Almost inevitably, these Ashes-winning Australians were branded “Dad’s Army” before a ball of the summer was bowled.

Almost as predictably, the moniker rang true.

Pat Cummins (32), Josh Hazlewood (35 next week), Nathan Lyon (38), Steve Smith (36) and Usman Khawaja (39) were all hobbled, mostly by old man injuries, at one point or another, yet the urn was secured in near-record time.

This ageing, settled and successful side now boasts five Ashes retentions – three under Cummins’ leadership – the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and away series wins in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the West Indies, though they did surrender the World Test championship to South Africa last June.

In white-ball land, the stunning 2023 ODI World Cup victory in India is still fresh in the memory, and sits alongside a 2021 T20 World Cup upset triumph (even if the format’s fickle nature and two-year tournament cycle dulls those memories).

The legacy of this generation is already secure. The pace triumvirate of Mitchell Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins is statistically the best of any in Test history by several measures, and anecdotally, they vie for any podium you can name at least.

What does the immediate and long-term future hold for this Test side?Credit: Michael........

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