Close your eyes and rewind to Sydney, January 2000. Steve Waugh’s men chase down 240 on a flat pitch to clinch the first Test against India. The roar of the crowd says this is an Australian side built to dominate. Fast forward to June 2025 at Lord’s and Australia prepare to face South Africa in the World Test Championship final. Fans ask: is this new squad the strongest Australian Test team since that golden 2000 lineup?
Is the 2025 Squad Australia’s Best Since 2000?
Comparing two squads a quarter of a century apart means looking at experience, balance, match-winning records and adaptability. The 2000 side featured legends like the Waugh brothers, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. The 2025 squad blends veterans such as Pat Cummins and Steve Smith with dynamic all-rounders like Cameron Green. Let’s explore both ensembles.
The Classic 2000 Australian Test Squad
For the 2000 series in New Zealand, Australia’s 14-man squad read:
- Steve Waugh (c) – The captain’s century-maker and fearsome competitor
- Shane Warne (vc) – The master leg-spinner who could turn matches
- Adam Gilchrist (wk, vc) – Explosive keeper-batter who redefined No. 7
- Matthew Hayden – Power-hitting opener who laid solid platforms
- Justin Langer and Michael Slater – The reliable left-right opening pair
- Ricky Ponting – The burgeoning superstar at No. 3
- Damien Martyn, Greg Blewett – Middle-order stabilisers
- Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Damien Fleming, Matthew Kasprowicz – A fearsome pace quartet
- Colin Miller, Stuart MacGill – Spin options to exploit turning tracks
This team completed a 3–0 sweep in New Zealand and followed with whitewashes of Pakistan and India at home, cementing Australia’s early-millennium dominance.
The 2025 Probable WTC Final Squad
According to ESPNcricinfo, Australia’s likely squad for Lord’s reads:
- Pat Cummins (c) – The world’s No. 1 Test bowler and leader
- Steve Smith (vc) – Averaging over 60 this cycle with three WTC centuries
- Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Sam Konstas. A batting core mixing experience and flair
- Cameron Green – Seam-all-rounder who claimed a five-fer in Perth
- Alex Carey, Josh Inglis – Two wicket-keeper batsmen giving depth
- Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Matt Kuhnemann – Seam attack covering pace, bounce and swing
- Nathan Lyon – Senior spinner still claiming 30-plus wickets a cycle
- Travelling reserve: Brendan Doggett
This fifteen-strong party offers seven frontline bowlers and eight genuine batters, plus all-round balance and keeping options.
Comparing the Two Eras
Leadership and Experience
Steve Waugh and Shane Warne set the standard for match temperament in 2000. Their 2025 counterparts, Cummins and Smith, have mirrored that aura: Cummins with his fierce spells, Smith with cover drives that rattle bowlers. Both captains have proven they can win finals—Waugh in 2005 Ashes and Cummins in multiple Ashes series.
Batting Brilliance
The 2000 era boasted early-2000 averages north of 45 for Ponting, Waugh, Hayden and Gilchrist. The 2025 core features Smith (avg 60+), Labuschagne (avg 52) and Khawaja (avg 48), with Head’s strike rate ideal for fourth-innings chases. Depth to No. 7 remains a constant, though 2025 offers dual keepers for flexibility.
Bowling Prowess
McGrath’s metronomic line, Warne’s turn and Gillespie’s bounce made the 2000 attack lethal. Now, Cummins’s pace, Starc’s swing, Hazlewood’s accuracy and Boland’s bounce give Australia a four-pronged threat unmatched since the early millennium. Lyon’s craft remains world class, though no single spinner matches Warne’s wicket tally that season.
All-round Balance and Bench Strength
Martyn and Blewett added handy runs in 2000 but couldn’t match the game-changing potential of Cameron Green or the spin variety of Matt Kuhnemann. The 2025 squad’s bench is deeper: Webster’s spin-bat mix, Konstas’s seam options and dual keepers increase tactical choices.
Which Is Stronger?
Numbers alone do not tell the full story. The early 2000 side enjoyed a golden run with multiple series whitewashes—something the 2025 squad has yet to replicate abroad. However, the 2025 team’s variety of pace, dual wicket-keepers, modern all-round threats and data-backed preparation give them an edge in adaptability.
If Australia lift the 2025 WTC trophy at Lord’s, this squad will stake a strong claim as the finest since those swaggering 2000 invincibles. Until then, fans, fantasy cricket managers and stat geeks can debate—but few would deny this party packs the most complete assortment of match-winners in a generation.
At Cricket Recorder, we’ve watched legends rise. Now we watch history unfold.
