Cricket Score Centre
Australia has won its maiden World Test Championship title after beating India by 209 runs in the final at The Oval.
Chasing 444 for victory, India were all out for 234 shortly before lunch on day five on Sunday after losing seven wickets on the final morning.
The triumph makes Australia the first team to have won world titles in all three formats of the game, with Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc and David Warner completing their own triple crowns.
"A lot of hard work has gone into the past few years to get into this situation to play in the final," Smith said.
"We have dominated the game from day one. Maybe let them back in in glimpses.
"But outside of that, it was a pretty well-polished performance."
Scott Boland was the hero for Australia, landing two killer blows in one over to finish with 3-46 in the fourth innings.
With India beginning to believe in front of a big crowd at The Oval, Boland removed both Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja in the space of three balls early on.
Mitchell Starc (2-77) also claimed the scalps of Ajinkya Rahane and tailender Umesh Yadav caught behind, silencing his critics ahead of the Ashes.
Nathan Lyon (4-41) then removed Shardul Thakur and KS Bharat, before having Mohammed Siraj caught reverse sweeping to seal the victory.
Beyond the win, Boland's breakthroughs ram home the argument Australia cannot leave him out of their side for the first Test at Edgbaston starting Friday.
The Victorian is yet to be picked for Australia when all of Starc, Cummins and the fit-again Josh Hazlewood are available, but Sunday's spell will strengthen his cause.
In turn, it also damned India's hopes.
When Australia threw away a review in desperation to remove Kohli with the score at 3-179, there were immediate flashbacks to the 2019 capitulation at Headingley.
But the match swung violently back in Australia's favour two balls later, when the Indian star edged Boland to the vacant third-slip region.
Flying to his right at second slip, Steve Smith took the catch with both feet in the air to remove Kohli for 49 and silence thousands of Indian fans in the big last-day crowd.
"It was a big partnership to break, [Boland]'s spell was outstanding," Smith said.
"He bowled beautifully, got a couple of key breakthroughs and got us on our way.
"It was a great lead-in from Baz, it was a really good spell, beat the bat a few times and looked threatening."
Boland then had Jadeja two balls later, drawing the edge when he came around the wicket to left-hander and had him pushing outside off stump.
The quick was unlucky not to have a third for the over when he attracted KS Bharat's edge, only for the ball to fly over a jumping David Warner at first slip.
Australia will view the win as the perfect preparation for the Ashes.
While questions linger over Warner and Usman Khawaja's form at the top of the order, Smith and Travis Head set up the win with first-innings centuries.
Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green and Alex Carey all spent good time in the middle, with Carey's unbeaten 66 allowing Australia to declare at 8-280 in the second innings and set up the chase.
The bowlers were also able to take 20 wickets with the Dukes ball, leaving selectors with far more positive headaches than negatives.
Look back at how the action unfolded in our live blog.
Key events
To leave a comment on the blog, please log in or sign up for an ABC account.
Live updates
Pinned
Australia vs India
That's it from the blog!
So Australia are World Test Champions! Never been able to say that before. Pat Cummins and his team will celebrate with the big mace thingy tonight, but then quickly turn their attentions to the Ashes which begin on Friday night our time.
And guess what - so will we! Myself, Simon Smale and Jon Healy are about to lock in for a long winter of covering the Ashes for you, and we look forward to having your company throughout. There will be plenty to come this week in reaction to the WTC victory and looking ahead to Edgbaston, so don't stray far from abc.net.au/sport.
Until next time, have a lovely night.
Here's captain Pat Cummins
The Aussies are up receiving their medals as Cummins gets his turn to speak.
"I think at times we weren't at our slickest, but when it counted we played really well.
"Scotty Boland is one of my favourite players, but everyone did their role really well. Coming off a break too for most of us. We will savour this for a few days then shift our attention to the Ashes.
"This is our favourite format. It challenges you in every way, and when you win you get the most satisfaction our of it."
Presentation time
Pat Cummins will soon be lifting the big mace thingy, but first some interviews.
Travis Head is up first to formally receive his player of the match award. Now Rohit Sharma is speaking.
"We started well winning the toss, we bowled pretty well in the first session but then we let ourselves down a little bit. You have to give credit to the Australian batters, particularly Travis Head. That caught us off guard a little bit. We fought to the end, but congratulations to Australia."
Nathan Lyon gives his verdict
Shout out to Scott Boland
I really would have thought Boland would have been up there for man of the test.
- Boland Fan
Could certainly have made a case for Boland, but I guess he only took the five wickets for the Test. Just so happens they were almost the five most important wickets of the match, and his performance this morning was pivotal in killing off the contest.
Still hard to believe the Scott Boland story. He's going to take a million wickets on this tour.
Travis Head is player of the match
His first innings 163 was the best innings of the Test, and set up the whole thing for Australia on the first day.
Head's style of batting isn't always going to come off, but when it does it's going to take games away from the opposition. He is batting with freedom and confidence, and is a key member of this team right now.
Pat Cummins' Australia has conquered the world
This Australian team has grown and developed over the past two years, and has now found itself more settled and balanced than it has been for many a year. The resurgence of Usman Khawaja at the top of the order, the unparalleled skill of Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith, the brutality of Travis Head, the magic of Scott Boland, the limitless potential of Cameron Green — all of it has combined to make the best Test team in the world.
Everything is set up for an Ashes series to remember.
Key Event
THAT'S IT! Australia wins the World Test Championship!
A slog sweep from Siraj and a spooned catch to Scott Boland (who else?) at point ends this Test match and crowns Australia World Test Champions.
A two-year cycle and a hotly contested final end with Australia the victors, and in commanding style here at The Oval. It's been clinical this morning, the Aussie bowlers taking control and never letting up for a second. Their mission is accomplished — next stop, the Ashes.
64th over - Lyon gets a chance to wrap it up
Siraj is on strike.
63rd over - Starc is here to finish this
FOUR! But Shami wants to have some fun first! A cracking straight drive pings off his bat and races to the fence, that's a fair shot indeed.
FOUR MORE! The short ball is hooked away fine by Shami for another boundary. He's going to go down swinging!
OUT! Shami is given out caught behind down the leg side! But Shami has reviewed it, so maybe there wasn't actually any glove on it.
Nope, it's hit Shami's thigh pad. Not out is the call, Australia's celebrations back on ice for a little longer.
Shami nudges one to midwicket and takes the single. The Indian crowd are giving it one last surge of energy, they haven't left the side of their team for the full five days.
SWING AND A MISS! Siraj fancied the cover drive, but looked awfully late on it. One to come in this Starc over.
Siraj gets himself off the mark with a single to square leg to end the over. India hanging in there.
A fine bowling effort
I must say I thought Australia might struggle to dismiss India today - I was umm.....well....wrong!
- Mike
That Boland over ended the game really. Any chance of a miracle left with Virat Kohli, and any chance of this getting drawn out was killed by the Ravi Jadeja scalp.
It's been pretty meek from India since that over.
62nd over - Lyon has one to come
Mohammed Siraj has one ball to see out in this over.
And he does so. Scheduled lunch is only a couple of minutes away, but they will play the extra half hour to try to get a result here.
CAUGHT AND BOWLED! Bharat gone, Lyon has another
It's almost over at The Oval! Bharat went for the big slog sweep but got a top edge straight up in the air. Lyon hardly had to move to take the easiest of catches.
Australia are one wicket away from becoming world Test champions.
62nd over - Lyon has the ball
Turns out Shami didn't take that single from the final ball of the last over, so Bharat still has the strike. My sincere apologies.
He's going to have a go at Lyon.
STUMPING? Carey gets the bails off quickly, but did Bharat's foot leave his crease? They'll send it upstairs.
Carey doesn't seem too confident.
Bharat juuuuuust gets his toe back in time. Not out.
61st over cont - Starc has four to come
Mohammed Shami is the new man in. Two to get for Australia.
FOUR! Clever stuff from Shami! Lovely little ramp over the slips for four, smart batting.
Another good take by Carey down the leg side, but that one took pad rather than bat.
EDGED! Just over Cameron Green in the gully. You're never safe with Green in the picture, but Shami gets away with that one.
He takes the single to end the over.
WHAT A CATCH BY CAREY! Yadav caught behind!
Alex Carey has just made an incredibly tough catch look so easy! A searing bouncer from Starc caught Yadav's glove and flew high above the keeper. But Carey timed his leap perfectly, and plucked it out of the sky with one glove. Wonderful keeping, excellent bowling. Australia nearly there.
61st over - Starc steams in
He's got a good look at Yadav here.
60th over - Lyon in once more
Bharat is on strike, and attempts the slog sweep. Doesn't get much of it, and has to settle for a single. India might be looking to speed things up a little now, one way or the other.
Edged by Yadav down to third man, but Boland puts in the chase and keeps it to one. Bharat wanted the strike I think.
The field comes up for the final ball to prevent Bharat from keeping the strike, and the Aussies succeed. Two from the over.
59th over - Starc in again
Bharat on strike.
FIVE! Overthrows! Bharat took the quick single, but Green decided to have a lash at the stumps. He missed, and nobody was interested in backing up.
BEATEN! Don't think Umesh Yadav is too keen to be facing Mitchell Starc. A tentative prod at that one.
AND AGAIN! Starc just has to get one on line here. Yadav is showing all three of his stumps.
Starc still hasn't put one on line with Yadav's stumps yet. Yadav will happily leave the wide ones all day.
The final ball is on line but Yadav defends well. Five from the over.
The ABC of SPORT
Sports content to make you think... or allow you not to. A newsletter delivered each Saturday.