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How would you rank the greatest test teams of all-time?

Fuller Pilch

Hall of Fame Member
It is hard to choose between Bradman's, Lloyd's, and Waugh's teams but will pick Bradman's Invincibles as the other 2 sides engaged in too much dirty play and frequently crossed the Spirit of Cricket line.
 
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CricAddict

Cricketer Of The Year
I somehow remember us just recently doing the best team in each era and them competing to find a winner. Very similar to this exercise.
 

HookShot

U19 Vice-Captain
1. LLoyd's WI (late 70s) - 1979/80

The question is: can the other team score enough runs against Holding, Roberts, Garner and Croft to win a five Test series?

And the answer is no; especially as the Windies also have Greenidge, Richards and Lloyd in their side. Plus there is Kallicharran to nullify the likes of Warne as he was superb against spin-bowling.
 

Fuller Pilch

Hall of Fame Member
1. LLoyd's WI (late 70s) - 1979/80

The question is: can the other team score enough runs against Holding, Roberts, Garner and Croft to win a five Test series?

And the answer is no; especially as the Windies also have Greenidge, Richards and Lloyd in their side. Plus there is Kallicharran to nullify the likes of Warne as he was superb against spin-bowling.
Well NZ scored enough runs to beat them (sans Richards) in a 3-test series.

This is the side that beat them:

Wright
Edgar
Howarth
Parker
Webb
Coney
Lees
Hadlee
Cairns
Troup
Boock


No reason why Bradman's side couldn't beat them.
 

subshakerz

International Coach
Well NZ scored enough runs to beat them (sans Richards) in a 3-test series.

This is the side that beat them:

Wright
Edgar
Howarth
Parker
Webb
Coney
Lees
Hadlee
Cairns
Troup
Boock


No reason why Bradman's side couldn't beat them.
They had some umpire assistance in that one and even then won by 1 wicket.
 

Manee

Cricketer Of The Year
Struass' England and Waugh's Australia would destroy us (Kohli's India) if we tried to play them away.
 

Lillian Thomson

Hall of Fame Member
The thing is the Australian team that battered England in 74/75 and the Windies in 75/76 were as good as any team ever with the Chappells, Stackpole, Redpath, Edwards, Walters, Marsh, Lillee, Thomson and Walker. I don't believe any team in history would have been beating them during those two summers. But it hard to compare them to other teams who had years of dominance.
 

AndrewB

International Vice-Captain
Hutton's England (mid-1950s)
Main players: Hutton, Peter May, Cowdrey, Trueman, Stratham, Laker, Tyson

Benaud's Australia (Late 1950s)
Main players: Benaud, Bobby Simpson, Neil Harvey, Davidson, Mckenzie
Compton would count as one of the main players in Hutton's England (1953 to 1954-5), and arguably Bedser (60@18).

To include McKenzie, it needs to be "Early 1960s" - McKenzie's debut was in 1961.
 

The Sean

Cricketer Of The Year
Sky Sports Cricket conducted this exercise recently as well, though rather than general eras their comparisons were between specific playing XIs representing a nominal peak of that particular team.

In that one, Australia 2002 (Langer, Hayden, Ponting, Mark Waugh, Steve Waugh, Martyn, Gilchrist, Warne, Lee, Gillespie, McGrath) beat Australia 1948 (Barnes, Morris, Bradman, Hassett, Harvey, Miller, Loxton, Lindwall, Tallon, Ring, Johnston) in the final.

For those wondering (don't shoot the messenger!) the West Indies of 1982 - Greenidge, Haynes, Richards, Gomes, Bacchus, Lloyd, Dujon, Roberts, Holding, Garner, Croft - lost in the quarter-finals to the 2002 Australians. In hindsight they probably should have been seeded differently to at least meet in the semis.
 

CricAddict

Cricketer Of The Year
Sky Sports Cricket conducted this exercise recently as well, though rather than general eras their comparisons were between specific playing XIs representing a nominal peak of that particular team.

In that one, Australia 2002 (Langer, Hayden, Ponting, Mark Waugh, Steve Waugh, Martyn, Gilchrist, Warne, Lee, Gillespie, McGrath) beat Australia 1948 (Barnes, Morris, Bradman, Hassett, Harvey, Miller, Loxton, Lindwall, Tallon, Ring, Johnston) in the final.

For those wondering (don't shoot the messenger!) the West Indies of 1982 - Greenidge, Haynes, Richards, Gomes, Bacchus, Lloyd, Dujon, Roberts, Holding, Garner, Croft - lost in the quarter-finals to the 2002 Australians. In hindsight they probably should have been seeded differently to at least meet in the semis.
Other quarterfinalists and semifinalists? Possible to post any link here on that?
 

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