Test Championship ratings: How Australia’s players fared against India

Australia have won the World Test Championship in emphatic style at the Oval. Here’s how we rated each member of the winning team.

Nathan Lyon: The finger says it all.Credit: Getty Images

Travis Head - 9

Not for the first time in the past two years, Head’s punishing century set Australia up to drive the outcome of the game. By no means a stylist, Head’s powerful shot making and fierce resolve to choose the aggressive option was richly demonstrated by his fast scoring after arriving with the score an uncertain 3-76. A skittish second innings ended with an unsightly caught and bowled, but when the rewards are so great on the days he succeeds, Head’s occasional blemishes are more than acceptable.

Travis Head’s century set up the match for Australia.Credit: AP

Scott Boland - 9

Australia’s great Test match find of the past two years was also their bowler of the match. Boland’s first spell was instrumental in turning the game towards his side, with precision seam bowling to deceive Gill and help Cummins and Green get breakthroughs at the other end. But the capstone display was his spell to Kohli on the final morning, varying seam, line and length to eventually coax a driven edge to Smith at second slip. Jadeja’s wicket later the same over put Australia on their way.

Steve Smith - 8

A first innings century that was both the culmination of a two-year World Test Championship campaign and an ominous sign to England that Smith is relocating his prolific 2019 method. Notably, Smith resumed his pre-delivery shuffle across the crease, reasoning it is ideally suited to these conditions. He was running smoothly in the second innings too before an uncharacteristic swipe at Ravindra Jadeja. Caught Virat Kohli brilliantly in each innings.

Nathan Lyon - 8

On a pitch where seamers bowled the vast majority of overs, Lyon was still a significant threat. The wickets of Jadeja in the first innings and Rohit Sharma in the second, after India’s captain had started fluently, were key incisions for Australia. Lyon has always been a highly useful operator in England, finding the Dukes ball and northern pitches offer him more than enough purchase even in the absence of footmarks.

Scott Boland.Credit: Getty Images

Alex Carey - 8

Carey’s sturdy work behind the stumps was augmented by a pair of thoughtful, positive innings with the bat. There was one blemish in the first innings when Carey should have gone for a catch to first slip David Warner’s left – a recurring issue – but otherwise his keeping was clean in the face of the wobbling Dukes ball, reaping six dismissals. Carey’s batting was redolent of his displays in England during the 2019 World Cup; better still after he shelved the reverse sweep to Jadeja.

Marnus Labuschagne - 7

Two innings that will not satisfy the ravenous Labuschagne, but each was an important contribution to Australia’s overall success. On day one, his stand with Warner ensured Travis Head and Steve Smith had a platform, and in the second innings Labuschagne’s runs and occupation ensured Australia did not collapse.

Cameron Green - 7

Without putting together any one big performance, Green made several key interventions across the match to remind all of his immense value to Australia. There was a superb nip-backer to bowl Cheteshwar Pujara, a handy second innings score, and a pair of stunning catches in the gully. Indian criticism of his low second innings snare of Shubman Gill was ugly, to the point that a senior BCCI official, Rajeev Shukla, called for acceptance of the third umpire’s technically correct decision.

Alex Carey.Credit: AP

Pat Cummins - 7

A little like the way he started the 2019 Ashes at Edgbaston, Cummins was not quite in his best rhythm at the Oval, best typified by a handful of no-balls including two that cost him wickets. But he still took his share of top-order wickets, captained calmly and hung around while 67 priceless first innings runs were added.

Pat Cummins celebrates taking the wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara on day four.Credit: Getty Images

David Warner - 6

Batting first in difficult conditions, Warner made one of his best overseas contributions in years, absorbing India’s new ball spells while making a few runs along the way. His dismissal right on lunch was frustrating, and gone quickly in the second innings. But Warner has shown signs he is worth persisting with during the Ashes.

Mitchell Starc - 6

Starc bowled the ball of the match, a prancing short one, to defeat Kohli on the second evening, made some important second innings runs to showcase his threat as a genuine No. 8 batter, and then bowled swiftly and straight to help mop up India’s tail. But he was otherwise expensive with the ball and barely extracted any swing of either conventional or reverse varieties. He is the most pressing conundrum for Australia’s selectors ahead of the Ashes.

Usman Khawaja - 4

Twice out cheaply to deliveries angled across him, Khawaja has reminded England of how and why he has struggled in this part of the world in the past. It was a good delivery from Mohammad Siraj that got Khawaja on day one, and in the second innings the opener was at least able to hang around for more than an hour.

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