As Australia prepare for the high-stakes ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final clash against South Africa, plenty of eyeballs will be on their star batters Steve Smith and Travis Head, who proved to be the point of difference during their side's maiden triumph at The Oval against India back in 2023.

If Australia are to become the first team to defend their ICC World Test Championship crown, it will need Smith and Travis to replicate their past heroics in knockout matches. The pace trio of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, and Lungi Ngidi could come in the way of the defending champions and help the Proteas secure their first-ever world title in international cricket.

During the WTC final against India, it was the 285-run stand for the third wicket between Head (163) and Smith (121) that propelled Australia to 469 after India had them on the backfoot at 76/3 after electing to field first. These two world-class batters essentially outbattled India by themselves as the Asian giants fell to a defeat by 209 runs in a chase of 444 runs, continuing their streak of heartbreaks at ICC events.