Best of the best...

[morgieb]

IYO, who was the best side of all time?

My main 4 candidates:

Invincibles 1948 (Australia)
South Africa 1966-1970
West Indies 1976-1995
Australia 1989-2007/08

Poll to come, but I may have forgotten some candidates.

 

[Edged&Taken]

West Indies

 

[Himannv]

West Indies

Ditto

 

[fredfertang]

England 1932/33

 

[Redbacks]

It wouldn't be CW without an attempt to discredit the recent Aus team by moving the goalposts all of a sudden

Windies

 

[Jono]

Obviously the current Indian team

 

[potato_25]

woot auzzies!!!! 1989-2007/08 =]

 

[stephen]

I voted Aussies, even though they weren't the best team until 1995. I think you should readjust the poll to match the reality.

 

[Days of Grace]

Shorten the West Indies to 1991, when Richards and Marshall retired. They were still good, but not clearly the best side in the world anymore past 1991.

 

[Sir Alex]

Windies

 

[Goughy]

Australia. Played everyone, overall global standard was better, greater depth (though that could be debated especially in fast bowling stocks), won far more games and played a far more positive brand of cricket and had a far more rounded and complete team.

 

[G.I.Joe]

Yeah, 2000's Australia by my reckoning too.

 

[Ikki]

Australia. Played everyone, overall global standard was better, greater depth (though that could be debated especially in fast bowling stocks), won far more games and played a far more positive brand of cricket and had a far more rounded and complete team.

Yeh, this.

 

[MrIncredible]

EZ. Windies 76-95 particularly the team that went to Oz in late 70s and won 2-0. Greatest bowling attack of all time. No doubt Oz of recent time had the better batting line up but IMO great bowling> great batting ne day of the week. Also dont forget that WI for the period 80-95 were literally invincible ie they didnt lose to ne one home or away (27 multi test series). Oz while dominant were neevr invincible for ne lengthy period.

And whats this crap about Oz playing more attractive cricket. Attractive to whom??

 

[aussie]

Windies of 76-95 just over AUS 95-2006.

As a birt i appauled by the lack of mention of the dominant ENGLAND team of the 50s? Especially the Ashes winning 1953 XI

Hutton
Edrich
May
Compton
Graveney
Bailey
Evans
Laker
Lock
Trueman
Bedser/Statham - cant remember off my head who played

Easily one of the bext XI to actually play a test, with all players in top form together.

 

[aussie]

EZ. Windies 76-95 particularly the team that went to Oz in late 70s and won 2-0. Greatest bowling attack of all time. No doubt Oz of recent time had the better batting line up but IMO great bowling> great batting ne day of the week. Also dont forget that WI for the period 80-95 were literally invincible ie they didnt lose to ne one home or away (27 multi test series). Oz while dominant were neevr invincible for ne lengthy period.

And whats this crap about Oz playing more attractive cricket. Attractive to whom??

Indeed. Not sure where that i coming from. Although i wasn't old enough to have seen it live just watching videos, seeing the 4-prong in action was just as good as the many times i actually saw AUS smoke teams at 4 PRO per day in tests.

 

[aussie]

Honorable mention to the lost SA team of the 70s & 80s. This rebel 1982 test XI gave us an idea of what world cricket missed. See here.

Richards
Cook
Kirsten
Pollock
Rice
Procter
Kourie
Jennings+
Le Roux
Jefferies
Van Der Bijl

OMFG what a teammmm!!!. Now if the Great Windies team of that period JUST could have played that SA team, if political circumstances where different that would have been something..

 

[silentstriker]

Haha, name the absolute last team that would have ever played RSA.

 

[G.I.Joe]

India.

 

[slowfinger]

India.

No.