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Ashes 2005 and West Indies vs Australia 1960/61-Greatest Series Ever??

roseboy64

Cricket Web Content Updater
After seeing what both these series have done and did for cricket I'm wholly cinvinced that these two series were the greatest ever IMO. It's not just the impact they had oon Test cricket and cricket in general but the standard of play both times were awesome!! Question is, which one is/was better? Your thoughts?
 

sqwerty

U19 Cricketer
roseboy64 said:
After seeing what both these series have done and did for cricket I'm wholly cinvinced that these two series were the greatest ever IMO. It's not just the impact they had oon Test cricket and cricket in general but the standard of play both times were awesome!! Question is, which one is/was better? Your thoughts?
didn't see the west Indies one.....so I'm going for the Ashes

Hope that helps
 

C_C

International Captain
Erm...this Ashes is a nice series but i dont see how this Ashes series is THAT good...i think IND vs AUS 2001 was a better series in terms of excitement, not to mention that there are several close fought series between WI and PAK from the 80s that rate ahead of this one...
 

FaaipDeOiad

Hall of Fame Member
I think the 1981 and 1902 Ashes have to be considered as well, and the 92/93 series against the West Indies in Australia was a nailbiter as well.

This is certainly the best series in a decade though. The sheer number of thrilling contests, the way each has turned so many times along the way and the fact that it's clearly the best two teams in the world makes it hard to match.
 

archie mac

International Coach
FaaipDeOiad said:
I think the 1981 and 1902 Ashes have to be considered as well, and the 92/93 series against the West Indies in Australia was a nailbiter as well.

This is certainly the best series in a decade though. The sheer number of thrilling contests, the way each has turned so many times along the way and the fact that it's clearly the best two teams in the world makes it hard to match.
The 1902 for me, but there was also the 1894/95 and 1936/37 if you take the series as a whole.
 

vic_orthdox

Global Moderator
On A Current Affair last night, they interviewed Richie (who looked terrible without a make-up job) and they were showing highlights, and looking back, there has been some fantastic cricket played. I can't comment really, because it's completely unfair to proclaim this as the Greatest Series Ever, when I haven't watched (at all, or in their entirety) most of the competition.
 

luckyeddie

Cricket Web Staff Member
Of the ones I have seen (in other words my own opinion instead of regurgitating someone else's ;)) then I reckon that this has taken over from "Botham's Ashes" as the most gripping it's been my privilege to witness.

A great series doesn't really need great cricket, but it does need drama - and this one has had that in spades from ball 1 at Lord's.
 

sqwerty

U19 Cricketer
C_C said:
Erm...this Ashes is a nice series but i dont see how this Ashes series is THAT good...i think IND vs AUS 2001 was a better series in terms of excitement, not to mention that there are several close fought series between WI and PAK from the 80s that rate ahead of this one...
The Indian series was good but this is better simply for the fact that it is the Ashes and it hasn't been a contest in about 1000 years.

Add to that - the hype which went on for at least 12 months, 5 tests as opposed to 3 in India, and the fact that you don't just play on barren dustbowls with the spinners opening the bowling then this is a far more entertaining series.

The only negative is the crap cricket Australia is playing. Yeah sure there's the argument that England are making them play bad cricket blah blah blah.......BUT........I'm talking about the dropped catches, fielding and no balls. I reckon Australia have lost at least one test on that alone.

It's funny how you watch yesterdays play and you think.....Wow Australia fielded well today, they caught everything. I remember a time not too long ago when it was just a given that they fielded like that.
 

Deja moo

International Captain
sqwerty said:
and the fact that you don't just play on barren dustbowls with the spinners opening the bowling then this is a far more entertaining series.

.
McGrath averaged 18 with the ball, I believe. The pitch is only as good/bad as the bowlers and batsmen make it seem.
 

luckyeddie

Cricket Web Staff Member
One of the striking differences between the sides has been in the catching. I appreciate that Australia's general catching has been woeful (until yesterday) but England's has been far, far worse, at least as far as the number of chances spurned (albeit mainly by the obvious two culprits).

In yesterday's Times they did a bit of a run-down of the drops - including stumpings, Australia had declined 14, but England had grassed a staggering 24 - that's 3 an innings.
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
sqwerty said:
The Indian series was good but this is better simply for the fact that it is the Ashes and it hasn't been a contest in about 1000 years.

Add to that - the hype which went on for at least 12 months, 5 tests as opposed to 3 in India, and the fact that you don't just play on barren dustbowls with the spinners opening the bowling then this is a far more entertaining series.

The only negative is the crap cricket Australia is playing. Yeah sure there's the argument that England are making them play bad cricket blah blah blah.......BUT........I'm talking about the dropped catches, fielding and no balls. I reckon Australia have lost at least one test on that alone.

It's funny how you watch yesterdays play and you think.....Wow Australia fielded well today, they caught everything. I remember a time not too long ago when it was just a given that they fielded like that.
Whats the big deal about Australia playing crap cricket ??

Its because rest of the world played crap cricket for so long that they have remained in solitary 'splendour' at the top of the rankings !!
 

Tapioca

State Vice-Captain
3 Tests in a row which have gone right to the wire
2005 : England won the second Test by 2 runs
1960/1 : First Test ended in a tie

2005 : The Australian last pair batted out four overs to draw the third Test
1960/1 : The Australian last pair of Mackay and Kline batted out the last *100* minutes to draw the fourth Test

2005 : England won the fourth Test by three wickets, chasing 129
1960/1 : Australia won the final Test by two wickets chasing 258
 

Dasa

International Vice-Captain
marc71178 said:
3 Tests in a row which have gone right to the wire - how is that less exciting?
It's his opinion...the excitement factor may not be the same for him in this series as it is for you.
 

Slow Love™

International Captain
Of those I've seen, the 2001 series against India was right up there. This Ashes series has had some very exciting finales, there's no doubt, but I haven't felt that it was as much a gargantuan struggle between two teams at the top of their game as the Indian series, given that it's felt like England have dominated through so much of it, with the Aussies fighting back at the end as the Poms choked a bit.

A few of the South Africa vs Australia series in the 90's were very exciting, particularly the one out here at Adelaide where Mark Waugh managed to hang on for a draw in the last one (with a controversial, though correct "not out" decision given for a hit-wicket appeal right at the end). In fact, one of the most exciting tests I remember was in '97 in South Africa, where advantage in the match kept changing back and forth over the days, until Healy ended the match by hitting a six with Australia only having two wickets left.
 

Deja moo

International Captain
Slow Love™ said:
This Ashes series has had some very exciting finales, there's no doubt, but I haven't felt that it was as much a gargantuan struggle between two teams at the top of their game as the Indian series,
I think you've hit the nail on the head as to what characterises a great series. The third test in Chennai was easily the best test I've ever watched in terms of two teams being at their absolute best .
 

roseboy64

Cricket Web Content Updater
I also mentioned the fact that it's gotten people more interested in cricket. Both series have/are doing that.
 

FaaipDeOiad

Hall of Fame Member
I think this Ashes series scores over the 2001 series in India in several respects, one of the main ones being more variation generally. Harbhajan was the dominant bowler for that whole series, Hayden the only Australian who could consistently counter him, every pitch began flat and then turned increasingly as the match went on, and really there was only one close finish in the series, as the second test was basically a rout from the Dravid/Laxman innings on, albeit an incredibly remarkable rout.

This series has had more variation in pitches with an uneven seamer, as well as a real featherbed at Trent Bridge, a dry abrasive wicket at Old Trafford and a fairly balanced cricket wicket at Edgbaston which helped bowlers but was good for batting if you applied yourself. Also, despite the fact that Warne and Flintoff have been ahead of the rest, far more players have done well in this series.

I think perhaps the Indian series is remembered more fondly because people rather forget now some of the bleaker moments including how badly India fell apart with the bat a few times, how average Warne was, shocking series for several Australians like Ponting and Slater and so on. Both series had their ups and downs and were generally brilliant contests, but this series has offered more I think.
 

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