Australia - are they simply too good?

[James]

There's been a lot of discussion around Australia's performance over the past 10 years and how they are simply so far in front of the nearest competition.

Do you:

a) Want to see them get worse by losing players to retirement, injury, etc
b) See the competition get better

I'm of the opinion that Australia being as good as they are is good for cricket. Why do some people think it's bad for cricket? It should surely force the competition to try and improve their game to match the Australian's; not result in comments wanting Australia to fall back into the pack.

Thoughts?

[GIMH]

While seeing Australia below 1 is desirable for an Englishman like myself, it would obviously be best if this came about through a strengthening of the competition. I don't want to see their crown taken by default, I want to see it earned.

[Matt79]

b) obviously. I want to watch the best quality of cricket possible, and that will be produced by the highest quality of teams possible.

I don't see them getting worse to a degree that other teams will be able to overtake them any time soon anyway - the Aussie system of recent years does seem to produce more players that are likely to be successful at the highest level than any other countries, and while they will decline in absolute terms with Warne and McGrath et al finishing, they will most likely continue to be clearly ahead of other teams.

The other teams will decline as their champs finish, and I don't think they have the systems to produce top-notch players as consistently as Australia. Both Pollock and Kallis are closer to the end of their careers than the start for SA, Tendulkar and Kumble are near the end of their careers for India, Lara has finished for the Windies, Jayasuriya is finishing for SL, and Vaas and Murali will likely finish within the next few years, so Australia is not unique in losing their long term champs...

[Prince EWS]

So tempting. I actually typed up a post today, then decided not to post it in case Australia lost the final (in which case it'd cop lots of criticism despite it not really being intended as a "My team is better than your team" type post..). So I saved it up, deciding to post it if they did indeed win. This thread is really asking for it though.

[Anil]

the aussies are too good for everyone else...that's just the way it is irrespective of what happens in saturday's final...there's nothing bad with a team playing consistent outstanding cricket, it really shows other teams and fans the world over what they can achieve with talent, determination and will to win but one aspect to that is that whatever they have seen, no other team has come close to emulating far less surpassing the aussies...it's definitely not a lack of infrastructure or resources or even talent pool in many cases, so what is the difference? is it the mindset or attitude? what is it that has separated the aussies from the rest of the cricketing world in the past 10 years and continues to do so?

[Richard]

The way I see it they are going to get worse... that's just the way it goes. It does exasperate me when you get tournaments like this WC where they just bulldoze near enough everything, but that's the game I suppose.

West Indies 1976-1986 were no different really. Though of course Global coverage and general awareness was much, much lesser in those days.

Cricket is a cyclical game. People can only be as good as Australia have been for almost all the last 16 years for a finite time. That time may be about to come to an end for Australia, it may not. There's certainly more of a chance of it in the immidiate future than there has been for most of the last 16 years.

[Beleg]

Australia are good but not too good for everyone else. Specially in the ODI's.

[simmy]

Originally Posted by Beleg

Australia are good but not too good for everyone else. Specially in the ODI's.

You obviously havent been watching the WC.

[Richard]

Maybe he just takes a different angle to some?

[Anil]

Originally Posted by Richard

The way I see it they are going to get worse... that's just the way it goes. It does exasperate me when you get tournaments like this WC where they just bulldoze near enough everything, but that's the game I suppose.

West Indies 1976-1986 were no different really. Though of course Global coverage and general awareness was much, much lesser in those days.

Cricket is a cyclical game. People can only be as good as Australia have been for almost all the last 16 years for a finite time. That time may be about to come to an end for Australia, it may not. There's certainly more of a chance of it in the immidiate future than there has been for most of the last 16 years.

...but when teams are as good as the windies of the 80s and the early 90s and these aussies, we don't really see the other teams come up to that level, do we? my question is why can't they? i haven't seen any clear-cut answer...we saw the windies decline and your opinion is that the aussies will decline as well...might happen but i don't see it happening soon anyway...

[Beleg]

You obviously havent been watching the WC.

[nightprowler10]

Originally Posted by Beleg

Australia are good but not too good for everyone else. Specially in the ODI's.

Agree with that view tbh. They're not robots as some make them seem. Other teams just don't seem to bring their A-game when they play Australia, though I can see myself copping some heat for saying that.

EDIT: Reading that over it may seem like I'm taking away from the Aussies. I'm not. I still think Oz are best team in the world by a huge margin, but other teams just haven't played up to par against them.

[howardj]

Yes we're too good. However, it's not all down to cricket ability. For mine, even putting aside their cricketing ability, West Indies, Pakistan, India and England totally lack stomach for the fight. Moreover, there's no desperation to want to get better.

I remember Australia, after their Ashes defeat in 2005, there was incredible purpose - an honest, total post mortem and, coming out of that, there was real resolve to address their weaknesses that had been laid bare in England. By contrast, there's very little of that same purpose, that same desperation to address your deficiencies, among other international sides.

In short, they don't even give themselves a chance by showing up prepared and resolute.

[Jono]

Swear to god Howard you copied and pasted that post from a previous one of yours

[howardj]

Originally Posted by Jono

Swear to god Howard you copied and pasted that post from a previous one of yours

Yeah, too tired to produce fresh material.

Have resorted to self-plagiarism.