Rank the Test playing nations in order of historical greatness

[Bahnz]

Surprised to see everyone rank Zimbabwe above Bangladesh when Zimbabwe were alright for a brief period 15-20 years ago as oppose to a brief period now.

Zim could bat a bit when they had an ok team in the late 90s, but they have still only won 11 test matches in their history, their overall results are similar to Bangladesh. Difference is their only away win is against Bangladesh in 2001 and they have never beaten England or Australia.

Zimbabwe won a test series in Pakistan (ok, it'd be fairer to say that they won the first match and the next two games were rained off, but it still counts dammit!)

 

[mr_mister]

Zimbabwe also performed beastly in the 99 WC

Showed the depth they had at that time

Pity it barely lasted

 

[TheJediBrah]

Surprised to see everyone rank Zimbabwe above Bangladesh when Zimbabwe were alright for a brief period 15-20 years ago as oppose to a brief period now.

Zim could bat a bit when they had an ok team in the late 90s, but they have still only won 11 test matches in their history, their overall results are similar to Bangladesh. Difference is their only away win is against Bangladesh in 2001 and they have never beaten England or Australia.

tbf they don't have the advantage of using home conditions that are alien to England or Australia.

Zimbabwe team was destroyed by politics. I don't know the details but IIRC about the same time some guy took over (Mugabe or someone?) they started persecuting white people so they all left and the team has never recovered.\

edit: lol googled Mugabe, he's from the 80s so must have been someone else

 

[Burgey]

Nah it's Mugabe. He's been there all along and got progressively crazier and more horrible as the years have gone on.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Can't believe the **** still hasn't croaked

 

[morgieb]

tbf they don't have the advantage of using home conditions that are alien to England or Australia.

Zimbabwe team was destroyed by politics. I don't know the details but IIRC about the same time some guy took over (Mugabe or someone?) they started persecuting white people so they all left and the team has never recovered.\

edit: lol googled Mugabe, he's from the 80s so must have been someone else

What happened in Zimbabwe is quite complex - Mugabe had committed genocide before 2000 but was against the Nbele minority. In 2000 a referendum on land rights failed, but instead he allowed former black Zimbabwean soliders to reclaim the farmlands that white people had owned. Promptly Zimbabwe's economy went to ****, and it was exaggerated by hyperinflation (wasn't a billion Zimbabwean dollars worth something like a dollar in Australian money at one point?) and the country has been a mess since 2000. Anyone with any hope in life got the **** out of there ASAP, and it didn't help that most white Zimbabwean cricketers had British passports (so could leave to play county cricket without needing to be overseas players)

 

[TheJediBrah]

Makes what's happening in South Africa look mild in comparison doesn't it?

 

[mr_mister]

Jedi how old are you? Not trying to be a smart ass but I don't know a single cricket fan who doesn't know about Mugabe after the 03 incident

 

[vcs]

Not everyone is all that interested in politics TBF. I'm in my mid-30s and don't know much about what Mugabe did specifically apart from the fact that he's a horrible dictator.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Jedi how old are you? Not trying to be a smart ass but I don't know a single cricket fan who doesn't know about Mugabe after the 03 incident

you don't have to make me feel bad about it

I was like 12 in 03 and wasn't too interested. I noticed that Zimbabwe lost all their good players and knew it was because of some political "Mugabe" guy but that's about it.

I loosely follow American politics but that's just because it's funny

 

[Victor Ian]

Australia
England
Windies
South Africa
India
Pakistan
New Zealand
Sri Lanka
Bangladesh
Zimbabwe


I'm, seeing a lot of 1=Australia, 2=West Indies, 3=England. Can anyone really justify West Indies being above England? Historical greatness! England invented cricket. For the greatest part of Test History they were the best side, except, 'Australia'. West Indies were only dominant for two decades. The rest of the time they were crap. 90's aside, I don't think England were ever 'crap'. Anyone feel like naming best XIs for Australia minus 33-48, 95-05 and 73-83, England minus whatever their best three decades were and Windies minus their best three decades?

 

[jimmy101]

I'm, seeing a lot of 1=Australia, 2=West Indies, 3=England. Can anyone really justify West Indies being above England? Historical greatness! England invented cricket. For the greatest part of Test History they were the best side, except, 'Australia'. West Indies were only dominant for two decades. The rest of the time they were crap. 90's aside, I don't think England were ever 'crap'. Anyone feel like naming best XIs for Australia minus 33-48, 95-05 and 73-83, England minus whatever their best three decades were and Windies minus their best three decades?

Bit harsh to call the Windies teams outside of the 70's 80's "crap" The three W's, Black Bradman, the Spin Twins, Big Wes & the Prince might have a problem with that.

But if you were to pick a ATG Windies team minus players from their most successful decades (50s, 70's, 80's) it probably wouldn't stack up to an Aus ATG team minus players from their best 3 decades.

 

[Victor Ian]

They were all great, but most teams have fielded one or two star players. All of those players you mention were great, but using Lara's team as an example..... they were crap.

 

[jimmy101]

The West Indies in the 50's were a pretty solid unit. Defeated Australia & England in Test series'. Were regarded as the unofficial world champions at one point.

 

[AndrewB]

The West Indies in the 50's were a pretty solid unit. Defeated Australia & England in Test series'. Were regarded as the unofficial world champions at one point.

Do you mean the 60s (they beat Aus in 64-5 and England in 63)? West Indies lost (heavily) both their series against Aus in the 50s. The 53-4 series against England was touted as an "unofficial world championship" by some, but that was drawn 2-2.

(Edit: they beat Aus in 64-5, not 61-2).

 

[the big bambino]

Yes they won a series v Aus in the mid 60s.

 

[silentstriker]

Ftfy

Can you really use that as a positive if you almost genocided that civilization?

 

[jimmy101]

Sorry, yeah the 60's I meant.

 

[Howe_zat]

Yeah Garry Sobers' team went around the world and beat everyone, can't ask for much more from a great side. Probably the first #1 team that wasn't England or Australia.

Irritating how they've been removed from history in a lot of writing, typically by those talking about the side under Lloyd (Fire In Babylon is probably the worst offender here)

 

[jimmy101]

Yep. You'll scantly see any writing these days that endears the glory days of Sobers, Hunte, Butcher, Nurse, Gibbs, Hall & Griffith.

Understandable I guess when you consider just how dominant the generation after them were.