Greatest Aussie Test XI of past 15 years

[Pratters]

What according to you is the Greatest Aussie Test XI of past 15 years?

The criterias are:

1. The XI must have played at least 4 tests together as a unit.
2. Strengths of players are more to do with their ability around the period. So a Hayden in a 90s Australia team would probably make it weaker while a Hayden in the 2000's Australia team would probably make it stronger.

 

[Pratters]

I would have probably picked one from 1996-99 which had McGrath, Warne plus Gillespie bowling so well outdoing even McGrath a lot of the times. However, that team didn't do too well in India in the one off test in '96 or the series in 98-99. So would have to go for a later team maybe. Not sure..

 

[Fiery]

Sorry, too much effort involved in making sure they have all played at least 4 tests together

 

[Gloucefan]

Sorry, too much effort involved in making sure they have all played at least 4 tests together

Ditto, I'd rather not put that much effort into a post.

 

[Perm]

Ditto, I'd rather not put that much effort into a post.

It shows.

 

[Fiery]

It shows.

. You have a cruel wit sometimes Perm

 

[chaminda_00]

M Hayden
M Slater
J Langer
M Waugh
S Waugh
R Ponting
A Gilchirst
S Warne
J Gillespie
D Fleming
G McGarth

I reckon they played four together

 

[Gloucefan]

. You have a cruel wit sometimes Perm

It's not really cruel, it's probably true.

 

[Fiery]

It's not really cruel, it's probably true.

Good on ya. I usually can't be assed spending too much time on long posts either

 

[Perm]

. You have a cruel wit sometimes Perm

He probably knows I'm jokinh, I just cbf'ed putting a smiley in there.

 

[howardj]

I''ve always said that we peaked in Jo'burg in 2002 when we crushed SA by an innings and 800 runs. I loved that team. Yes. Loved.

Langer
Hayden
Ponting
MWaugh
SWaugh
Martyn
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
Gillespie
Macca.

 

[Pratters]

I''ve always said that we peaked in Jo'burg in 2002 when we crushed SA by an innings and 800 runs. I loved that team. Yes. Loved.

Langer
Hayden
Ponting
MWaugh
SWaugh
Martyn
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
Gillespie
Macca.

Brilliant team..

 

[chaminda_00]

I''ve always said that we peaked in Jo'burg in 2002 when we crushed SA by an innings and 800 runs. I loved that team. Yes. Loved.

Langer
Hayden
Ponting
MWaugh
SWaugh
Martyn
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
Gillespie
Macca.

Went for the other team on the basic of Fleming > Lee. But i guess when you factor in the Langer/Hayden partnership and Slater vs Martyn, thats sides better.

 

[Richard]

I''ve always said that we peaked in Jo'burg in 2002 when we crushed SA by an innings and 800 runs. I loved that team. Yes. Loved.

Langer
Hayden
Ponting
MWaugh
SWaugh
Martyn
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
Gillespie
Macca.

Brilliant team..

Looks good, doesn't it? Actually, however, Gillespie was in a year-long rut at that point, Mark Waugh was finished by then, Stephen Waugh was no longer the force of old, and Lee, as we know, was absolutely rubbish around those times.

It's a very, very complicated question. There's no doubt at all that the batting peaked around 1993...
Taylor
Slater
Boon
Mark Waugh
Border
Stephen Waugh
Healy

But the bowling in those days wasn't as powerful... Warne, McDermott (when he was off the operating table), Reiffel (when he was off the operating table) and the transition was just happening between Merv Hughes (who was finished by then) and McGrath (who was poor for his first 10 Tests or so).

The best bowling-attack, pretty well beyond question, was in either 1999\2000 or very briefly in 2004: McGrath and Warne were ever-present, and Lee in 1999\2000 was either very, very good or having beginner's luck; Kasprowicz in 2004, of course, was on an inspired return. Gillespie was there and in top form in 2004, while Fleming was in his very short spell as an established player in 1999\2000.

All-in-all, the best team was probably that of 1999\2000 - perhaps not concidentally the one that won 16 in a row:
Slater
Blewett
Langer
Mark Waugh
Stephen Waugh
Ponting
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
Fleming
McGrath
There's just one weak-link there, Blewett at the top of the order, and just one (Lee) who will (probably) not go down as an excellent player.

Like with the West Indians of 1976-1986, however, there was no one point when the team unquestionably peaked, nor one where there was no weak-link.

 

[Ash_A55]

Sorry, too much effort involved in making sure they have all played at least 4 tests together

I thought the same, could get very tedious.

 

[Matt79]

I'd say the team that just won the Ashes 5-0 would be there or thereabouts tbh, except I think with Martyn going half-way through, it wasn't unchanged for 4 matches at any stage. Only weak point during that period was Martyn and Symonds (and even he had the test match of his life in Melbourne).

 

[Richard]

Andrew Symonds? In Australia's greatest ever Test team? You trying to make Robert Cribb's head explode or sumate?

Aside from that - I still disagree wholeheartedly. Gilchrist is no longer (or, rather, hasn't been for the last 4 years - to ever write him off completely is foolish) someone who'll play more than the occasional sensational knock. He cannot possibly be argued to be the player he was 1999\2000-2003 IMO. Lee is still nothing but a semi-decent Test bowler either. Martyn was poor in that series, and indeed was never secure in the side. And you could even argue that McGrath wasn't quite what he once was, too.

There have been several stronger sides IMO. Certainly the one that beat us in 2001 was one of them:
Slater (weak link by then)
Hayden (still weak link at that time)
Ponting (had a bad India tour, but was still a superb player)
Mark Waugh
Stephen Waugh
Martyn
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee (weak link)
Gillespie
McGrath

And possibly even the 2002\03 one...
Langer
Hayden
Ponting
Martyn
Stephen Waugh
Lehmann \ Love (neither proven at that point)
Gilchrist
Warne (MacGill when injured, weak link in last 2 Tests)
Lee \ Bichel (weak link)
Gillespie
McGrath

 

[Matt79]

Andrew Symonds? In Australia's greatest ever Test team? You trying to make Robert Cribb's head explode or sumate?

I said Symonds was the weak point. Who's Robert Cribb when he's at home. And i didn't say it was the greatest Australian test team ever. Merely amongst the very best of the last 15 years...

Aside from that - I still disagree wholeheartedly. Gilchrist is no longer (or, rather, hasn't been for the last 4 years - to ever write him off completely is foolish) someone who'll play more than the occasional sensational knock. He cannot possibly be argued to be the player he was 1999\2000-2003 IMO. Lee is still nothing but a semi-decent Test bowler either. Martyn was poor in that series, and indeed was never secure in the side. And you could even argue that McGrath wasn't quite what he once was, too.

Yeah, but on the up side, Hussey is a brillant inclusion, and it cannot possibly be argued that Ponting was the player in 2001 or 2002/03 that he was in 2006/7. Plus Clark's inclusion and form went a helluva long way towards covering McGrath's relative decline and Lee's periods of averageness.

 

[Richard]

I said Symonds was the weak point. Who's Robert Cribb when he's at home.

He's even got it in his sig now. I thought you were a regular enough poster to know people's names. His posting-ID is Prince EWS.

And i didn't say it was the greatest Australian test team ever. Merely amongst the very best of the last 15 years...

No, you didn't - but I tried my best not to suggest you did. That line was more of a throwaway than a literal.

Yeah, but on the up side, Hussey is a brillant inclusion, and it cannot possibly be argued that Ponting was the player in 2001 or 2002/03 that he was in 2006/7. Plus Clark's inclusion and form went a helluva long way towards covering McGrath's relative decline and Lee's periods of averageness.

Indeed. The bowling-attack was quite possibly the strongest of the three series. I'd argue that there wasn't much between the Ponting of 2002\03 and the one of 2006\07, TBH. Both were magnificent players. And nor do I think he's got as much better from 2001 onwards as some. Yes, you guessed it - same reason as the Hayden thingy.

 

[Matt79]

He's even got it in his sig now. I thought you were a regular enough poster to know people's names. His posting-ID is Prince EWS.

Please read this.


Walked into it tbh...