If there's an image that sums up the evolving dynamic of the Australian men's Test environment right now, it's probably this picture of captain Pat Cummins playfully throwing his son Albie up into the air in front of the Lord's Pavilion.

Taken in July, at stumps on day five after one of the most controversial Ashes Tests in history, the mood is surprisingly light – as if there isn't a care in the world.

Both father and son have huge smiles plastered on their faces as they practise a fun exercise in trust. It's one of those shots that perfectly captures the vibe and energy of the moment, making it very easy to imagine little Albie's belly laugh rolling out as he flies high above Cummins's head.

Those who covered the Test know this day wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for the Australian players, who, just hours before sealing victory, had been verbally abused by English fans in The Long Room and faced criticism from the hosts for playing outside the spirit of the game.

Yet, flicking through Ryan Pierse's catalogue for Getty that afternoon, most wouldn't have a clue that any of that had even taken place. For it wasn't just Cummins who had celebrated the win with his family on the turf of the iconic ground, but almost every single member of the squad.

At least 14 children of varying ages travelled with the playing group throughout the UK and there would have been even more when you include those in tow alongside the coaching and support staff.

"As this team has grown over the last four or so years, naturally we move in that direction and I think we went to England with not one single bloke in the team; everyone had a partner, which is rare, and the majority of the guys had kids," Travis Head told ABC Sport.

"It was a different dynamic and the partner period got busy, but it was good because I think it shows the evolvement of our side over time and we're at a stage now where, one: we're playing consistent cricket and the team is not changing that much, and two: our family and kids are all enjoying the ride together and creating some great friendships."

Cummins was quick to agree.

"It's changed the dynamic for sure," he said.

"For that Ashes series, basically none of the partners were there for the first week or so, and then they all arrived at the same time, and it was great.

"You saw everyone go from single dads who watch whatever movie they want each night, go and have a beer or play golf, to suddenly everyone with backpacks on, pushing prams down the road."

Fast bowler Scott Boland said some of his best memories playing Test cricket had been watching his two daughters interact and play with the other kids after a long day's play.

"It's a lovely environment to be a part of, you'd go down for breakfast in the morning, and it would feel like there's 40 kids running around," Boland told ABC Sport.

"When you're overseas it's nice to have the family there and for everyone to feel comfortable enough to come and join up with the group speaks volumes.

"After a Test match, all the kids are often running or crawling around together on the ground. It's something I'll remember for the rest of my life."

Perhaps it's this instantaneous switch from cricket mode to father mode once the match wraps up that helps the players compartmentalise the drama on the field from the everyday priorities of life.

For instance, opening batter Usman Khawaja says his favourite moment of the series was when his eldest daughter joined him at the press conference at Edgbaston, despite scoring a Test century at that venue and tallying a truckload of runs across the tour to finish as the leading run scorer (496).

"We've created this tradition where after every game, win or lose, Aisha and I will go out on the grass and play with the ball and chase each other," Khawaja said.

"After that first match, we were about to leave the ground and I told her, 'Honey, I've got to go and do the presser' but she burst into tears and said 'No, Daddy, don't leave me' and it melted my heart, so I ended up taking her with me and it turned out to be the best part of the tour.

"I told her she had to be a good girl – she's a menace most times, she can be a demon, so I wasn't sure how it was going to go – but to her credit, she was so well behaved. The only time she strayed was when she saw someone's phone on the desk and started swiping and playing with it. It was funny, you know what kids are like with technology these days.

"Being able to share the tour with my family was really special and it breaks up the same old, cricket every day. You actually get to live a life outside of the ground."

Half joking, Khawaja attributes the recent influx of babies around the Test group to the past couple of years living through COVID restrictions and there being "not much else to do".

"Nothing is more like home than being with your family and I'm a firm believer that the greatest gift you can give a child is time, so having them away with you is amazing," he continued.

"All the partners get along really well, they share that understanding that cricket can be a tough game and when you don't get to travel together you can be away for a really long time."

Marnus Labuschagne expanded on this further, explaining how grounding it felt to have your loved ones close during such a gruelling tour.

"It's great to have the families on board because they're so important to us," Labuschagne said.

"As teammates, we are all at a pretty similar stage in life so we also know what each other is going through and can help each other out, including babysitting if someone wants to go out for dinner.

"We also have so many different ages amongst the group, David Warner's kids are a bit older, so are Andrew McDonald's, they like looking out for the younger ones."

This next period, featuring many of Australia's Test players at the ODI World Cup in India from October 5 to November 19 will be a tough ask on the partners back home, holding down the fort.

For some players, their time away extends right through from August to December, including the recent South Africa white-ball series and two separate ODI and T20 International series against India that bookend either side of the World Cup.

That then rolls right into the domestic and Test summer back home, reiterating just how important those memories formed throughout the Ashes were for the players and their young families.

Although the team stopped short of giving an opinion on who was the "best" Test dad in the current set-up, there was certainly some admiration thrown around for the way Boland parents.

"Everyone has got their strengths, but Scott Boland is pretty impressive," Labuschagne said.

"I see him with both his daughters most mornings. We walk in and I'll have little Hallie with me crawling on the ground while I'm making coffee, and his two daughters are there … Same with Alex Carey and his kids in the mornings, they'll often play together."

"Scotty Boland is a very good Dad," Head added.

"He's really good with the other kids too and Milla enjoys seeing him at breakfast."

Meanwhile, Matt Renshaw gave kudos to David Warner, particularly for his efforts on away trips.

"I think Davey Warner is probably one of the guys who has got older kids now and you can see how invested he is in their lives," Renshaw said.

"He's always on the phone to them when he's away, which can be tough, and I think he stays involved as well as anyone could, especially with them being in school.

"Not to mention all the TikToks he does with them, all the dances."