Rank the decades in terms of cricket quality

[mr_mister]

Adcock, Heine, Goddard, Tayfied wasn't too bad an attack in the 50s too

completely blanked with SA for some reason.

 

[S.Kennedy]

All-rounders: '70s.
I slightly prefer it over the '80s: Grieg; young Botham at his peak towards the end before he became a pie chucker; tail end of Sobers (v Rest of the World).

Bowling: '50s
All those English bowlers; Wes Hall and Lance Gibbs etc etc. Runner up would be the '80s or '90s.

Batting: '30s (Bradman and Hammond) or maybe the Golden Age era: reading the historical accounts (cough, Cardus) you always read about the supremely elegant batsmen, people like Trumper and Woolley. They are always talked of in romantic terms, as if batting went **** up when the first world war happened and has never been the same since.

 

[AndrewB]

I'm talking strictly tests, yes. And due to that i'll ignore the county legend status most of those bowlers you mentioned had, and people like Appleyard too who didn't get to play enough tests but could have easily been a legend. I'll also ignore any all-rounders(Bailey) and any players who debuted in 59 and were therefore more like '60s players'. Yes that's cheating a bit, but it also leaves me without Illingworth to pad my legends list.

English bowlers who played a test from 50-58

Legends:

Bedser
Laker
Wardle
Statham
Trueman
Lock
Tyson
Titmus


Others(amongst them some county legends)

Loader
Mcconnon
Moss
Shackleton
Hilton
Warr
Tattersall
Jenkins
Ridgeway
Appleyard
Brown

Anyway, everything you said was all well and good Howe. You're probably right. But I still find it fascinating the % of ATG bowlers England used in the 50s.

Illingworth played in 1958, and I think you've overlooked Bob Berry, Eric Hollies and Eddie Leadbeater.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Is there any correlation between the good reputation of the bowlers of the 1950s and the crackdown on chucking in the early 1960s?

 

[AndrewB]

All-rounders: '70s.
I slightly prefer it over the '80s: Grieg; young Botham at his peak towards the end before he became a pie chucker; tail end of Sobers (v Rest of the World).

Bowling: '50s
All those English bowlers; Wes Hall and Lance Gibbs etc etc. Runner up would be the '80s or '90s.

Hall & Gibbs were both 60s bowlers really; they each played 8 Tests in the 50s and 40+ in the 60s. (Gibbs of course carried on into the 70s). The top wicket-takers in the 50s were:

Aus: Benaud, Lindwall, Miller, Johnston, Davidson
Eng: Laker, Statham, Bedser, Trueman, Lock, Bailey, Wardle, Tyson
SA: Tayfield, Adcock
WI: Ramadhin, Valentine
Ind: Gupte, Mankad
PK: Fazal

which isn't a bad list. (Trueman and Davidson did take more wickets in the 60s, though only marginally in Davidson's case).

 

[DriveClub]

IWill always rate 90s as the best decade for cricket from what I've watched, just so much nostalgia

 

[stephen]

The 90s was the best overall for the following reasons:

The West Indies were finally beaten and Australia ascended.
Australia, the West Indies, Pakistan, South Africa (and later on Sri Lanka) all had all time great bowlers.
Australia, the West Indies, South Africa, India and Sri Lanka all had some amazing/ATG batsmen.
The '99 World Cup (not tests but it was the most competitive World Cup of all IMO).
South Africa were readmitted.

Consequently I think the 90s were the best era for world bowling. The 00s were the best era for world batting, though I'd love to have seen Bradman bat.

 

[mr_mister]

how many terrific bowling attacks can we make out of the 50s and 90s


50s:

Lindwall
Trueman
Bedser
Laker

Davidson
Tyson
Statham
Lock

Fazal
Adcock
Miller
Tayfield

Johnston
Bailey
Benaud
Ramadhin

with a noticeable drop off for the 4th side


90s

McGrath
Ambrose
Wasim
Warne

Donald
Waqar
Walsh
Murali

Pollock
Shoaib
Streak
Kumble

Srinath
Gough
Bishop
Mushtaq


with a noticeable drop off for the 4th side


There's not much in it

 

[TheJediBrah]

The 90s was the best overall for the following reasons:

The West Indies were finally beaten and Australia ascended.
Australia, the West Indies, Pakistan, South Africa (and later on Sri Lanka) all had all time great bowlers.
Australia, the West Indies, South Africa, India and Sri Lanka all had some amazing/ATG batsmen.
The '99 World Cup (not tests but it was the most competitive World Cup of all IMO).
South Africa were readmitted.

Consequently I think the 90s were the best era for world bowling. The 00s were the best era for world batting, though I'd love to have seen Bradman bat.

In my life time :

Overall: 90s
Batting : 2000
Bowling: 90s

Agree with these.

90s bowling was so good, which in turn necessitated great batting to counter it.

2000s had plenty of incredibly prolific and statistically successful batting, but when taking into account the dearth of bowling quality and generally flatter wickets it loses its luster

 

[marc71178]

how many terrific bowling attacks can we make out of the 50s and 90s


50s:

Lindwall
Trueman
Bedser
Laker

Davidson
Tyson
Statham
Lock

Fazal
Adcock
Miller
Tayfield

Johnston
Bailey
Benaud
Ramadhin

with a noticeable drop off for the 4th side


90s

McGrath
Ambrose
Wasim
Warne

Donald
Waqar
Walsh
Murali

Pollock
Shoaib
Streak
Kumble

Srinath
Gough
Bishop
Mushtaq


with a noticeable drop off for the 4th side


There's not much in it

In the 90s the noticeable drop off is definitely for the 3rd side not the 4th.

 

[mr_mister]

Yeah fair enough

 

[stephen]

I'd easily have Bishop in the 3rd side if not the second.

 

[weldone]

how many terrific bowling attacks can we make out of the 50s and 90s


50s:

Lindwall
Trueman
Bedser
Laker

Davidson
Tyson
Statham
Lock

Fazal
Adcock
Miller
Tayfield

Johnston
Bailey
Benaud
Ramadhin

with a noticeable drop off for the 4th side


90s

McGrath
Ambrose
Wasim
Warne

Donald
Waqar
Walsh
Murali

Pollock
Shoaib
Streak
Kumble

Srinath
Gough
Bishop
Mushtaq


with a noticeable drop off for the 4th side


There's not much in it

Vaas needs to be there.

 

[_00_deathscar]

how many terrific bowling attacks can we make out of the 50s and 90s


50s:

Lindwall
Trueman
Bedser
Laker

Davidson
Tyson
Statham
Lock

Fazal
Adcock
Miller
Tayfield

Johnston
Bailey
Benaud
Ramadhin

with a noticeable drop off for the 4th side


90s

McGrath
Ambrose
Wasim
Warne

Donald
Waqar
Walsh
Murali

Pollock
Shoaib
Streak
Kumble

Srinath
Gough
Bishop
Mushtaq


with a noticeable drop off for the 4th side


There's not much in it

Reckon you could get a few more out of that.

Fanie de Villiers - would have loved to have seen him play more, underrated player.
Chaminda Vaas - but don't recall how much of him was in the 90s vs 00s.
Chris Cairns

90s had some top bowling talent.

 

[stephen]

Not only did the 90s have some really good bowlers but they were fairly evenly distributed amongst the non-Indian sides.