Australia's recent resurgence has been reflected in the International Cricket Council rankings after it was announced today they had reclaimed top spot in the Test standings.
Michael Clarke's men bounced back from their 3-0 Ashes loss to England last summer to win back the urn in emphatic style Down Under with a 5-0 whitewash over their oldest rivals.
They followed that up earlier this year by travelling to South Africa and earning a sensational 2-1 victory to hand the Proteas their first Test series defeat in just under five years.
It is enough to ensure they climb above South Africa in the rankings and they are now first in both Test and one-day internationals for the first time since December 2008.
"We are incredibly proud to be the number-one ranked team in the world in both Test and ODI cricket, which are two of the team's most important goals," Clarke said.
"There has been an enormous amount of hard work and effort on and off the field that has led to this result."
Much of their success in the last few months has been linked to Darren Lehmann replacing Mickey Arthur as coach last year, and Cricket Australia chief executive officer James Sutherland was quick to pay tribute to the team's efforts.
"We have had some tough challenges over the past 18 months, so to turn the corner and again be recognised as the world's best-performed nation in Test and one-day international cricket for the first time in five years is a great achievement," he said.
The last time Australia topped the Test rankings was in August 2009, when they surrendered their spot after losing in that year's Ashes, and Clarke is determined to continue their growing status ahead of next year's World Cup on home soil.
"The true test of a great side is sustained success and now our goal is to maintain these rankings and continue to play great cricket as we lead into challenging Test series against Pakistan and India, and the ICC Cricket World Cup at home," he added.