View Full Version : Best side ever... pffft
Ian Chappell had it right during the week when he said that this is not a great side... merely a very good side with two GREAT bowlers.
This English bowling attack is not a patch on the Windies in the 80's, and we are being destroyed by it. Without those GREAT bowlers the Ashes may well already be in Englands hands.
This group's records is more a reflection on the declining standards of world cricket than of the best team ever.
scottywiper
13 Aug 2005, 10:01
Can't argue with that.
Until this tour, I would have thought it might have been a good contest, especially with us having Warnie.
But the first sign of some stiff opposition and several of the batsmen have faltered.
Imagine them against Holding, Garner, Marshall, Roberts, etc.
scottywiper
13 Aug 2005, 10:02
Also, Kim Hughes has been on a for long time about inflated averages in Test cricket, and has been spot on.
skipper kelly
13 Aug 2005, 10:26
Who said this is the best side ever?
Minkus_Swan
13 Aug 2005, 10:38
Who said this is the best side ever?
I'd like to know as well... :confused:
It's funny how the usual media suspects jump on the bandwagon so quickly.
usalion
13 Aug 2005, 10:40
Australia of 2004-5 the best ever? No way....
Australia of 1998-9, or 2000-1....maybe
You know, you talk about the Invincibles...well, that was 1948...were the Aussie teams of 1947 or 1949 different? Sure they were...maybe not as good...but maybe in patches better....
Bit likie comparing the Brisbane Lions of the last five years...for me, their peak team was the one in 2002....the midfield was firing on all cylinders and we could probably have played with anyone in the world.....at any time period....
So it goes with the Aussie cricket team...yes, they are in decline....but it doesn't mean we knock out the period from 1995 (winning the Frank in the windies) to know as a truly great period of Australian cricket...and that one of the teams in that period COULD be seen as the greatest ever.
Would I want to see today's team face the pace of the Windies in the early 80s? No....do I cover my eyes when Brisbane goes to play west Coast, who have the dominant midfield now? Yes...
But we have the memories of those glory years...and they are to be savoured...every one of them
dan warna
13 Aug 2005, 10:51
kim hughes was found out
besides the windians the rest of the world was pretty average in the 80s.
hughes was a pussy.
warne and mcgrath are two of the greatest bowlers of all time.
Australia of 2004-5 the best ever? No way....
Australia of 1998-9, or 2000-1....maybe
You know, you talk about the Invincibles...well, that was 1948...were the Aussie teams of 1947 or 1949 different? Sure they were...maybe not as good...but maybe in patches better....
Bit likie comparing the Brisbane Lions of the last five years...for me, their peak team was the one in 2002....the midfield was firing on all cylinders and we could probably have played with anyone in the world.....at any time period....
So it goes with the Aussie cricket team...yes, they are in decline....but it doesn't mean we knock out the period from 1995 (winning the Frank in the windies) to know as a truly great period of Australian cricket...and that one of the teams in that period COULD be seen as the greatest ever.
Would I want to see today's team face the pace of the Windies in the early 80s? No....do I cover my eyes when Brisbane goes to play west Coast, who have the dominant midfield now? Yes...
But we have the memories of those glory years...and they are to be savoured...every one of them
well said.
mayhem176
13 Aug 2005, 10:55
USALION is spot on. They may have/may not have been the best side ever a few years back. They may be/may not be the best side in the world currently at the moment, they certainly aren't the best side ever. However, because they have got older, lost Steve Waugh, Gillespe is hopeless now, doesn't mean that their form and achievements of 2 - 6 years ago are any less of a feat. I am not really sure that I follow that logic.
crownie
13 Aug 2005, 13:11
how quickly people jump off?
this is an ageing australian team no where near the form they had 2-3 years ago and probaly content and what they have achieved, all great era's have to come to an end at some time, i think this is it.
embleygirl
13 Aug 2005, 13:15
this is an ageing australian team no where near the form they had 2-3 years ago and probaly content and what they have achieved, all great era's have to come to an end at some time, i think this is it.
I don't want it to be over and i don't think the players want it to be over as well though the way they're playing might suggest so.
spookism
13 Aug 2005, 13:24
How quickly people jump off the bandwagon!!!
The Australian side has been the best side in the last 10 years, but all era's come to an end. Although I don't believe it is all lost yet, the way we are playing isn't the same as 2-3 year ago.
The Aussies can (as they have been known to) turn things around and end up winning this series. Don't give up yet, you are watching one of the Greatest Teams Ever - enjoy it.
Freo Big Fella
13 Aug 2005, 13:30
besides the windians the rest of the world was pretty average in the 80s.
Never a truer word been said. Apart from the Windies, and maybe England with Botham, Willis, Gower and company, the rest of the world was relatively average. Each side had one or two decent players (much like today) but struggled to get the wins on the board.