Vettori vs Australia 2005

Lore & Background

The team draws its players from teams playing in the Australian domestic competitions – the Sheffield Shield, the Australian domestic limited-overs cricket tournament and the Big Bash League. Australia are the current ICC Cricket World Cup champions. They are generally regarded as the most successful national team in the history of cricket.

In Their Own Story

The rain threatened to wash out another session at Lord's, but the tension in the air was palpable. Ricky Ponting stood at the crease, his eyes fixed on the bowler approaching from the end of the pitch. It wasn't just a delivery; it was a statement. The crowd held its breath as the ball swung late, beating the edge by inches. For years, Australia had been the hunters, but in this English summer, they felt like prey. The roar that followed the next wicket didn't belong to the tourists; it belonged to the home soil reclaiming its pride.

Reader's Guide

Australia have won the ICC World Test Championship once, defeating India in the final of the 2021–2023 World Test Championship. Test rivalries centre on The Ashes (with England), the Border–Gavaskar Trophy (with India), the Frank Worrell Trophy (with the West Indies), the Trans-Tasman Trophy (with New Zealand), and matches against South Africa. Australia is one of the most successful teams in ODI cricket history, winning more than 60 per cent of their matches, with a record eight World Cup final appearances (1975, 1987, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, and 2023) and have won the World Cup a record six times: 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, and 2023. Australia have also won the ICC Champions Trophy twice (2006 and 2009) making them the only team to be back-to-back winners in the Champions Trophy tournaments. Australia have won the ICC Men's T20 World Cup once, defeating New Zealand in the 2021 Final.

Did You Know?

• Australia played and won the first ever Test match in 1877.
• Australia is the only team to appear in four consecutive World Cup finals (1996, 1999, 2003, and 2007).
• Australia is the only team to win three consecutive World Cups (1999, 2003, and 2007).
• On 12 January 2019, Australia won an ODI against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground by 34 runs, to record their 1,000th win in international cricket.