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Both the women’s and men’s teams from Australia had an
incredible year of achievement. Both sides had the opportunity to win both
series but were unable to do so. They took home the men’s and women’s Ashes and
all three of the available worldwide trophies.
Despite a demanding timetable, Pat Cummins’ team
achieved outstanding accomplishments. After the rain-shortened Sydney Test to
round off their home summer, they played four Tests in India. Although India
lost that series 2-1, there were times when they were under a great deal of
pressure. In the end, though, Australia was unable to deliver in those crucial
moments to win the series. Their 2-1 victory in the next ODI series in India
was a sign of things to come.
After dominating the same opposition in the World Test
Championship final in England, they went on to win the Ashes 2-0 after
maintaining composure under pressure in crucial situations. However, Nathan
Lyon’s injury and a fired-up England—partially because of the contentious Jonny
Bairstow stumping at Lord’s—saw Australia blow their lead with dropped shots at
Headingley and The Oval, resulting in a 2-2 series draw.
They used a second-string team to win a low-key
Twenty20 International series in South Africa, but they lost an ODI series
after blowing a 2-0 lead. Concerns were raised for the ODI World Cup as they
lost their first two matches, following another 2-1 loss in an ODI series in
India.
But they won nine straight from there including a
thrilling semi-final against South Africa and then upset the favourites, India,
in the final in Ahmedabad.
The women’s team continued their success from 2022,
winning the World Cup once more and went unbeaten to win the T20 championship
in South Africa—their third consecutive victory. But everything turned around
when Meg Lanning stepped down as captain. Although they lost the white-ball
series, Australia prevailed in the opening Test match of the Ashes versus
England. For the first time in 14 games, they lost a Twenty20 international
against the West Indies, losing a record chase to a masterclass from Hayley Matthews.
Then, in December, they suffered their first-ever Test defeat at the hands of
India, losing in Mumbai to new permanent captain Alyssa Healy, who had also
captained the team in an acting capacity while they were in England.
For many reasons, the men’s World Cup victory was an
incredible accomplishment. Given their dismal performance in South Africa, they
were viewed with suspicion from the minute they landed in India. They only
brought one specialist spinner to India in order to carry Head in the 15-man
team, and they played the first five games without their usual opener. They
lost their opening game of the tournament and their second game to South Africa
by a significant margin, therefore they benched veteran wicketkeeper Alex Carey
and all-around player Cameron Green.
Despite being in the lead, both the men’s and women’s
teams were unable to finish their respective away Ashes series. With several
unusual errors at Headingley and The Oval—some self-inflicted, others forced by
England’s significantly better execution throughout the series—the men lost a
2-0 lead in the series. Fortunately, Australia also avoided defeat at Old
Trafford. Before the T20I and ODI series, the women had a big lead in points
thanks to their victory in the Ashes Test against England. However, they were
completely outmatched in every aspect and lost both series 2-1. In the women’s
Ashes, Australia’s women lost four of their five white-ball matches this year,
against England.