The 2017/18 Test cricket season was an eventful one to say the least for the Australians, with a successful Ashes series closely followed by a dramatic tour of South Africa.
The Aussies began the season with a 4-0 Ashes drubbing of the old enemy before they headed to the rainbow nation for a topsy-turvy series which they lost 3-1.
The men in the baggy green played nine Test matches throughout the 2017/18 season, finishing with five wins, a draw and three losses.
They had mixed fortunes in the ODI arena, while a successful T20 tri-series saw the Aussies jump to number two in the world.
MORE: Australia drops behind New Zealand in ICC Test cricket rankings | Australia's ball tampering scandal: Keith Galloway savages The Daily Mail for 'disgusting' Steve Smith article
From the dizzying highs that came with regaining the Ashes, the extreme lows following events in South Africa could not have been imagined by players, coaches or fans.
Australia began the season in fine fashion with three dominant wins over the Poms to seal an Ashes series victory.
Boxing Day saw some resilience from England with a draw, before Australia won the fifth Test by an innings and 123 runs to close out the series 4-0.
However, the 3-1 defeat to South Africa brought the Aussies crashing back down to earth.
How the world fared?
| Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Drawn |
| South Africa | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| Australia | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 |
| New Zealand | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Sri Lanka | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| India | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| West Indies | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Bangladesh | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| England | 7 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| Pakistan | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Zimbabwe | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
In comparison to the world, Australia were probably the second-best side behind South Africa, with the difference between the two being their most recent Test series.
World number one India struggled in South Africa, while England failed to register a victory in both Australia and New Zealand in seven Test matches.
After reclaiming the Ashes, the Aussies headed to South Africa full of confidence and were a real chance to bring home a series victory.
They started on a positive note after winning the first Test, but that's where the success ended and the tour began to unravel.
South Africa fought back to make it one apiece after a tense six-wicket victory in Port Elizabeth, thanks to 11 wickets from pace sensation Kagiso Rabada.
A tight start to the third Test meant the series could go either way - however, the lunch break on day three changed how Australia's 2017/18 cricket season will be remembered.
The Australians were found guilty of ball-tampering in a scandal which rocked the world and saw Steve Smith and David Warner banned for 12 months, Cameron Bancroft for nine months, while Darren Lehmann resigned as coach.
The mental effect of the ball-tampering scandal meant the Aussies were always going to struggle in the final Test and despite an effort to change the attitude and culture of the team, it resulted in a 492 run defeat at the hands of the hosts.
Who were the best batsmen in 2017/18?
| Player | Team | Matches | Runs | HS | Average | 100s |
| Aiden Markram | South Africa | 10 | 1000 | 152 | 55.55 | 4 |
| Dean Elgar | South Africa | 10 | 901 | 199 | 56.31 | 3 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 6 | 896 | 243 | 89.60 | 4 |
| Steve Smith | Australia | 8 | 829 | 239 | 75.36 | 3 |
| Dinesh Chandimal | Sri Lanka | 7 | 707 | 164 | 58.91 | 2 |
| Hashim Amla | South Africa | 10 | 701 | 137 | 38.94 | 2 |
| AB de Villiers | South Africa | 8 | 691 | 126* | 53.15 | 1 |
| David Warner | Australia | 8 | 658 | 103 | 50.61 | 1 |
| Faf du Plessis | South Africa | 9 | 600 | 135* | 42.85 | 2 |
| Shaun Marsh | Australia | 9 | 592 | 156 | 42.28 | 2 |
| Joe Root | England | 7 | 520 | 83 | 43.33 | 0 |
| Usman Khawaja | Australia | 9 | 498 | 171 | 33.20 | 1 |
| Mitch Marsh | Australia | 7 | 496 | 181 | 45.09 | 2 |
Virat Kohli amassed big runs against Sri Lanka and South Africa while Steve Smith dominated the Ashes series with 687 runs at an average of 137.4.
AB de Villiers and Dean Elgar created some sparkling moments, while David Warner was solid home and away.
However, Aiden Markram burst onto the scene after strong performances at home against Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, India and Australia, with the Proteas youngster topping the run-scoring chart for the 2017/18 season.
Who were the leading wicket-takers?
| Player | Team | Matches | Wickets | BBI | Average |
| Kagiso Rabada | South Africa | 10 | 56 | 6/54 | 16.98 |
| Pat Cummins | Australia | 9 | 45 | 5/83 | 23.08 |
| Nathan Lyon | Australia | 9 | 37 | 4/60 | 35.00 |
| Morne Morkel | South Africa | 8 | 37 | 5/21 | 17.75 |
| Mitchell Starc | Australia | 7 | 34 | 5/34 | 27.38 |
| Josh Hazlewood | Australia | 9 | 33 | 5/48 | 30.75 |
| Vernon Philander | South Africa | 8 | 33 | 6/21 | 16.30 |
| Keshav Maharaj | South Africa | 9 | 31 | 5/59 | 29.35 |
| Rangana Herath | Sri Lanka | 6 | 26 | 6/43 | 27.00 |
| James Anderson | England | 7 | 25 | 5/43 | 26.92 |
| Trent Boult | New Zealand | 4 | 25 | 6/32 | 20.92 |
| Dilruwan Perera | Sri Lanka | 7 | 25 | 5/98 | 41.08 |
| Mohammed Shami | India | 5 | 24 | 5/28 | 21.87 |
Australia's bowling quartet of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon all took over 30 wickets for the season and reaffirmed their status as one of the best bowling attacks in the world.
Kagiso Rabada climbed to number one in the world after dominating the Australian and Indian batting line-ups on the green and bouncy South African pitches.
Despite his retirement, Morne Morkel showed he could still trouble batsmen around the world with 33 wickets from seven matches, while Trent Boult took 25 wickets from just four matches for the Kiwis.
So, after a 4-0 Ashes victory, a 3-1 series defeat in South Africa and a ball-tampering scandal, how would you rate the 2017/18 season for the Australian Test team?