After a power-packed schedule that featured the 2025 Champions Trophy, followed by the Indian Premier League (IPL) and various other white-ball competitions, the attention now shifts to the red-ball format. The English summer has started to peak with the start of the 2023-2025 World Test Championship (WTC) Final before India's tour to England for a five-match series. 

Both WTC finalists have played dominating cricket during the two-year tenure of the competition, securing the top two spots in the points table. While the Aussies are the defending champions, the Proteas have reached this stage for the first time in three years of the Championship. The Aussies are well aware of the nerve factor in such major events, having earned the reputation of a grand slam champion in cricket history. With the current cycle concluding with this grand encounter, let us explore the top three incidents of Aussie domination in the current cycle.

See Also: WTC champions should get to host the final of the following edition: Pat Cummins

3. AUS vs ENG, 2023 at Lord's

After a morale-boosting triumph in the opener of the 2023 Ashes, the Pat Cummins-led unit posted a first innings total of 416 runs on the back of Steve Smith's 110. Travis Head's 77 and David Warner's 66 were pivotal in helping the visitors get to a formidable first innings total. In reply, England's robust 91-run opening stand made way for an unfortunate middle and lower-order collapse, folding for 325 runs from being at 208/2 at one point in time. 

With a lead of 91 runs, Usman Khawaja's fantabulous 77, coupled with bits and pieces contributions from Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, and Smith, propelled them to 279 runs. Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins' vicious opening spell reduced the hosts to 45/4 before Ben Stokes almost replicated his infamous heroics from the 2019 Ashes. While England kept losing wickets from one end, Stokes kept them alive with a monstrous century. The southpaw switched gears eventually but failed to get the job done for England after a Josh Hazlewood bumper rekindled Aussie hopes of a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

2. AUS vs IND, 2025 at MCG

With the series levelled 1-1 at home, Australians had to keep up with the winning momentum gained at the Adelaide Oval in the second Test. Steve Smith's 140 off 197 balls certainly helped their cause. Contributions flooded from the other top-order batters, Sam Konstas got to a quick 60, Usman Khawaja's hard-fought 57, and Labuschagne's gritty 72. The 474-run total on the board was too much to gain a lead for the Indian side in the second innings, as Nitish Kumar Reddy's terrific Boxing Day century and Yashasvi Jaiswal's 82 propelled the tourists to 369 runs. 

The surface deteriorated with time, and Jasprit Bumrah's lethal spell reduced them to 91/6 in quick time. However, the Aussie captain was all grit, playing a great hand with Labuschagne (70) and Nathan Lyon (41) to get to the 234-run mark and earn a lead of 339 runs. Batting in the fourth innings is no bed of roses, and the Indian batters felt the heat with the home pacers blowing hot. Local lad Scott Boland bagged a three-fer and so did Cummins, dousing Jaiswal's sensational 84 to fold the Men in Blue for 155 and gain an upper hand in the series with a Test to spare.

1. AUS vs ENG, 2023 at Edgbaston

The first Test of the 2023 Ashes was worth the hype heading to the battle of the urn. Batting first, England got off to a great start despite losing Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope in the first session. Joe Root and Zak Crawley were all elegance before an Aussie comeback in the second session was rubbished by Jonny Bairstow's run-a-ball 78 and Joe Root's unbridled 118 off 152 balls, laying the foundation for a 393/8 runs declared total. 

Without a doubt, the premature declaration from Stokes and McCullum attracted a debate. And Australian batters happened to epitomise it with stupendous batting, highlighted by Usman Khawaja's 141 and Alex Carey's 66, steering them to 386. With a lead of just seven runs, the 'BazBall' mentality continued as the Three Lions fetched 273 runs on board with none of the batters getting to the 50-run mark. 

Chasing a tricky target of 280 runs, Australia got off to a positive start, courtesy of a 61-run partnership before a collapse unfolded, as the scorecard read 143/5 in the 45th over. This is when a 49-run stand between Khawaja and Cameron Green kept the Aussies in the game. With the game hanging in the balance, Australian skipper Cummins led the side from the front with the blade in hand. His 44 off 73 balls, batting in a tricky stage with the tail, helped the OZ fall on the right side of a red-ball humdinger.