World Test Championship Final 2023 - Australia vs India

At The Oval, June 7-11. Australia won by 209 runs. Toss: India.

Australia had missed the first World Test Championship final because of a points deduction for a slow over-rate, but they made up for it in this second edition. India, meanwhile, had now lost both finals, having gone down to New Zealand at the Rose Bowl in 2021. Almost from the start, Australia held the upper hand, thanks to a punishing partnership between Smith, who scored his 31st Test century, and Head, who cracked 163 at almost a run a ball.

The Oval was staging its 105th Test, but first in June. A green-tinged surface - and 10.30 starts for the benefit of subcontinental viewers - persuaded India to leave out Ravichandran Ashwin, the world's top-ranked Test bowler, in favour of another seamer. Sachin Tendulkar was among those who disapproved: "Skilful spinners don't always rely on turning tracks, they use drift in the air and bounce off the surface to disguise their variations. Not to forget, Australia had five left-handers out of their top eight batters." In the event, the pitch misbehaved more in bounce than sideways movement: several hands were rapped in the first two innings. It settled down a little, but was never predictable; eight men fell in the forties, equalling the record set in the 1989 Edgbaston Test.

Another Indian selection paid off rather better: Rahane, recalled after nearly a year and a half mainly because Shreyas Iyer was unfit, resisted for 89 and 46. With Josh Hazlewood barely recovered from injury, Australia included Boland, who continued the stellar start to his Test career with five wickets.

The game was played out in front of large crowds, made up predominantly of Indian fans. Despite a target of 444, they were bullish as the last day began: Kohli was still there, with 280 needed and seven wickets in hand. But within half an hour he was gone, beautifully caught by the flying Smith at second slip. It triggered a final collapse of seven for 55, which handed Australia the ICC mace.

The match had begun on a sombre note, with both teams wearing black armbands in memory of the nearly 300 people killed in a train accident in India. Both captains were playing their 50th Tests, and Rohit Sharma landed the first blow by winning the toss and choosing to bowl. Khawaja soon went, and Warner also feathered to keeper Bharat before lunch, after scrapping to 43. Labuschagne, possibly softened up by being struck twice on the gloves, was gated by a superb inducker from Mohammed Shami shortly after the interval - but 76 for three was as good as it got for India.

Head pushed the nippy Siraj through the covers, and was soon outscoring Smith, who seemed happy to ease his way back to form, after three Championship innings for Sussex had brought mixed success. At first, the Indian seamers pitched well up to Head, but they pulled their lengths back, since he looked more troubled by the short ball. Any uncertainty was relative: he upper-cut Shami for four and six shortly before moving to three figures from just 106 deliveries, his sixth Test century but first outside Australia. With Smith picking up the pace - and grumbling about the Spidercam - Australia dominated the final session, the partnership reaching 251.

Stuck on 95 overnight, Smith galloped to three figures in the first over next morning with two leg-side fours off Siraj. It was his ninth hundred against India, and his seventh in England, level with Steve Waugh and behind only Don Bradman (11) among visiting batsmen. The seamers were now pitching consistently short to Head and, after swatting Siraj and Shami for boundaries, he finally touched one down leg to the keeper and departed for 163, with 25 fours and a six. The stand was worth 285 - Australia's highest against India away from home - and ultimately decided the match.

Smith had rarely looked in trouble, so it was a surprise when he inside-edged Thakur's loosener into his stumps for 121. Carey's bright 48 ended when he missed a reverse-sweep off Jadeja, and Siraj wrapped up the innings for 469. That looked especially imposing once Rohit and Gill fell in successive overs just before tea, and disaster loomed afterwards when Pujara was bowled by Green shouldering arms, and Kohli flinched a Starc lifter to second slip.

India were rescued by Rahane, who shrugged off some ferocious blows to his forearm and hands which later stopped him fielding. He watched while Jadeja flogged 48, and on the third day grafted to 89 before slicing Cummins to the right of gully, where the lanky Green took off and clutched a blinder. Rahane had put on 109 with Thakur who - dropped off a far simpler chance by Green when eight and spared by a Cummins no-ball on 36 - collected a third adventurous half-century in three Test innings at The Oval, after 57 and 60 against England in 2021.

With their seamers taking nine wickets, Australia claimed a lead of 173. India's own pacemen attacked in an absorbing 11-over spell before tea: Siraj had Warner caught behind, then banged Labuschagne on the glove again. By the close, the Australian lead had swollen to 296, but Jadeja had accounted for Smith, who sliced a catch high to cover, and Head, who popped back a return catch two balls after Yadav parried a slog-sweep over the midwicket boundary for six.

Yadav made amends on the fourth morning with the early wicket of Labuschagne, to leave Australia 124 for five, but it was now that India really missed Ashwin, who instead of teasing the batsmen, was running the drinks with a rueful smile. Carey, driving well, shared restorative stands of 43 with Green - who padded up to a leg-side delivery, only for the ball to deflect off his body into the stumps - and a crucial 93 with Starc. The advantage had risen to 443.

It was an unlikely target, but the Indian openers made a bright start, cheering up the partisan crowd with three fours in Cummins's second over, before Rohit swivel-pulled a six as Starc's first cost 13. But with tea looming, Gill was given out to a low gully catch; the third umpire eventually ruled that Green had his fingers under the ball, but the Indians, and their fans, were unconvinced, as cries of "cheat, cheat, cheat" rang around The Oval. Gill later lost 15% of his match fee for tweeting his displeasure. (Since the whole Indian team were fined their match fee because of a slow over-rate, Gill had effectively paid to take part. Australia, meanwhile, lost 80% of theirs.)

Rohit (missing a sweep) and Pujara (edging an uncharacteristic upper-cut) departed in successive overs in the final session, but Kohli and Rahane survived to the close, fuelling dreams of an epic final day. India never came close. Boland sealed his spot for the start of the Ashes with the wickets of Kohli and Jadeja in three balls in the 47th over. After some neat drives from Rahane, the last five tumbled for 22, three to Lyon, as Australia wrapped up the World Test Championship before a leisurely lunch. "When it counted, we played really well," said Cummins, who disagreed with Rohit's suggestion that the final should be the best of three. It was certainly an excellent tune-up for the Ashes - and the next cycle of the World Test Championship - which began at Edgbaston five days later.

Player of the Match: T. M. Head. Attendance: 118,300.