When athletes are asked to rank their greatest achievements, it’s common for them to say, “right up there.” If you ask most fans or former players about how the current Australian cricket team compares to past great teams, you’ll likely get a similar response.
Pat Cummins, by winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in his career, has now won every major trophy in cricket. This victory also means Australia has “completed” Test cricket by winning a series against every Test-playing nation.
Cummins’ growing legacy is that of a player who simply keeps winning.
Losing three home series to India would have been a tough blow for Cummins and his team, but after a strong win in the Boxing Day Test and a thrilling victory at the SCG, Australia now holds the ‘BGT’ for the first time since 2014-15.
So, how good is this Australian Test team?
They haven’t lost an Ashes series since 2015, having won or retained the Ashes in the last four series against England. The English haven’t won a Test in Australia since 2011.
In recent years, Australia won the 2021 T20 World Cup, the 2023 ODI World Cup, the World Test Championship in 2023, and they’ve held the Ashes for nearly a decade.
That ODI World Cup win, in front of 100,000 fans in India, will likely be the most memorable of Cummins’ time as captain, especially since it was against an undefeated Indian team.
Mark Waugh told news.com.au: “I think they stack up very, very highly – this group of players. Individually, there’s some fantastic players there.
“I think Steve Smith is going to stack up as one of our great batsmen, definitely. His record speaks for itself. David Warner’s just retired. Then you’ve got world class players like (Usman) Khawaja and Travis Head.
“The bowling side of it, I think the group of bowlers is as good as we’ve ever produced. The three big fast bowlers —Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins — Nathan Lyon’s record is phenomenal. I think they stack up very, very favourably.”
However, despite all these successes, the team hasn’t won an Ashes series in England or beaten India in India.
The Australian team of the early 2000s, however, achieved both: they won in England in 2001 and conquered India in 2004, often seen as the “final frontier.”
Australia managed to retain the Ashes in 2019 and 2023 but didn’t secure an outright victory in the series in England.
Waugh mentioned before this summer’s series against India: “I guess the one area they’ve let themselves down is (not) beating India in the last four series. That’s probably one area where they would like to improve.
“And drawing the Ashes series last year. They retained the Ashes but probably the really great Australian teams would have won that Ashes series.
“There’s a couple of big moments they haven’t nailed, and they’d be the first to admit that, but I think generally speaking any of the players would hold their own in any great Australian team of the past.”
The Australian team captained by Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting is widely regarded as the best Australian team in history.
The late 90s to early 2000s golden era featured players like Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, the Waugh brothers, Michael Clarke, Damien Martyn, Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, and Shane Warne.
Such was their strength that Australia was invited to play against a World XI in the ICC Super Series in 2005, consisting of one Test match and three One Day Internationals.
Following the disappointment of losing the 2005 Ashes in England, Australia won all four games against the World All Stars team, which included stars like Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Jacques Kallis, Kevin Pietersen, Shoaib Akhtar, and Muttiah Muralitharan.
Mike Hussey recalled to news.com.au: “I only played in the One Day series, I didn’t play in the Super Test at the SCG. I remember it was a lot of fun.
“It was a bit of a funny one because you’re playing against the best players in the world but it was hard for them because they obviously hadn’t played together. They didn’t have any kind of team cohesion.
“We were a pretty hungry team, coming off losing the Ashes in England so there was a bit of negativity around the team. The boys were really motivated and up for it.
“I really enjoyed it. I think those international players enjoyed coming to Australia and spending some time together as well. It was a nice concept, I can’t believe it’s 20 years ago.”
Next summer’s Ashes series is shaping up to be one of the best on Australian soil in years.
Joe Root is in excellent form and will be eager to prove himself by scoring his first century in Australia. Harry Brook and Ben Duckett are emerging as game-changers, and with a younger, faster bowling attack, England may have a strategy to challenge Australia.
If Australia wins the World Test Championship final again and beats England next summer, Pat Cummins will be remembered as one of the greatest captains in Australian cricket history.
While Mark Taylor and Michael Clarke are considered Australia’s most tactically sharp captains in recent times, Cummins is building a resume that could match legends like Ponting and Waugh.
Cummins has now led Australia to 20 Test wins, with only Waugh and Ponting having a better winning percentage as captain.
Pat Cummins has overcome injury issues and has been a steady performer, playing every match in long, demanding home summers. He is closing in on 300 Test wickets, and if he remains fit, he could finish his career with over 400 wickets, joining a select group of fast bowlers.
Mitchell Starc, who will turn 35 soon, is also on track to be considered one of the all-time greats. Despite being older, Starc continues to perform at a high level and is nearing 400 Test wickets, which is rare for fast bowlers. He will join Glenn McGrath as just the second Australian fast bowler to play 100 Tests.
Lee praised Starc’s unique skills: “He will go down as one of Australia’s greatest bowlers ever in all formats. That can be said about all three of the quicks. Pat Cummins is a superstar, Hazlewood is unbelievable. I think they enhance each other’s performances as well.
“In terms of Mitchell Starc, it’s not often you see a left armer who’s tall, lean, with a beautiful approach to the crease and he can shape the ball back in so late. I think of the first ball of the Test series against England at the Gabba, or (Brendon) McCullum at the 2015 ODI World Cup—swung it back.
People think ‘oh that was a fluke’ but he practices that ball every day. Under pressure, he can execute. He’s now approaching 400 wickets, amazing. Incredible.”
When compared to earlier eras, some players like Usman Khawaja have more centuries than Damien Martyn, Nathan Lyon is on track to surpass McGrath’s wicket tally, and Steve Smith is closing in on Ricky Ponting’s record of 41 centuries.
The experience of Australia’s players gives them an advantage as they play high-percentage cricket, but sometimes the team, made up of players in their 30s, looks vulnerable. Remember when Jasprit Bumrah tore through Australia’s top order in the first Test in Perth?
In the coming years, younger players like Cameron Green, Nathan McSweeney, and Sam Konstas should balance out the team’s age mix.
The next Ashes series will be crucial for deciding many players’ legacies. The contrasting playing styles of Cummins’ Australian team and England’s Bazball method will clash.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan said: “It’s judgement time for the Bazball method over the next 12 months for Ben Stokes and Baz McCullum. Does this risky style of play, entertaining brand of cricket, was it all worth it to win big series?
“The risky method of play won’t win in Australia. They’ll have to find a different gear, particularly with the bat against this quality. They’ll have to hope that Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Oli Stone, Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Matt Potts…if they’re all fit England will have a chance because they’ll be able to bowl Australia out.
“Can the batting unit bat sensibly enough at times to get a decent score and not throw their wickets away when they’re on top in a game like in the last Ashes series in the first few Test matches? If they can do that they’re a chance, but it’s a tall order because winning here in Australia is not easy.”
Australia will play two Tests against Sri Lanka later this month and then take on South Africa in the World Test Championship Final in June. After that, the Ashes series, where Pat Cummins and Ben Stokes will give it their all, is on the horizon.
