Pat Cummins-led Australia are set to play their first-ever World Test Championship (WTC) final on Wednesday where they face the No. 1 ranked India in the marquee clash. The Aussies were a bit unfortunate in the last cycle of the tournament as they narrowly missed out on a final berth after they got penalized four points for a slow over-rate. However, this time around, they ended up as the table toppers. Before they face India in the final showdown, let’s have a look at their journey in the past two years.
4-0 Ashes win at home
Under the leadership of Pat Cummins, the Aussies mauled England to clinch the Ashes 4-0 at home. They retained the urn with three consecutive victories. Joe Root & Co tried their best to make a comeback in the fourth game but it ended in a draw. For them, a defeat was unavoidable in the final Test and they returned home with empty hands.
The historic Pakistan tour
Australia’s visit for a 3-match Test series brought Pakistan cricket back to life. However, the flat tracks became the biggest talking points. After drawing the first two games in Rawalpindi and Karachi, the Aussies came out victorious in Lahore. The visitors won the game by 112 runs while Usman Khawaja, a native of Pakistan, returned as the highest scorer of the tour with 496 runs to his credit. On the other hand, skipper Pat Cummins and ace off-spinner Nathan Lyon picked up 12 wickets apiece in the tour and were the joint-highest wicket-takers.
The unforgettable Sri Lanka tour of 2022
The Aussies travelled to the island nation when it was going through political turmoil. The scenes were chaotic on the streets but the two teams stuck to their schedule and played a great 2-match Test series which ended in a 1-1 draw. Australia won the first Test by 10 wickets while the hosts made a terrific comeback with an innings victory. Dinesh Chandimal ended up as the highest run-getter with 219 runs to his name while Prabath Jayasuriya bagged 12 wickets and ended up as the highest wicket-taker.
West Indies in Australia 2022
The Aussies were dominant at home yet again. A two-Test match series was the final leg of the tour and the Windies stood no chance to have something on their plate. Marnus Labuschagne shined with 502 runs in two games as Australia swept the series away 2-0. The hosts won the opening game by 164 runs and then mowed down the visitors with a 419-run win to almost confirm a berth in the WTC Final.
Australia outsmart South Africa 2-0
Just like the Aussies, the Proteas too were very much in the race to the WTC final but an unsuccessful tour of Australia shattered all their hopes. A 6-wicket win at the Gabba followed by an innings win at the MCG consolidated Australia’s chances. The last game in Sydney ended in a draw. The series was all about the brilliance of Steve Smith, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja and David Warner as all of them scored more than 200 runs in the series while captain Pat Cummis topped the wicket-takers’ charts with 12 scalps to his credit.
The Border Gavaskar Trophy
Australia’s only series in the second cycle of the WTC came in India. They lost the first two Tests, in Nagpur and Delhi, handing India an unassailable lead 2-0. The visitors managed to come back in the third Test in Indore with a 9-wicket win but the final game in Ahmedabad ended in a draw. India retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the second time in a row with a 2-1 series win. Usman Khawaja continued to showcase his exceptional form, scoring 333 runs while Ravichandran Ashwin picked up 25 wickets.
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