South Africa are World Test Champions after downing Australia by five wickets in a dramatic, see-sawing final at Lord’s.

But while the immediate reaction from the cricket world will be to celebrate the Proteas’ achievement, and particularly the efforts of Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada and Temba Bavuma to take them to glory, there will be plenty of critical analysis into warm favourites Australia’s performance – and very little of it will be good.

Pat Cummins wreaked havoc with a six-wicket haul on Day 2, while Steve Smith produced yet another Lord’s masterclass in the first innings, and Mitchell Starc was brilliant throughout with bat and ball: but aside from that, there was very little to write home about for the reigning champions as the ICC mace was ripped from their grasp.

In particular, attention will focus on a disastrous display from a hastily put together top order: with Marnus Labuschagne promoted to open and Cameron Green slotting in at first drop for the first time in his Test career, that duo plus Usman Khawaja mustered just 49 runs in six combined innings to leave the bowlers with far too much to do.

Here are The Roar’s Australian player ratings for the World Test Championship final.

Usman Khawaja – 1

Tormented by Jasprit Bumrah all summer long, it’s official now: Khawaja has a problem against quality pace bowling.

At 38 years old, that shouldn’t be a surprise, but just as painful as his horror scores of 0 and 6, edging Kagiso Rabada behind the wicket in both innings, is his struggles to score while at the crease, a painful 20-ball stay on Day 1 ensuring the Proteas’ opening bowlers were under no pressure to attack.

That he was paired with Labuschagne at Lord’s – his fifth different partner since David Warner’s retirement 18 months ago – suggests Australian cricket doesn’t have the openers to afford to part with him just yet; but as his average continues to dwindle, he needs runs badly in the West Indies to avoid a mountain of pressure heading into the Ashes summer.

Marnus Labuschagne – 3.5

By far the best of Australia’s disastrous top three – but that’s not saying much.

Labuschagne may have got starts in both innings, but as it has been for much of the last two years, had precious little fluency and at times struggled to even lay bat on ball.

Flirting outside off stump remains a major problem for the once-rock-solid No.3, twice drawn into expansive shots off left-armer Marco Jansen to give catching practice to wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne.

Gets bonus points for some outstanding fielding, including a superb catch at cover on Day 2; but he has by no means solidified his place in the team, and with a genuine opener in Sam Konstas waiting in the wings, losing the final may just prompt selectors to move him on – unless Steve Smith fails to recover from his finger injury.

Marnus Labuschagne reacts angrily to being dismissed. (Photo by Ben Whitley/PA Images via Getty Images)

Cameron Green – 1

Green may well go on to have an outstanding Test career for Australia; but on the evidence of Lord’s, it’s unlikely to be at No.3.

Faced a combined five balls across two innings, and was dismissed in near-identical fashion both times: pushing with hard hands at Rabada and edging into the cordon, a manner of dismissal that bodes poorly for future endeavours against the moving ball.

Remains among Australian cricket’s brightest prospects, but needs the stability of a spot in the team to make his own, having been thrust to first drop just to accommodate his spot in the XI.

Steve Smith – 7

Up until the second half of Day 3, Smith’s Day 1 innings was far and away the most comfortable any batter on either side looked at Lord’s.

As it was for much of the 2019 Ashes, the veteran looked to be batting on a different surface than his teammates: watchful outside off and punishing anything loose, he barely played a false stroke before throwing away a likely century with over-aggression against part-timer Markram.

His absence for much of the Proteas’ run chase due to an injured finger sustained dropping Bavuma – the most pivotal moment of the match – was critical, with Cummins denied Smith’s cool head and tactical acumen and the team suffering as a result.

If this is the last time he graces Lord’s as a Test cricketer, an agonised walk from the hallowed turf with a dislocated pinkie is a cruel farewell to the sight of so many of his finest triumphs.

Travis Head – 3

The hero of the last World Test Championship final, Head’s twin failures was as crucial to South Africa’s triumph as the failures of the top order.

Unluckily strangled down the leg side on the stroke of lunch on Day 1, his castling on Day 3 to leave Australia 6/66 showed of the perils of his attacking mindset – sometimes gritty defence is more important.

Gets a bonus point for a brilliant catch to remove Markram on Day 4 – but by that point, it was too little, too late.

Beau Webster – 6

The epitome of substance over style, Webster played and missed, found the edge, took balls to the body and would have been out LBW had South Africa reviewed – but his 72 was the highest score of any Australian in the final.

Still, weaknesses were exposed in the Tasmanian’s technique, with the Proteas’ quicks honing in on his front pad in the second innings and Lungi Ngidi trapping him LBW for just 9 – no doubt the West Indian bowlers, and England’s for this summer, will have been watching closely.

Concerningly, his bowling doesn’t seem to be rated by Cummins, given just eight ordinary overs across both innings, which could put his spot in jeopardy if the more dangerous bowling of Cameron Green is deemed preferable from a No.6.

Alex Carey (wk) – 4.5

Carey’s return to Lord’s for the first time since stumping Jonny Bairstow looked set to be a disaster when he sparked an Australian collapse with an ill-judged reverse-sweep, then dropped a sitter behind the stumps, on Day 1.

Things would get better from there, with his 43 in the second innings combining with Starc to prevent a looming disastrous collapse; but his keeping was uncharacteristically sloppy, particularly against Nathan Lyon, leaking eight byes in the second innings.

Remains among the first picked for Australia, and looms as a key man in the middle order for the foreseeable future – but this was arguably his worst Test in two years.

Pat Cummins (c) – 7

Looked to have turned the Test Australia’s way with a magnificent spell early on Day 2, claiming six wickets to destroy the Proteas’ middle and lower order and single-handedly ensure a first innings lead.

Barely sending down a bad ball, the captain claimed the best ever figures by a Test skipper at Lord’s – only to be badly let down by his batters again.

Still, this wasn’t the perfect match from Cummins: it’s unfair to expect it of him, but the batting cameo he has so often produced with Australia in trouble wasn’t forthcoming in either innings, while he bafflingly underused himself when Bavuma and Markram took control on Day 3, sending down just 10 of 56 overs that day – as if to prove the point, he’d remove Bavuma early on Day 4.

Denied Smith’s advice, his captaincy was also found wanting, with his fields far too defensive on Day 3 to allow easy singles and building precious little pressure as the pitch flattened out.

Pat Cummins bowls Wiaan Mulder on day one of the World Test Championship Final. (Photo by Ben Whitley/PA Images via Getty Images)

Mitchell Starc – 9

Australia’s best at Lord’s, the veteran left-armer could barely have done more with bat or ball to drag Australia over the line.

Claiming both openers with potent swing and pace late on Day 1 after the batters had failed, Starc should have had three but for Carey’s dropped sitter; while he did likewise in the second innings, taking three of five wickets to fall and denied a fourth by the absence of reviews at the death.

With the bat, his first Test half-century in six years seemed priceless at the time, when he and Josh Hazlewood batted Australia to a 281-run lead; however, it would come in a losing side.

Nathan Lyon – 4

As for much of the last six months, Lyon felt surplus to requirements while the quicks ran amoke, before the pace of the game worked against him when he was needed most.

Bowled just eight tight overs in the first innings, before being handled with minimal fuss in the second on a slow pitch, with the prodigious spin he occasionally found unable to winkle out a wicket in 26 overs.

38 years old in November, will this be his last trip to England?

Josh Hazlewood – 4.5

Edging out Scott Boland for the final place in the XI was always going to be controversial, and Hazlewood certainly didn’t vindicate the selectors’ faith in him over the summer’s bowling hero.

As accurate as ever, though seems to have lost a yard of pace, and while he gave nothing away in the first innings and produced a peach to castle Tristan Stubbs, was handled with ease by Markram and Bavuma in particular in the Proteas’ run chase.

At 34 years old, there’s an argument his spot in the team is no longer secure; the question is whether it’s the even older Boland, or a younger quick, can force their way past him when the Ashes comes to town.