Greatest cricket team of all time

[The King]

Which team do you believe was the greatest of all time out of these four?

Australia 1948:
Don Bradman (capt), Lindsay Hassett, Arthur Morris, Keith Miller, Sidney Barnes, Bill Johnston, Neil Harvey, Don Tallon (w/k), Ray Lindwall, Ernie Toshack, Doug Ring.

West Indies circa 1980:
Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Larry Gomes, Viv Richards, Alvin Kallicharan, Clive Lloyd (capt), Jeff Dujon (w/k), Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Michael Holding, Andy Roberts.

South Africa 1970:
Trevor Goddard, Barry Richards, Ali Bacher (capt), Graeme Pollock, Eddie Barlow, Denis Lindsay (w/k), Tiger Lance, Mike Procter, Peter Pollock, John Traicos, Pat Trimborn.

Australia circa 2002:
Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh, Damien Martyn, Steve Waugh (capt), Adam Gilchrist (w/k), Shane Warne, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath.

[Pratters]

West Indies

[luckyeddie]

South Africa circa 1970

[Dasa]

West Indies. If South Africa of 1970 were able to play more, then they could've been the best.

[Anil]

the west indies of the 80s is the best team i have seen...

[archie mac]

The Greats of 48

[PY]

It's hard to look past my favourite South African, Barry Richards, but I've only seen small clips and heard amazing stories about the 1970 team. Biggest tragedy in cricket history that they didn't get to play to their true potential (and all the other problems that caused it).

However, I think I'm going for West Indies because I can only say what-might-have-beens for SA whereas you look at that side, you'd say it's the best bowling unit ever and has arguably the best opening partnership and the greatest ever batsman.

[FaaipDeOiad]

Toss up between the West Indies and the early-2000s Australians for me. The 1948 side was very good but really only lasted a very short time, as did the South African team from the end of the 60s.

I think the Australian team has the best ever batting lineup, while the West Indies one has the best bowlers.

Also, I don't think that's the best 1948 team, or the best West Indies team. The one from a couple of years earlier without Marshall but with Roberts at his best and Colin Croft was a better team.

[PY]

Originally Posted by FaaipDeOiad

The one from a couple of years earlier without Marshall but with Roberts at his best and Colin Croft was a better team.

Don't you dare drop Malcolm Marshall.

[a massive zebra]

West Indies for the bowling firepower, but despite the brilliance of their opening partnership and obviously Viv Richards, both Australian teams clearly have greater batting resources.

[C_C]

WI of the 80s.
Pace like fire will win more often than not against any team, given that they were backed up by some great batsmen.
This Aussie side have occasionally encountered hitches against a real pacey bowler and 4 of them in a neverending barrage would get them ( or any team) for less runs than the other team conceded.

After them, i would rate Aussies of 99-2000 period, followed by Pakistan of the early 90s and RSA of the late 60s.

[FaaipDeOiad]

Originally Posted by C_C

After them, i would rate Aussies of 99-2000 period, followed by Pakistan of the early 90s and RSA of the late 60s.

Pakistan of the early 90s weren't even the best team in the world. In fact, they weren't even second. They may have had a great opening bowling pair, but it requires more than that to be a great team, and to suggest that just because of the two Ws they were better than England in the 50s or the Invincibles or Australia in the 70s or any number of other teams is ridiculous.

[C_C]

Originally Posted by FaaipDeOiad

Pakistan of the early 90s weren't even the best team in the world. In fact, they weren't even second. They may have had a great opening bowling pair, but it requires more than that to be a great team, and to suggest that just because of the two Ws they were better than England in the 50s or the Invincibles or Australia in the 70s or any number of other teams is ridiculous.

Well you may not be the best team in the world if the best team in the world is a team of Gods.....i would back the PAK early 90s team to roll over any side playing cricket today barring the aussies comfortably....including IND....
On second thoughts, i would have the invincibles as third but the OZ of the 70s or ENG of the 50s would've struggled against Miandad-Imran-Shoaib Mohammed-Malik-Wasim-Waqar-Qadir-Mushie.

[FaaipDeOiad]

Originally Posted by C_C

Well you may not be the best team in the world if the best team in the world is a team of Gods.....i would back the PAK early 90s team to roll over any side playing cricket today barring the aussies comfortably....including IND....
On second thoughts, i would have the invincibles as third but the OZ of the 70s or ENG of the 50s would've struggled against Miandad-Imran-Shoaib Mohammed-Malik-Wasim-Waqar-Qadir-Mushie.

England of the 50s had a bowling attack that was, at worst, comparable to a Pakistan attack that contained a past-his-best Imran and two greats in the Ws plus a spinner (probably not Qadir, as he played relatively few matches after the Ws rose to prominance). England in the 50s had a line of world class bowlers, with Tyson, Statham, Bedser and Trueman all appearing at times, and with Laker, Wardle and Lock as spinners. They also had a vastly superior batting lineup, with guys like Hutton, Edrich, May, Compton and Barrington making up a batting lineup that stands as one of the strongest ever fielded.

The Australian team also had a comparable if perhaps slightly inferior bowling attack, with Thompson and Lillee forming an opening pair that could definately be compared to the Ws. Walker/Gilmour/Pascoe might be a bit lacking as the third seamer compared to Imran (and remember, Imran was far from a devastating force in the 90s), and Mallett as the spinner not as good as whoever Pakistan fielded. And as far as the batting goes... well the Chappell's, McCosker, Walters etc make up a batting lineup that is better than anything Pakistan put out in the 90s.

I mean, South Africa from the mid 90s were probably a better team than 90s Pakistan. The West Indies of the same period were certainly better, and Australia further into the 90s as well. That's three teams within the same decade alone.

[sledger]

west indies for me.