Australia crowned World Test Champions

LONDON: Australia became the first team in the sport’s history to win all International Cricket Council’s world titles when they defeated India by 209 runs in the World Test Championship Final 2023 at The Oval.

Chasing 444 runs to win, India were bowled out on the fifth day for 234 as Australia celebrated becoming first-time world Test champions.

Australia had amassed 469 in the first innings and India replied with 296 — Pat Cummins’ team gaining a lead of 173 runs. Australia had stretched that advantage to 443 runs when their captain decided to declare their second innings closed on 270-8, setting India a target of 444 runs.

The final day of the ICC World Test Championship Final 2023 saw Australia take possession of the coveted Test Mace after they bundled India out for 234, winning The Ultimate Test by 209 runs.

Travis Head was declared the Player of the Match in the WTC Final for his incredible 163 in the first innings of the game.

The morning session began on a sedate note with neither side gaining ascendancy in the first half hour of play. While Australia bowled with accuracy, the overnight pair of Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane batted with poise in conditions that did little to challenge them.

Things changed in the seventh over of the day, when the pinpoint accuracy of Scott Boland bore fruits for Australia. Boland, who had been exceptional through the morning, beat the edge of Kohli with the first ball of the over and Australia went up to the third umpire with a hopeful review. The batter survived after it turned out that the ball had missed the bat by some margin.

However, two balls later, Boland went slightly full and was successful in inducing a thick edge from the Delhi batter’s willow. The ball flew towards second slip where Steve Smith took a brilliant diving catch.

Off the fifth ball of the same over, he got all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja to edge one behind the wicket, where it was safely held by Alex Carey. And he narrowly missed out on a third wicket in the same over, when his extra bounce made the ball hit the shoulder of KS Bharat’s bat and just flew over the slips.

These two big successes in the very first hour ensured that Australia dictated the terms of play from here on. While Rahane and Bharat stitched a 33-run stand, the bowling side didn’t let up steam.

This brought success in the 57th over when Rahane (46) played an expansive drive against Mitchell Starc and gave a nick behind the wicket. The very next over, India’s first-innings saviour Shardul Thakur fell lbw to the off-spin of Nathan Lyon for a duck.

Having snuck into India’s tail, a win for the dominant Australia bowling line-up seemed only a function of time, and they achieved the same in the 64th over of the fourth innings. Nathan Lyon (4-41) and Scott Boland (3-46) were the pick of the bowlers in the second innings.

With this win, Australia have become the only side in cricketing history to have won the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and now the ICC World Test Championship. For India, it was a story of so close yet so far, as the Asian side lost their second consecutive WTC Final.

Scores in brief:

Australia 469 in 121.3 overs (Travis Head 163, Steven Smith 121, Alex Carey 48, David Warner 43; Mohammad Siraj 4-108, Shardul Thakur 2-83; Mohammad Shami 2-122) and 270-8 declared in 84.3 overs (Alex Carey 66 not out; Marnus Labuschagne 41, Mitchell Starc 41; Ravindra Jadeja 3-58, Mohammad Shami 2-39, Umesh Yadav 2-54).

India 296 in 69.4 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 89, Shardul Thakur 51, Ravindra Jadeja 48; Pat Cummins 3-83, Cameron Green 2-44, Scot Boland 2-59, Mitchell Starc 2-71) and 234 in 63.3 overs (Virat Kohli 49, Ajinkya Rahane 46, Rohit Sharma 43; Nathan Lyon 4-41, Scot Boland 3-46, Mitchell Starc 2-77).

Result: Australia won by 209 runs.

Meanwhile, India have been fined 100 percent of their match fee and Australia 80 percent of their match fee for maintaining slow over-rates in the WTC Final.

Richie Richardson of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanctions after India were ruled to be five overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration while Australia were found to be four overs short.

In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 percent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time.

Captains Rohit Sharma and Pat Cummins pled guilty and accepted the proposed sanctions, so there was no need for formal hearings.

Meanwhile, India batter Shubman Gill was fined 15 percent of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct.

Gill was found to have breached Article 2.7 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “public criticism of, or inappropriate comment in relation to an incident occurring in an international match”.

In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Gill’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period.

The incident occurred after the fourth day’s play when Gill criticised the umpiring decision for his dismissal in the second innings of the match on social media. Gill too accepted the sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing.

On-field umpires Richard Illingworth and Chris Gaffaney, third umpire Richard Kettleborough and fourth umpire Kumar Dharmasena levelled the charges.

Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 percent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.