London [UK], June 14 : Australia's golden run under skipper Pat Cummins came to a halt as South Africa defeated them by five wickets to secure their maiden ICC World Test Championship (WTC) title on the back of a masterclass from Aiden Markram.
Cummins' run as a captain started with retaining the Ashes against England away from home after a 2-2 draw, and it was followed by one-sided ICC World Test Championship and ICC Cricket World Cup wins against India. However, everything has an end and it seems, so did Cummins' consistent championship-winning run.
Nonetheless, throughout the 2023-25, the years which spanned this cycle, Australia played some fantastic cricket, with a Border-Gavaskar Trophy win against India at home, their first series win against Asian giants in a decade, being the crowning jewel of it. Let us look at Australia's top stars during this WTC cycle:
-Usman Khawaja
The 38-year-old continues to improve with age and has mastered the ability to grit it out at the crease like no other. He was Australia's top run-getter in this cycle and overall fifth, with 1,428 runs in 20 matches and 39 innings at an average of 39.66. He scored two centuries and six fifties, with the best score of 232 against Sri Lanka. However, in the final, he could score just a duck and six in both innings.
-Steve Smith
The veteran Aussie struggled for consistency during a good chunk of this WTC cycle, however, separating himself from the greats, this epitome of excellence came in clutch when it mattered the most, scoring four centuries in five Tests preceding this title clash and helping Aussies secure the BGT. In 20 matches, he scored 1,403 runs at an average of 41.26, with five centuries and five fifties. His best score was 141. In the final, he played a crucial 66 in the first innings, but failed to fire in the second innings, scoring just 13.
-Travis Head
Head also had patches of poor performance in this cycle, but still managed to score 1,197 runs in 20 matches and 36 innings at an average of 34.20, with a breathtaking strike rate of 80.71. He scored three centuries and five fifties, with the best score of 152. Head peeled off two incredible centuries against India during the BGT, which was the highlight of his run. But he failed in the final, not crossing 20 in both innings.
-Pat Cummins
The captain was a superstar with the ball, taking 80 wickets in 18 matches at an average of 23.48, with best figures of 6/28, which came during the WTC final, the best performance by a captain in a tournament final as a bowler. He took a total of six five-wicket hauls in this cycle, the most by a bowler in this cycle. He ended the cycle as the top wicket-taker.
As a batter, he scored 523 runs in 30 innings at an average of 20.11, with one half-century, proving his mettle as a useful lower-order batter.
-Mitchell Starc
The pace veteran continues to sizzle at big stages even in his mid 30s, taking 77 wickets in 19 matches at an average of 26.89, with best figures of 6/48. He was the third-highest wicket-taker in the WTC cycle. He also took two five-wicket hauls. In the final, he took a total of five wickets, including a scorching opening spell in the first innings and three wickets in the second innings.
-Nathan Lyon
He ended the WTC cycle as the leading spinner and fourth-highest wicket-taker, with 66 wickets in 17 matches at an average of 25.18 and best figures of 6/65. He took a five-wicket haul in the cycle. He went wicketless in the final.