have been world champions in all three formats. No other country in history has been world champion in all three formats.
In that time there have been four world champions crowned; the other was England in the 2022 T20 World Cup. Despite the disappointment and criticism that came with the failure on home soil, let’s be honest, three wins and one loss wasn’t that bad an effort in hindsight.
The way we look at T20 cricket in Australia is actually quite archaic, and has been ever since the IPL transformed the way cricket is consumed. Maybe Australia’s win at the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE was too easily forgotten. Moves like using Steve Smith in a floating role with the bat and wheeling out the same pace attack we see in Tests are very much not the norm, but they made it work.
The ODI World Cup in India was even more incredible. A host nation on a rampage, in favourable conditions with far more than a billion people behind them and a love for ODI cricket that sadly seems to have disappeared in Australia, the cause was seemingly lost. It was the same old dated approach to batting, this time with dual anchor roles for Smith and Marnus Labuschagne and the same old pace attack, which led to the same old result: Australia were world champions.
Australia celebrates with the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Trophy. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Of course, in the Test format, which Australia understands and cares so much about, a thrashing of India at The Oval in June was just reward for a team so often overshadowed by the more celebrated team from the turn of the century. Make no mistake, this team is worth celebrating.
Mitchell Starc was once erratic, but has become a consistently excellent Test bowler. David Warner was able to overcome endless criticism and become probably the best all-format batsman (apart from Virat Kohli). Cummins has defied history to become a fantastic leader, while somehow becoming an even better bowler in the process. Smith might be Australia’s best batsman since Bradman, but decided to try his hand as an opener. He’s already carried his bat through an innings; a feat many openers don’t manage across their entire career.
This team might not be quite as dominant as the Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting versions, but they win nearly as often. With so many players in their thirties we don’t know what it will look like in three years but for now, the current Australian men’s cricket team has quietly built up a record almost any team in history would envy.
As cricket fans we should appreciate this team while we still have it.
The Knightwatchmen who say Nii
Roar Rookie
Lots of batsmen are, and have been, superior to Warner in test cricket. Even is reputation at home in Australia is overrated due to massive statistical padding.
The Knightwatchmen who say Nii
Roar Rookie
To be a great side, you need great players most of the way through your ranks. In this current side, the only even remotely great batsman for us in India and England - our two toughest frontiers of late - is Steve Smith.
The Knightwatchmen who say Nii
Roar Rookie
Carnivean, the 1997 win in England was outstanding, as they fell behind in the series - the only time they have come back to win from behind in the 42 years I have been watching. England had Darren Gough and Dean Headley fit and firing, and Andy Caddick was also excellent when English seaming/swinging conditions suited. From 0-1 down, it took an outstanding lone hand ton from Steve Waugh in first innings, and then majestic stroke play from Mark in third innings, to pull Australia back from the brink. Then 1-1, it took an outstanding partnership between rookies Matthew Elliott and Ricky Ponting from 4-50, in reply to 172, on a seaming track to take Australia into the lead. Phil Tuftnell, an Oval specialist, then spun us to defeat in the dead rubber to pull the final result back to 3-2. This series is right up there with West Indies 1995, South Africa away and home 1997-98, Pakistan 1998, and of course India 2004.
Targa
Roar Rookie
Daryl Mitchell is a better all-format batsman than Warner.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Australia in 2004. Who had just won the ODI World Cup the year before. And won the previous four Ashes series in England.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
No other country in history has been world champion in all three formats?. Well the T20 cup has only been going since 2007 and the World Test Championship since….2021. So I’d humbly suggest if two and half years is history we’re changing the meaning of the word a tad. The men’s Test team is not the same team as the ODI team and is hardly the greatest ever since its lost the last two series in Australia and can’t win in India or England.
Ace
Roar Rookie
Cale I also only found this article by chance. I believe the team has done well but I'll hold for a while yet as to how they compare. But ,off the cuff, I'd say Ricky Ponting had some good teams which I would support over this one. The bowling was great with Mcgrath and Warne and support. Gilchrist ,Hayden, Ponting and Watson etc in the batting OMHO
Blink
Roar Rookie
So which teams that you think were great won in England and India. Most obviously to even the casual viewer, the strength of the opposition plays a part. But history will show the present Australian team to be great compared to any International team at any time, and even with so many more formats now.
carnivean
Roar Rookie
An educated guess would suggest that paid writers want higher billing as their performance pay is based on engagement and clicks. I've noticed recently that the crowd articles often start very low down the page, below even the video posts.
carnivean
Roar Rookie
You can wait for a final judgement, but yeah can also judge on what we're seeing at the moment. And clearly at the moment he's a fantastic leader and the best fast bowler in the world (possibly among equals but not surpassed).
carnivean
Roar Rookie
The away win in India and/or England are good points, but the home loss to India comment is churlish and disrespectful. India's recent team is one of their strongest ever, possibly their greatest. Steve Waugh and Mark Taylor's wins in England were against significantly weaker opposition than what Smith and Cummins have faced. But the win in Inda in 2001 was what gives that team the best claim for being the greatest.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Good point.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
The only "criticism" I've heard has been positive, ie it was a good call which was justified because they took a wicket.
Gilberto
Roar Rookie
They're good but not great. Got to win a Test series in India or in England for that conversation, or at least not lose at home to India.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Can l ask why your post has not been put in the first section to read? I scrolled down to see it flagged. The Roar should have it as post where it's noticed readily.
Tony Taylor
"While Pat Cummins' decision to declare at 9/289 – still 22 runs behind – has been widely criticised." It has?
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
This is a nice glass half-full story Cale and you're right, since that WTC Final mid last year, Australia has done very well. There have been some bumps along the way, but by & large, the team's been good enough to overcome most of those. Not entirely sure I agree with all of your conclusions, eg "Cummins has defied history to become a fantastic leader". He's certainly in the top 2 or 3 fast bowlers in Test cricket at present and is in terrific form with the ball, but I'd suggest waiting till his career is over before passing judgement on Pat Cummins, Test skipper
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Maybe it's a sign of the times. Analogously the same story is going on with cars. Is what they are making today as exciting as what they made 20, 30, 40 years ago? Yes we have a good team and even the numbers to back it up but would they stack up; moot point. Win:loss ratios rarely tell the story or at least muddy the picture.