Australian Test Career - Road to Glory

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

Obviously Australian test cricket is about to enter a transition phase. With Warner retiring, and an aging lineup including the likes of Mitch Starc, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, and Josh Hazlewood, all of whom are in their twilight years as a cricketer, the current Test lineup will likely look quite different in 3-5 years. In this career, it is my goal to help the Aussies pass through this transition phase and continue to be a Test powerhouse.

Schedule for 2024/25 season

5 Tests v India (home), Nov - Dec
2 Tests v Sri Lanka (away), Jan - Feb

Not many tests for the first year, but the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is a big series and we want to win it.

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1st Test v India - Brisbane

An injury to Marnus Labuschagne means he will not play in the First test. Marcus Harris takes his place in the squad after some good Sheffield Shield form.

Aus XI - Harris, Khawaja, Smith, Head, Green, Marsh, Carey, Cummins, Starc, Lyon, Hazlewood
Ind XI - Jaiswal, Gill, Pujara, Kohli, S Khan, Pant, R Singh, Yadav, Bumrah, Shami, Siraj

A lacklustre opening spell helped India skip past 100 in the first session, but a couple of wickets in the last over before the break from Lyon left the game in the balance. Lyon continued on his merry way, taking another 4 wickets in the second session, bringing his total up to 6. No other bowlers fired though meaning they were 216-6 at Tea. Cummins finally took the wicket of Kohli for 56, and after that the tail fell away and they were all out for 276, with Lyon taking 7-76 in a breathtaking Day 1 spell.

Our openers started cautiously, scoring 76 runs in the first 36 overs of the innings. Khawaja couldn't keep it up and fell for 47 to Siraj soon after Lunch however, while Harris repaid the selectors' faith with a gritty 54 before falling LBW to Shami. Green and Smith put together a useful 93 run stand after Head fell 5th ball, but Smith was dismissed on 76. Green was also sent back to the pavilion while Carey and Marsh pushed us past the 300 run threshold. They both fell soon after, but our tail wagged and we did enough to get an 84 run lead.

Jaiswal fell cheaply but Gill was having none of that. He cut, pulled, and drove his way to a century off 147 balls, and was well supported by Pujara who was run out for 73. Kohli and Khan didn't last long, meaning they were 276-4 at Stumps on Day 3, with Gill 150 not out and Pant unbeaten on 7. Gill finally got out on 180 from 243 balls, and received a standing ovation from the crowd. Cummins and Lyon got rid of the tail well, and we had to chase 319 to win.

After an 88 run opening stand in our first innings, I was hoping that our openers could give us another good start, but Harris fell for 24 early on and we had a big task on our hands. Smith fell just prior to lunch, leaving us at 86-2. Head and Green both scored handy 20s and helped whittle down the runs required to 144 with 6 wickets in hand. Marsh was dismissed for 3 and Carey for 9, but Cummins and Khawaja put on 35 to bring us somewhat close. Khawaja fell for 106 off 279 in a massive turning point in the match. It looked almost impossible, needing 96 with only our bowlers left, but Starc and Cummins gave it a red-hot crack, putting on 72 and bringing us within touching distance. But the part-timer Singh bowled Cummins and Starc was caught behind off Bumrah before Hazlewood was bowled by Siraj, and we were all out, just 14 runs short.

Match lost by 14 runs

Top performers - Khawaja (163 runs) Smith (94 runs) Harris (78 runs) Lyon (11 wickets) Cummins (55 runs and 5 wickets) Starc (68 runs and 1 wicket)

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2nd Test v India - Adelaide

Having recovered from his injury, Marnus Labuschagne makes his way back into the squad for the 2nd Test.

Aus XI - Smith, Khawaja, Labuschagne, Green, Head, Marsh, Carey, Cummins, Starc, Lyon, Hazlewood
Ind XI - Jaiswal, Gill, Pujara, Kohli, S Khan, Pant, R Singh, Yadav, Bumrah, Shami, Siraj

I really shuffle the XI here, dropping Harris for Labuschagne, promoting Smith to opener, and sliding Head down the order for Green.

Smith shakes off the early nerves quite well, scoring nicely for the first few overs of the match. They almost survive to lunch, but Gill comes on and dismisses Khawaja disappointingly for 37, leaving us 88-1 at lunch. Smith passed 50 but fell soon after, and with two new batters at the crease, the Indian bowlers had a chance to turn the screws. Labuschagne and Green had other ideas though, and both reached 50 before the end of the session. Labuschagne lasted a mere delivery after Tea, and at 196-3, I was certain that this was a major point in the match. Head and Marsh both employed a fast-scoring approach, but were out before reaching 20, but Carey was more cautious, and saw Green to his 3rd test ton. UnfoTounately for Carey though, he was trapped in front by Bumrah for a gritty 22 from 61 balls and the tail was fast approaching. 3 more wickets fell before stumps, and we were left 312-9 after a big day of cricket. I was hoping Green could farm the strike and increase our total, which is exactly what he did, adding 50 more runs with Hazlewood as we were bowled out for 362.

Another poor opening spell helped them cut the lead to 294 before lunch without losing a wicket. Once again it was Garry who got the first breakthrough, castling Jaiswal and also dismissing Pujara a few overs later. Starc caught-and-bowled Gill before tea, with the match in the balance as they were 183-3. Hazlewood struck twice in an over to dismiss Kohli and Khan, but Pant once again proved a class above. He and Rinku Singh bullied our attack, putting on 89 runs in 18 overs and putting India in the box seat at stumps on the second day. But we had other ideas, taking 2 wickets in the first 3 overs of the day and then taking the new ball. Our pace attack finally took newball wickets and somehow we had a 9 run advantage.

We lost Khawaja early for 3 but Smith and Labuschagne were determined to put up a fight, extending the lead to 80 runs before Smith was caught in the deep and out for 32. Labuschagne and Green saw out the second session, with Labuschagne passing 50, and our lead ticking past 140. They both got out in the first half hour of the final session of the day, and Marsh followed soon after. A classic Travball knock and Carey's gritty stand helped us build a lead of 263 with 2 days left in the match. However, neither added any runs on Day 4, and were dismissed for 69 off 78 and 44 off 68 respectively. Our tail helped us get to 302 all out, meaning the target was set at 312.

At Tea the game was still in balance, with us needing a further 7 wickets to claim victory, but only having 167 runs to defend. But it was in the last session where they blew the game wide open. Jaiswal was well supported by Khan (57) in passing 100, and at the completion of Day 4, they needed a mere 30 runs to win, and we still needed 5 wickets. Starc picked up Jaiswal and Yadav but it was too little, too late. They took a 2-0 series lead heading into Melbourne

Match lost by 3 wickets

Top performers - Green (148 & 42) Labuschagne (50 & 61) Head (15 & 69) Smith (57 & 32) Starc (3-69 & 3-105) Lyon (3-70 & 0-54) Cummins (2-52 & 2-45)

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

3rd Test v India - Victoria

Aus XI - Harris, Khawaja, Labuschagne, Smith, Head, Green, Carey, Cummins, Starc, Lyon, Boland
Ind XI - Jaiswal, Gill, Pujara, Pant, Kohli, S Khan, R Singh, Yadav, Bumrah, Shami, Siraj

Marsh has really disappointed, so he has been dropped. Harris comes back in to open, Smith slides down to 4 and Green finds himself back at 6, while Hazlewood makes way for Boland after a poor run.

Harris was out early, but Khawaja and Labuschagne consolidated and helped us to lunch at 91-1, but Khawaja fell right after. Smith was then bowled for an 11 ball duck and we were all of a sudden in a spot of bother. It only got worse when Labuschagne was caught for 52, but Head got us back on track with a quickfire 54 from 60 balls, before being dismissed right on the stroke of tea. It looked like India would run through our lower order in the final session, but Carey and Green were determined to get us back into the game, and the series. Green finished the day on 71, with Carey also passing 50 as we built a solid 306-5 after a day. Neither was able to add any more runs on day 2 though, quite disappointingly. They ran through the tail pretty fast and we were all out for 328.

Another quickfire 50 from Jaiswal helped them off to a rollicking start, but Lyon halted proceedings with the wicket of Jaiswal before Gill fell to Cummins for 62. We got one more before tea but were not in a good position, only leading by 143 runs and still needing 7 wickets. Rishabh Pant continued to be a step ahead, whacking 76 off 96 to cut the lead to 2 runs at stumps. It looked dire, but we cleaned up their lower order in no time, and bowled them out for 361.

Another early wicket, this time Khawaja, fell for a poor 9. Labuschagne and Smith struggled, and scored a combined 33 runs while we were 3 wickets down, and just 48 runs ahead. Head couldn't get going like in the first innings and soon fell for 22 as Harris got his half-ton. He and Green battled hard in the last session of day 3, but persistence paid off as he finally brought up his first Test ton. The day ended with us 217-4, leading by 184 runs. Day 4 session 1 went perfectly, with Harris pushing past 150 and Green approaching the 90s, and we built our lead to a hefty 304 runs. Green's second ton of the summer came up in style, as he lofted a wayward bouncer from Bumrah over square leg. The 265 run partnership finally ended as Harris was bowled by Shami for 185 from 317 balls. Green and Carey upped the tempo and got our lead up to 442 at tea, where we declared on 475-5.

We had 4 sessions to bowl them out. Surely we could do this and keep the series alive and well. That's what I thought before Gill and Jaiswal batted out 1 and a half sessions, but they fell in back to back overs, giving us slight hope. Pujara once again personified his nickname 'The Wall' as he batted 169 balls in a desperate effort. But just before tea on the final day, Pujara, Pant and Khan all fell, and the game was still alive. We took a couple wickets in the early part of the session before Kohli and Bumrah batted an hour together, but Kohli was bowled with 20 minutes remaining. Then Bumrah fell in the 3rd last over. Starc couldn't break through in the penultimate over, but Lyon worked his magic and dismantled Shami's stumps, keeping our series alive in a close victory.

Match won by 159 runs

Top performers - Green (71 & 158*) Harris (13 & 185) Carey (57 & 36*) Head (54 & 22) Starc (3-87 & 3-65) Lyon (2-53 & 4-84) Cummins (2-79 & 3-54)

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

4th Test v India - Sydney

Aus XI - Harris, Khawaja, Labuschagne, Smith, Head, Green, Carey, Cummins, Starc, Lyon, Boland
Ind XI - Jaiswal, Gill, Pujara, Pant, Kohli, S Khan, R Singh, Jadeja, K Yadav, Bumrah, Shami

Despite Gill's early departure, Jaiswal and Pujara smashed and crashed their way to 116-1 at lunch. It looked good when Green dismissed Pujara and Pant in a single spell, but Jaiswal once again proved a class above as he took control and eased past 100 before tea. Even with wickets tumbling around him, Jaiswal stood tall and smashed his way past 200. He ended the day unbeaten on 205 as India were 365-6. No play took place in the first session and a half of day 2 due to rain, but Cummins struck quickly, getting Jadeja and soon after, the key man Jaiswal for a whopping 222. Eventually they were bowled out for 421 with 1 and a half hours left in the day.

Our openers couldn't successfully navigate the overcast conditions, with Khawaja falling two overs before stumps for 28. We lost 2 wickets in the opening session of the third day, with Harris and Labuschagne both being sent back to the pavilion, and we the ended the session 260 runs in arrears. Smith and Head combined for 70 runs before Head was dismissed, and our chances were fading. Yadav's third wicket came when Smith was trapped in front for 84, and the session ended with Carey unable to trouble the scorers. I thought we were gone for all money, but Green put on another show, whacking 114 from just 165 deliveries, and he cut the lead to 50 before Boland was cleaned up by Yadav for his 6th.

Both openers were out for ducks and we restricted the scoring before stumps on day 3, just 99 runs behind and still needing 8 wickets. Lyon and Starc got on a roll nice and early on day 4, combining for 4 wickets in the session with the lead 200 at lunch. They ended with 4 wickets apiece, and we needed just 232 to win after bowling them out for a mere 182.

With the pitch deteriorating, it was never going to be an easy chase. Jadeja ran through our top and middle order, and before we knew it we needed 117 to win and only had 4 wickets in the shed. Green fell for a hard-fought 40 from 110 balls, and we still required 85 to win, but Cummins and Starc somehow pulled a rabbit out of the hat and formed an 86 run unbeaten stand to get us over the line, with Cummins scoring 59 not out and Starc ending on 32.

Match won by 3 wickets

Top performers - Green (114* & 40) Smith (84 & 10) Cummins (4-112 & 1-47 & 59*) Lyon (1-72 & 4-44) Starc (2-94 & 4-60 & 32*)

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

5th Test v India - Canberra

Aus XI - Harris, Khawaja, Labuschagne, Smith, Head, Green, Carey, Cummins, Starc, Lyon, Boland
Ind XI - Jaiswal, Gill, Pujara, Pant, Kohli, S Khan, R Singh, Jadeja, Bumrah, Shami, Siraj

On a flat pitch, with sunny skies forecast, we elect to bat first, but left to question our decision with Harris gone second ball. Labuschagne could only add 5 before being dismissed, but Khawaja and Smith got us to lunch 2 down. Khawaja couldn't get the half century he deserved, caught behind for 46. Smith got his 4th fifty of the series, and began to up the ante. It looked like we would survive the rest of the session unscathed, but Siraj picked up the wicket of Head, leaving us 150-4 at tea. Smith finally brought up his first century of the Test summer, off a whopping 240 balls. He added a few more before being dismissed for 120. Green was looking good but was out on the last ball of the day, with us 244-6 at stumps. Carey and Cummins combined for 62, but they were both dismissed by Jadeja, with India well and truly into the tail. Our tail did well to get us to 350 all out, with the series on the line.

Cummins started beautifully, getting both openers out in his opening spell. Pant began to up the scoring, but Cummins came back into the attack and bowled him, along with Pujara, leaving India 122-4 at stumps. Kohli fell to Cummins for his 5th, with the game on our terms. Our pace bowlers applied good pressure and cleaned up the tail well, giving us a 101 run lead.

Our openers gave us a good platform, with Khawaja again falling agonisingly close to a half ton. We started day 4 227 runs ahead, with 7 wickets in the shed still. Smith didn't last long, but Head and Green scored aggressively to break the game wide open, giving us a 361 run lead at lunch. We suffered a mini collapse after lunch, losing 3-3 before our tail wagged once again, getting us to 331 all out, and setting a target of 432.

Only one wicket fell prior to stumps, and we had a task on our hands, needing 9 wickets on the final day to secure a series victory. It wasn't easy, with Pujara scoring a hard fought century, and fifties to Gill and Jadeja, but Cummins and Starc combined for 7 wickets, giving us the win in a nailbiting series where we came back from 2-0 to clinch a 3-2 win!

Match won by 66 runs

Top performers - Smith (120 & 20) Head (15 & 92) Green (42 & 78) Khawaja (46 & 49) Cummins (6-79 & 3-80) Starc (2-63 & 4-127)

Player of the series - Cameron Green (756 runs @ 94.5, 3 100s and 2 50s)

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

1st Test v Sri Lanka - Khatterama

Aus XI - Harris, Khawaja, Labuschagne, Smith, Head, Green, Carey, Cummins, Starc, Lyon, Murphy
SL XI - Nissanka, Karunaratne, D de Silva, Mathews, Madushka, Kam Mendis, N Perera, Madushanka, Rajitha, K Perera, Asitha Fernando

We go for the double spin attack of Lyon and Murphy on a spinning track.

Our openers got in quickly, and used the best conditions for the whole match to add 203 runs in 69.1 overs, before Khawaja was dismissed for 93. Harris departed soon after, beginning a mini collapse, as we lost Smith and Labuschagne before stumps, ending the day 281-4. Our middle order couldn't capitalise, as we fell to 340-9 before a 40 run stand between Cummins and Murphy brought the score to 380 all out, putting us in the box seat.

Cummins and Starc took a wicket apiece before tea, where the score was 76-2. A handy 79 run partnership between Nissanka and Mathews came to an abrupt holt when Murphy struck thrice in a spell, with Starc picking up another as well. Murphy and Lyon cleaned up the tail, with Murphy ending with a 5fa. We had the option to enforce the follow-on, leading by 223 runs, but opted against it.

Harris blasted his way to a run-a-ball 59, with Khawaja adding 42 in a fast start. Smith failed once again but Labuschagne and Head batted brilliantly together, combining for a 184 run partnership, and Labuschagne scoring a ton. Both fell in quick succession, bringing the declaration, with the lead at 531 and over two days remaining.

I hoped to make some inroads in the hour before stumps on day 3, but Nissanka and Karunaratne were disciplined enough to survive. Lyon started the day well, taking a pair of wickets in a flurry, but no one could take another before lunch, with the required runs at 390. Karunaratne carried on, but was unfortunately cleaned up by Murphy on 99. The second new ball came and went, before Mathews (87) and Mendis (33) were dismissed in back-to-back overs to make it very hard for the hosts. Lyon got another in the last over of the day, meaning we needed 3 wickets on the final day, still having a buffer of 230 runs. Perera fell to Lyon to complete his 5 wicket haul as we edged closer. They only lasted a few more overs, as we got the win.

Match won by 212 runs

Top performers - Harris (118 & 59) Labuschagne (23 & 103) Head (19 & 91) Khawaja (93 & 42) Lyon (1-41 & 6-77) Murphy (5-26 & 2-87)

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

2nd Test v Sri Lanka - Colombo

Aus XI - Harris, Khawaja, Labuschagne, Smith, Head, Green, Carey, Cummins, Starc, Lyon, Murphy
SL XI - Nissanka, Karunaratne, D de Silva, Mathews, Madushka, Kam Mendis, N Perera, Madushanka, K Perera, Disanayaka, Asitha Fernando

We bat first on a perfect pitch for batting, and our openers put together 66 for the first wicket before a mix-up caused Khawaja's downfall. Harris continued his good run of form, cutting and driving his way to a quickfire half century from 73 deliveries. He eventually fell for 77, being caught behind. The second session ended with us on 184-3, in a decent spot to seal the series victory. A flurry of wickets caused a collapse, as we lost 4-22 before Carey and Starc got us to stumps in a tricky situation at 289-7. Starc fell early on day 2, but Carey batted beautifully, navigating his way to a century from just 131 balls, thanks to some luck and some handy lower order batting from Todd Murphy. Carey and Murphy contributed 116 (with Murphy only adding 17 of those runs) in a whopping last wicket partnership which propelled us to 412 all out just before lunch on day 2.

Despite Nissanka falling for 9, the Sri Lankans battled hard, with Karunaratne and de Silva cutting the lead to 271 at tea. Todd Murphy came into the attack and struck three blows, dismissing both set batters, along with Angelo Mathews to leave the hosts reeling at 180-4. The scoring didn't slow though, with the middle order adding even more runs, and getting the lead to 155 at stumps, with 5 wickets remaining. Two more wickets fell before the new ball, but Nipun Perera was having none of that, slashing his way to 90 from 120 balls, and getting the lead down to 65 before being cleaned up by Cummins. The tail did little damage, and we had a first innings lead of 52 runs.

The middle session of day 3 proved to be a turning point in the match, as Harris whizzed past 50 in an aggressive display as we extended our lead to 135 before the end of the session. Khawaja broke his run of getting out in the 40s by finally passing 50, but only lasting another delivery. A cut through the slips gave Harris his third test century, but he fell, along with Labuschagne and Smith within 3 overs, giving the hosts a chance. Day 3 ended with us leading by 257 runs, and having a further 6 wickets remaining. But in an unfortunate turn of events for Sri Lanka, Head and Green added 149 runs in just a session, with Head getting his first ton of the summer. Green carried on, bringing up his century off 116 balls. Their pacers finished us off for 445, but they now had to chase 497 in just over 4 sessions to draw the series.

3 wickets fell before stumps on day 4, and with the hosts still requiring 394, it was safe to say the series was all but over. 50s from Mathews and Madushka delayed the inevitable, as Cummins took 5 wickets and we swept the series 2-0 to end Year 1 of this career on a high.

Match won by 248 runs

Top performers - Carey (139 & 8) Harris (77 & 101) Head (23 & 111) Green (11 & 103 & 3-26) Khawaja (34 & 54) Cummins (2-78 & 5-59) Murphy (3-76 & 1-76)

Player of the series - Marcus Harris (335 runs @ 88.75, 2 100s and 2 50s)

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

2024/25 Season Recap and Stats

A very successful first season, with 2 series victories and an overall record of 5 wins and 2 losses. We were able to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy which is really good.

Stats

Player	Matches	Runs	Avg	Strike Rate	Wickets	Average	Strike Rate
C Green	7	890	80.91	60.1	5	67.20	108.0
M Harris	6	703	58.58	51.3
T Head	7	601	42.93	67.4
U Khawaja	7	598	42.71	42.3
S Smith	7	480	34.29	45.2
M Labuschagne	6	440	36.67	51.9
A Carey	7	439	36.58	61.9
P Cummins	7	224	22.40	41.2	36	24.89	45.2
M Starc	7	205	18.64	51.5	33	32.33	53.2
N Lyon	7	62	6.89	46.9	36	25.92	49.9
M Marsh	2	61	15.25	50.4
T Murphy	2	46	23.00	45.1	11	23.27	51.8
J Hazlewood	2	11	11.00	25.6	6	54.67	79.0
S Boland	3	7	7.00	20.6	8	41.87	85.6

2024/25 Player of the season - Cameron Green

A pretty obvious choice, with Green scoring 4 centuries in just 14 innings, and topping our run scoring list. His bowling left much to be desired, only managing 5 wickets in 90 overs, but he batted so well so it didn't really matter. Against India he was really good, averaging an incredible 94.5 across 10 innings.


Nathan Lyon is now the second highest wicket taker for Australia in Test cricket and the sixth highest wicket taker overall, with a remarkable 565 wickets.

2025/26 Season Schedule

Test Championship Final v India
2 Tests v West Indies (away), Jun
The Ashes (home), Nov - Dec

A really big year for Australian Test Cricket. We can become the first back-to-back winners of the World Test Championship, before a short 2 test series against the Windies. The year ends with The Ashes on home soil, against the old enemy.

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

Test Championship Final v India - Lord's

Aus XI - Harris, Khawaja, Labuschagne, Smith, Head, Green, Carey, Cummins, Starc, Lyon, Hazlewood
Ind XI - Y Jaiswal, Gill, P Paul, R Singh, Iyer, Pant, Sudharsan, S Jaiswal, Mavi, Bumrah, Siraj

We field a pretty regulation lineup, but they hand Test debuts to 3 players in an interesting move.

Mavi picked up his first International wicket after trapping Harris in front early on, leaving us 15-1, but Khawaja and Labuschagne were determined to get us to lunch safely, which they did as their partnership passed 50. Khawaja kept on scoring at a healthy rate, getting 50, but couldn't keep going as Jaiswal got his maiden test wicket. Labuschagne continued to battle through, not even able to pass 50 before tea as the scored ticked over to 141-2. All his hard work came undone right after the break, and he fell for 48. Smith was also out for 30 soon after, and we were in a spot of bother at 152-4. Head and Green were up to the task though, as both of them got their half century before stumps, where we were 256-4. The onslaught just got worse for the Indians on day 2, with Head rapidly scoring as Green took a backseat. Head got his hundred as the lead ballooned out to 354 at lunch. It was looking like sunshines and rainbows for the Aussies, but Head was struck by a wild Mavi bouncer and had to retire hurt on 129, ending the partnership on an impressive 218. Carey didn't last long, but Green continued on, with a strong pull shot securing his century as his golden run of form continued on. Green was finally dismissed for 117 by Jaiswal. The Indians were finally beginning to get the game back on level pegging, but some handy lower order runs by Cummins (44) ensured we had a massive lead of 478, with just over an hour remaining on day 2.

It was never going to be easy to bat out the final hour of day 2, but the Indians made a meal of it. Starc and Lyon both took two while Cummins chipped in with one as they fell apart, losing 85-5 in just 23 overs, with their hopes well and truly gone. Rinku Singh began day 3 positively, smashing 15 off Cummins' first over to get his 50, but the wickets continued to fall around him. He fell for 72 to Hazlewood, and the tail completely fell apart as they were bowled out inside 50 overs for a mere 157, as our bowlers wreaked havoc. With a lead of 321, we elected to enforce the follow-on.

Starc took the wicket of Jaiswal early on, but a solid 57 run stand between Gill and Paul ensured the Indians didn't collapse like their first innings. Paul fell just after tea on day 3, but Gill and Singh batted out the remainder of day 3, giving India very slight hope, with the lead cut down to 136. Gill was sent back to the pavilion early on day 4 after a gritty century, but Singh and Iyer looked to hold it together. Starc came on with the new ball just before lunch, and took two massive wickets of Iyer and Pant in back-to-back overs in an impressive spell. The session ended with the Indians 265-5, still trailing by 56. Singh continued his good form, smashing a century, but couldn't find a partner as wickets tumbled around him. Another important spell from Starc yielded two more wickets as he took 5, and the tail crumbled under pressure, as they were bowled out for 307, and we won the World Test Championship Final by an innings and 14 runs.

Match won by an innings and 14 runs

What a dominant display, defeating a top nation by an innings in such a big match. Also, this year I am going to be doing Player of the Year votes, so after every match i will give 4-3-2-1 votes to who I believe impacted the game the most positively for us, and the player with the most votes at the end of the year to be named Player of the Year.

Player of the Year votes

4 - Travis Head (129*)
3 - Cameron Green (117)
2 - Mitch Starc (3-32 & 5-84)
1 - Nathan Lyon (4-47 & 3-58)

[Trevfromsussex&Oz]

Why 4 - 3 - 2 - 1? Two systems I know of are each umpire or the pair give 3 - 2 - 1 or similar to the US Most Valuble Player (MVP) its 1 point for a run, 15 for a catch or stumping, 30 for a wicket.

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

Why 4 - 3 - 2 - 1? Two systems I know of are each umpire or the pair give 3 - 2 - 1 or similar to the US Most Valuble Player (MVP) its 1 point for a run, 15 for a catch or stumping, 30 for a wicket.

I was thinking of doing a 3 - 2 - 1 system but since in the previous season we had so many good performances I felt this was a better way to recognise more performances.

[IGetOutToFullTosses]

1st Test v West Indies - Jamaica

With Travis Head's injury, it leaves a gaping hole in our middle order. Beau Webster and Nathan McSweeney both made it in the 18 man squad after some good FC form, while Michael Neser and Lance Morris were selected as bowling cover.

Aus XI - Harris, Khawaja, Labuschagne, Smith, Webster, Green, Carey, Cummins, Starc, Lyon, Hazlewood
WI XI - Brathwaite, M Louis, Blackwood, Hope, Da Silva, K Wickham, Mayers, Joseph, Thorpe, Roach, Seales

They won the toss and elected to bat on a flat pitch under sunny skies.

It was a slow first session, with their openers getting suited to the pitch without scoring at an alarming rate. A couple of wickets fell just prior to lunch, leaving the hosts 74-2 at the break. The second session did not go well for the Windies though, as they lost 4 wickets to some great bowling from Cummins and Lyon. They didn't score quickly either, with tight bowling restricting them to just 155-6 at Tea. Kyle Mayers came to the crease with a goal in mind; get the team into a winning position. And he did just that, whacking 81 from 107 deliveries in a breathtaking display as the hosts were all out for 264 early on day 2.

Despite their small total, Win Predictor fancied the Windies 51.9% of the time, even with the pitch still perfect for batting. It looked like it might be right though, as we lost Khawaja and Labuschagne to the new ball and Harris for 37 a bit later, with a deficit of 206. The debutant Webster came out with a very positive mindset, and walloped 60 from just 92 balls before a Thorpe bouncer brought his undoing. Smith continued his cautious approach, not even reaching 50 before Tea despite having faced 129 balls. He and Green fell in quick succession after the break to keep the Windies in contention, before the tail came undone and somehow, they had a first innings lead of 6.

Louis the debutant came out firing, and despite facing one of the best attacks in the world, was able to score a century against all odds. The rest of the batting lineup was unable to support him though, with only Brathwaite and Da Silva passing 20 as they were bowled out for 225, with Cummins taking 5 in a great performance, setting a run chase of 232 to win the First test.

We had 2 days to make these runs, so time was never going to be an issue. The Windies would've given themselves a chance to win, but 91 run stand between Harris and Khawaja for the first wicket blew them away. Labuschagne scored a really good 50 before Roach picked up his wicket, but Uzzie continued on his merry way, getting his ton and securing victory for us.

Match won by 8 wickets

I must admit I was really nervous when we were bowled out for 258, but our bowlers proved their class and essentially won us the game with a historic spell.

Player of the Year votes

4 - Pat Cummins (4-55 & 5-30)
3 - Usman Khawaja (3 & 106*)
2 - Mitch Starc (2-30 & 3-75)
1 - Marcus Harris (37 & 47)