Did Westindies have the best every bowling attack around 1980?

[Daemon]

Russell is not a Test bowler's arsehole lol. Not to mention he dopes and is banned anyways. Haven't seen Narine in a while but if he still chucks then he'll definitely be good in tests.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Joseph and Gabriel >>>>>>> Russell.

 

[Dawood Ahmad]

I believe Narine is as nearly as good as Saeed Ajmal and Ashwin

 

[TheJediBrah]

I think Narine's better than Bishoo and Andre Russell is better than the quicks in the side atm too.
Overall though I'm still in the camp of hoping that this period of time becomes a footnote like WSC and in years to come we're saying about the guys who went to IPL, big bash etc. and the game improves and adapts.

Ah, I assumed we were talking solely about fast bowlers. My mistake. Narine and Badree are both excellent bowlers, even if Narine chucks. Not sure how they'd go in Tests these days though. Badree wasn't really any good at tests anyway, always been a T20 specialist IIRC.

Not sure why you think Russell is in any way a Test bowler though. He's a long, long way off.

 

[Bahseph]

Russel has pace(at times). That's it. I wouldn't really call him a genuine wicket taker. As mentioned above Both Gabriel and Joseph are better pace bowlers. And Holder has more going for him as a Test all rounder.

On the over-rate topic, do you guys think that if those attacks operated under the slow over rate rules like today that they would have been less intimidating? I mean it would force a captain to eventually bowl a spinner/bowler with a short run up. More release for the batsman etc.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Russel has pace(at times). That's it. I wouldn't really call him a genuine wicket taker. As mentioned above Both Gabriel and Joseph are better pace bowlers. And Holder has more going for him as a Test all rounder.

On the over-rate topic, do you guys think that if those attacks operated under the slow over rate rules like today that they would have been less intimidating? I mean it would force a captain to eventually bowl a spinner/bowler with a short run up. More release for the batsman etc.

As long as you had an tight accurate spinner it would be ok. He might even get a few cheap wickets from the batsmen trying to go after him and/or letting their attention slip after seeing off the quicks. I'd rather that over an Imran Tahir or Stuart MacGill type, who's more likely to bowl bad balls and leak runs.

 

[The Battlers Prince]

Ah, I assumed we were talking solely about fast bowlers. My mistake. Narine and Badree are both excellent bowlers, even if Narine chucks. Not sure how they'd go in Tests these days though. Badree wasn't really any good at tests anyway, always been a T20 specialist IIRC.

Not sure why you think Russell is in any way a Test bowler though. He's a long, long way off.

I guess I don't think he's at the the level at the moment, but there was a time I had hopes for him

 

[bagapath]

In 1980 the primary Windies attack consisted of Roberts, Holding, Garner and Croft. Marshall was the back up. If they could afford to use as the fifth option someone who would become the greatest bowler of all time, then yes, their attack was the best ever in the game.

 

[Debris]

In 1980 the primary Windies attack consisted of Roberts, Holding, Garner and Croft. Marshall was the back up. If they could afford to use as the fifth option someone who would become the greatest bowler of all time, then yes, their attack was the best ever in the game.

Wait!!! McGrath could have played for the West Indies in 1980? Missed opportunity in my opinion.

 

[Starfighter]

I guess I don't think he's at the the level at the moment, but there was a time I had hopes for him

There's a time one of us or another had hopes many a Windian though. Never seems to happen though.

 

[bagapath]

Wait!!! McGrath could have played for the West Indies in 1980? Missed opportunity in my opinion.

Good shout. Murali, Hadlee, Warne, Imran and Barnes are in discussion, too. But Macko shades them all in my books.

 

[AndrewB]

In 1980 the primary Windies attack consisted of Roberts, Holding, Garner and Croft. Marshall was the back up. If they could afford to use as the fifth option someone who would become the greatest bowler of all time, then yes, their attack was the best ever in the game.

The 1982-3 series against India was the only one where their primary attack was Roberts, Holding, Marshall, Garner (they all played in the first 4 Tests); they also all played in 2 of the Tests in England in 1980.

 

[cnerd123]

They were to be, the very best,
That no one ever was
To face them was a real test
To hurt you was their cause..

I will travel across the land,
Searching far and wide.
Teach fast bowlers to understand
The power that's inside!

FAST BOWLERS (Gotta face 'em all)
its you and meeeee
I know its our des-ti-nyyyy
FAST BOWLERS
Oh, you're my best tool
The cricketing world we shall rulleee...

FAST BOWLERS (Gotta face 'em all)
With hearts so cruel
They'll need courage to pull them through

You teach me and I'll teach you
FAST BOWL-INNGGGG



Every challenge along the way
We'll blow through with paccceee
They will battle every day
With fear written all over their faccceee

So come with me, the time is right
There's no better team
Arm in arm we'll win the fight
World domination is the dreeaam\

FAST BOWLING

(Gotta face 'em all)

It's you and me
I know it's our destiny

FAST BOWLING

Oh, you're my best tool,
In a world that we must rule.

FAST BOWLING

With hearts so cruel.
They'll need courage to pull them through.
You teach me and I'll teach you,

FAST BOWLL-INNGGG

Gotta face 'em all
Gotta face 'em all

FAST BOWLING!

 

[cnerd123]

I swear I have better things to do be doing with my time.

 

[Bijed]

I swear I have better things to do be doing with my time.

Nah, that was totally worth however much time you put into it

And it works because in the Pokemon games it's always handy to have a Quick Attack, or even better, Extremespeed

 

[cnerd123]

Nah, that was totally worth however much time you put into it

And it works because in the Pokemon games it's always handy to have a Quick Attack, or even better, Extremespeed

Do wish I had post this in a more high-profile thread tho tbh.

 

[S.Kennedy]

I was surprised to read Lloyd, in his first autobiography written just before he retired, mentioning the fact that he actually wanted decent a spinner to give the team a more balanced attack. It ran slightly contrary to common wisdom that he suddenly decided on the pace quartet, basically jettisoning the spinner, after seeing Lillee and Thomson in the mid '70s, like a eureka moment! There is a lot of romanticised myth creation about the West Indians of this era. The defeat in New Zealand defeat sort of sticks out like a sore thumb. What the heck happened there? Lloyd blames the umpires. Holding kicked over his stumps! I think a Packerless team were also beaten in India just before this, but these two series losses aside, you could extend their unbeaten reign from 1975/6 (India) to 1994/5 (Australia in the Caribbean). Astonishing when you think about.

 

[fredfertang]

My understanding was always that Lloyd didn't have a problem with spinners per se, just that he never had a decent one - he played a battery of them in this match, and felt, understandably, that they let him down, so after that he just picked his best bowlers, who of course all happened to be quicks

 

[Daemon]

Do wish I had post this in a more high-profile thread tho tbh.

it wasn't that good, the short one earlier was better and you should have stopped there

 

[quincywagstaff]

The defeat in New Zealand defeat sort of sticks out like a sore thumb. What the heck happened there? Lloyd blames the umpires. Holding kicked over his stumps! I think a Packerless team were also beaten in India just before this, but these two series losses aside, you could extend their unbeaten reign from 1975/6 (India) to 1994/5 (Australia in the Caribbean). Astonishing when you think about.

My take on it was that the Windies had been pampered and feted during the Packer era and then on the 79/80 tour and when they came to the less accomodating conditions of NZ and tougher opposition than expected they spat the dummy. I recall Joel Garner blaming the umps too on that tour, writing somewhere they had such little faith in them they didn't bother appealing anymore. Reportedly the WI team manager led this negative attitude and was replaced before the 1980 England tour.