Personally I would say the team that played 6 Tests between 17 December 1954 at Sydney and 28 March 1955 in Auckland. 5 wins and a rain-affected draw that would also probably have been won. Three wins in a row in Australia. Excludes the first Test in Brisbane when England put their opponents in, picked no spinner, dropped twelve catches and lost by an innings. The turnaround was remarkable.
Nine players appeared in all six matches: Hutton, May, Cowdrey, Bailey, Evans, Tyson, Statham, Appleyard and Wardle. In Australia the other two places were filled by a combination of Compton, Edrich and Graveney. The Middlesex pair went home before the New Zealand leg so Reg Simpson came in. To pick an eleven, I would go for Melbourne and Adelaide when Compton and Edrich both played and the series was won.
Bedser, Trueman and Laker weren't needed. They may have enjoyed more illustrious careers than others before or after, but Hutton was a shrewd judge of form, character and conditions, and his selections paid off.
