Five Ashes Takeaways from Australia’s World Test Championship Final Win

The Australian cricket team is one of the most successful teams in the history of international cricket. They have won the ICC Cricket World Cup five times (in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2015) and have now become a dominant force in Test cricket as well, defeating Team India in the WTC final game on Sunday at the Oval.

The Aussies followed the tradition of being aggressive and competitive from day one, and eventually, it became a piece of cake for them to overpower Team India.

After their WTC final win, the Australian squad is scheduled to play the Ashes 2023 against England. The Ashes is the most important Test series for Australia and hold a rich history for the players.

Pat Cummins and his men will be confident enough to face England post their final game win and below are the five takeaways from their performance against India.

Travis Head will play a crucial role in the Ashes

Without a doubt, Travis Head is the most destructive batsman in the Australian squad right now. He displayed his dominance in the first innings for Australia when the chips were down after the early departures of David Warner, Usman Khawaja, and Marnus Labuschagne.

Head built a partnership with Steve Smith and scored 163 runs in 174 balls at a strike rate of 93.68. Travis made the Indian pacers his primary target and destroyed the attack of Mohammad Shami and Mohammed Siraj. Pat Cummins will be happy to see the Head’s presence in the middle order as it brings balance to the team.

Steve Smith’s positive outing in the Final game

Steve Smith is known for his unique and unorthodox batting style. He has developed a technique that is highly effective and has helped him become one of the best batsmen in the world. However, the most prominent Test batsman of Australia was struggling before the final game, and there were concerns over his form in Test cricket. Cricket Australia will be happy to see Smith regaining his old form in the final game.

He played a valuable first innings for his team, scoring 121 runs off 268 balls at a strike rate of 45.15. Smith is known for his contributions in the past during the Ashes series, and he will again play an important role against England.

Scott Boland is a threat to England

English cricket has always been proud of its pace attack, and in the current scenario as well, they have a blend of experienced and young pacers. However, during the final game of the WTC, Scott Boland turned out to be a deadly pacer, systematically dismantling the Indian batting attack.

His performance at the Oval shows that he will be a valuable asset on English pitches. Boland picked up 5 wickets overall in both innings, with his primary targets being Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli.

Balanced Pitch

The final game between India and Australia showed that the Aussie batters and bowlers are equally effective on English pitches. This is a red alert for Ben Stokes and his men.

The Aussies managed to score runs on the flat pitch of the Oval, and at the same time, their bowlers were able to take wickets and provide timely breakthroughs. This is positive news for the Australian camp, and they will be confident enough to face England on the latter’s flat pitches.

Struggling Opening Partnerships

Australia is one of the most ferocious teams in the world. However, after their performance in the WTC final, it is clear that England has a slight chance of beating them. The primary reason is that the Australian opening lineup, consisting of David Warner, Usman Khawaja, and Marnus Labuschagne, has completely failed to perform. Before the start of the Ashes, Pat Cummins will have to have a word with the trio and make them understand their value as the opening lineup.