England Are 2nd Best In Test Cricket

[Deja moo]

How do I apply to join the AAAS?

 

[masterblaster]

Just write 'Member of AAAS' on your signature. We're accepting members all the time. Or better yet talk to Marc on these forums!

From me, its Welcome to AAAS!

 

[Kiwi]

Laxman is hopeless, he got a pair in New Zealand

he isn't the first great batsman to get a pair and he certainly won't be the last.

 

[marc71178]

Admittedly he's right about the test series wins in Pakistan & Sri Lanka..at that point of time those 2 wins were very good.

However with Pakistan & Sri Lanka in their current shape i'd suggest that they'd be more vunerable at home at the moment.

But we beat them when they were hard sides to beat?

 

[marc71178]

ok, get over chris read, do not compare him to gilchrist, they just are not in the same league

With Gloves or with bat?

 

[marc71178]

South Africa are the better team:

They have beaten India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka away, whereas England lost to India in India.

If we use that argument, surely SA are the best, since Aus lost in India?

 

[marc71178]

A team that gets to the World Cup final, brimming with such talent aren't hopeless. They may not be as strong as Australia, but even the most devout English supporter will tell you, they are a better outfit than England at the moment.

In ODI's yes, but in Tests I'd say it's very even indeed. Too close to call.

 

[marc71178]

Stop parroting that england defeated aus in a test last time in aus.....that match was riddled with innumerable dropped catches by the tired australians.......

England's players were just as tired.

 

[marc71178]

How do I apply to join the AAAS?

Looks like you already have!

Welcome orangepitch!

 

[Bazza]

I don't think it's fair to say England are second in the world right now.

I'll take Neil's rankings which place us fourth just behind New Zealand, with the first two being obvious. As for ODIs, I think there are about five teams all very even after the big two, but we've done ok this summer (mostly on the back of our bowling because only one batsman has really fired... well Flintoff's done ok I suppose).

 

[age_master]

i was talking about Gilly with the bat, where he is undenyably by far the best keeper batsman in the world - in terms of batting

 

[Tim]

I think the reason why England currently rank behind NZ is the fact that NZ beat England 2-1 in England in 1999...otherwise I think their test records are even-stevens.

 

[marc71178]

The ranking system has changed though!

 

[anzac]

sorry Shaun - you may have missed some of the earlier threads regarding teams & injuries, but NZ were far from being at full strength when they toured OZ. In fact NZs injury list prior to that tour was worse than Englands coming out of the Ashes.

Specifically on the OZ tour NZ lost Bell to poor form, O'Connor, Nash & Tuffey to injury, and Vettori & Cairns had yet to play a full tour since coming back from 2 prolonged injury spells. Of the NZ bowlers in the Perth Test from memory Martin was making his debut tour & Bond his Test debut along with Vincent as opening bat.

Bond's selection for that test was as the 2nd or 3rd replacement seamer for that Tour!

Yes NZ were being smashed in the weather effected first two tests & were 'saved' by the weather, but when the weather had no effect even leading into the match, on a pitch that is ideally suited to the Aussie attack, NZ out batted & out bowled a full strength Aussie lineup & should have had a victory had they had a bit more experience in how to close out a match, and had the ZIM ump done his job a bit better.

Conversley the Aussies were below strength when beaten by ENG.

1 = OZ
2 = SA

 

[Langeveldt]

OMG!!! I cant believe I am hearing this... This beggars belief...Oh well...

 

[Neil Pickup]

Welcome Shawn.

Don't half spout some rubbish, do ya?

I think you have a slightly inflated opinion of Rikki Clarke (well, any opinion is inflated..) Read will never be able to match Gilchrist as a batsmen and whilst Solanki and McGrath have talent, they need to prove themselves internationally first.

And to consider teams' abilities without taking into account their mentalities is like considering a cyclist's chances of winning Le Tour without taking their climbing into account.

England a billion times better than India? Explain why the last series in England was drawn, then. I feel England are slightly above them - only slightly, mind - but aren't likely to win in India.

As for "Dravid has no-one to play with" - Ganguly averages more away than at home and as much as I dislike the guy, I respect him as someone who, with Wright, has transformed India into so much more of a unit. There's also a guy with the middle name "Ramesh", who's quite good.

And please don't pay any attention to the ICC's rankings, they're crap.

 

[marc71178]

sorry Shaun - you may have missed some of the earlier threads regarding teams & injuries, but NZ were far from being at full strength when they toured OZ. In fact NZs injury list prior to that tour was worse than Englands coming out of the Ashes.

I find that hard to believe.

Specifically on the OZ tour NZ lost Bell to poor form, O'Connor, Nash & Tuffey to injury, and Vettori & Cairns had yet to play a full tour since coming back from 2 prolonged injury spells. Of the NZ bowlers in the Perth Test from memory Martin was making his debut tour & Bond his Test debut along with Vincent as opening bat.

And I would be right in my thoughts.

Flintoff, Giles, Gough, Jones, Silverwood, ...

Also bear in mind, 2 of those happened during the first innings, meaning we played with 10 men.

 

[aussie_beater]

Re: India

And an Indian who had half a brain would say that England are a billion times better than India in Test cricket, if you want proof compare the results of the two teams over the past 2 decades.

Hmm.... I don't visit this website for a week and this is what happens....a crazy pom on the loose, and that too in OzLand.....

England is a billion times better then India, eh ?? I reckon, that means England should have thrashed India so bad the last time around, that the very thought of playing cricket again should have been scary for India.... but you won't happen to know what actually transpired when these two teams met the last time around, as probably you hadn't hatched out of the egg yet, I suppose.

 

[Top_Cat]

Welcome to the forum, Shaun but already you've raised an area of concern and I'd like to point out that this;

What you must remember is South Africans are very arrogant people

is NOT acceptable. Generalisations on racial or national lines will not be looked favourably upon by us in the staff of the site so you'll do well to limit your epithets to cricket-related ones.

 

[age_master]

I find that hard to believe.




And I would be right in my thoughts.

Flintoff, Giles, Gough, Jones, Silverwood, ...

Also bear in mind, 2 of those happened during the first innings, meaning we played with 10 men.

yeah but i think your forgetting the varied series outcomes...