Australia is arguably the greatest team in the history of cricket. The Kangaroos have won five ODI World Cup tournaments in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2015, respectively. Three of them came in three consecutive tournaments (1999 to 2007). Australia won the Champions Trophy twice – In 2006 and 2009. In 2021, Australia won its first T20 World Cup. In June 2023, Australia won the finals of the World Test Championship and joined the elite club of winning all the above-mentioned trophies. The player combinations who are in the discussion have all played a key role in Australia’s success, especially at their peak in the early 2000s.
3. Glenn Mcgrath and Shane Warne
They are arguably the greatest bowling pair in the history of cricket. The duo bowled a lot together in both Tests and ODIs and won numerous matches for Australia. Glenn Mcgrath was usually a new ball bowler and Shane Warne was the spinner in the middle overs, and probably the first or second change in most cases. The duo claimed a whopping 1001 wickets together in 104 matches at a rate of 9.63 wickets per match. In ODIs, the pace-spin pair claimed 420 wickets in 139 matches at a rate of 3.02 wickets per match.
2. Glenn Mcgrath and Brett Lee
One of the best fast-bowling pairs in the history of cricket, especially in ODIs. Throughout the 2000s, the duo was deadly in ODIs. While Mcgrath was consistent in his lengths, Lee used to destroy the batters with his sheer pace. The duo picked 339 wickets in ODIs together in 99 matches at a rate of 3.42 wickets per match. In Tests, the duo claimed 371 wickets in 45 matches at a rate of 8.24 wickets per match. The two greats claimed a total of 43 wickets in the 2003 World Cup which Australia won with dominance.
1. Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden
The former Australian captain and his fellow teammate were two of the pillars of the Australian side that dominated world cricket in the late 1990s and early 2000s. While Hayden opened the batting, Ponting mostly batted at number 3. The duo scored 4765 runs in 76 innings at a fantastic average of 67.11, including 16 hundred partnerships together. In ODIs, the duo scored 3514 runs in 73 innings at an average of 52.44 including 10 hundred partnerships together.