Best XI of the 1980's (interactive voting thread)

Aug 27, 2014
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I'ii have Boon and Wessels as the openers.

Once the opposition worked out he couldn't handle the short ball that was the end of him..
yeah, now I think about, I think Hilditch was a guy that would hit a bouncer straight down 3rd mans throat more than just once or twice.
All our openers had flaws in this era. Just not a fun decade for Australia batting in general, apart from Border.
Hughes at Lord's in Centenary Test and at MCG in Test v West Indies were a few of the batting highlights of the decade that did not have a lot for Aussie batsmen.
 

jle101

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And so, Boony & Kepler snag the opener's slots. I feel these were the two best candidates anyway.

1980's Australia XI (Batting order subject to change)

01 KC Wessels
02 DC Boon
03
04 AR Border*
05
06
07
08
09
10
11

Next up, let's get some bowlers into the team. Please select one FAST BOWLER and one SPIN BOWLER.

Just for the record, players such as Chappell, Lillee, Marsh, Thomson & Tugga Waugh will be considered ineligible for this side as they played the majority of their careers in different decades.
 
Jan 13, 2015
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And so, Boony & Kepler snag the opener's slots. I feel these were the two best candidates anyway.

1980's Australia XI (Batting order subject to change)

01 KC Wessels
02 DC Boon
03
04 AR Border*
05
06
07
08
09
10
11

Next up, let's get some bowlers into the team. Please select one FAST BOWLER and one SPIN BOWLER.

Just for the record, players such as Chappell, Lillee, Marsh, Thomson & Tugga Waugh will be considered ineligible for this side as they played the majority of their careers in different decades.


that makes it tricky then as chappell, lillee and marsh would be walk ups based on their feats in the 80's and the number of matches they played.

looking forward to seeing how this team pans out now :)

leaves me little choice but to select alderman and int'l cricketer of the year 82/83 - yardley (i mean chappell ,lillee and marsh played more in the 80's and yardley was cooked by 1983)

*we had very few players play more than 5 years throughout the decade.
 

Pippen94

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And so, Boony & Kepler snag the opener's slots. I feel these were the two best candidates anyway.

1980's Australia XI (Batting order subject to change)

01 KC Wessels
02 DC Boon
03
04 AR Border*
05
06
07
08
09
10
11

Next up, let's get some bowlers into the team. Please select one FAST BOWLER and one SPIN BOWLER.

Just for the record, players such as Chappell, Lillee, Marsh, Thomson & Tugga Waugh will be considered ineligible for this side as they played the majority of their careers in different decades.

Best side for 80's pretty much picks itself;

Boon
Marsh (who's a better option than Kepler as a superior fieldsman & better fit in terms of chemistry)
Border (c)
Chappell
Jones
Hughes
Marsh
Lawson
Yardley
Lillee
Alderman

McDermott is unlucky & would provide firebrand option but can't fit him in. Likewise there's an argument for Waugh & Reid just based on their class.

Strong side that would give any team of that era a run for it's money. Unfortunately, half the team was gone by 1984 & other key players emerged after that date.
 

jle101

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Yeah I understand that some of the big names ended up playing more games in the 80's than some of the other candidates, but this is intended to be a study of the "dark ages" of Australian cricket :)
 
Yeah I understand that some of the big names ended up playing more games in the 80's than some of the other candidates, but this is intended to be a study of the "dark ages" of Australian cricket :)
Looking back the 80s was a bit of a play in three acts.First we had the period up until Chappell, Lillee and Marsh retired then, the nadir with aftermath of that and the rebel tour era and then the rebirth post the 1987 World Cup leading up to the glory that was the 1989 Ashes.
 

BronCrow

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Best side for 80's pretty much picks itself;

Boon
Marsh (who's a better option than Kepler as a superior fieldsman & better fit in terms of chemistry)
Border (c)
Chappell
Jones
Hughes
Marsh
Lawson
Yardley
Lillee
Alderman

McDermott is unlucky & would provide firebrand option but can't fit him in. Likewise there's an argument for Waugh & Reid just based on their class.

Strong side that would give any team of that era a run for it's money. Unfortunately, half the team was gone by 1984 & other key players emerged after that date.
Agree with you about Marsh over Wessels. Very underrated gully fieldsman along with his batting. Would personally have McDermott, Reid, and Hughes ahead of Lawson personally. Pretty spot on otherwise. Waugh was in and out of the test side in the 80's from my memory. Didn't really cement his spot until the 89 Ashes tour.
 
Jan 13, 2015
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the wicketkeeper selection will be interesting then:

marsh 42 tests - 146 dismissals

nexxxxxxxxxxxxxt......

phillips 18 tests (+9 as a pure bat) - 43 dismissals
healy 17 tests
zoehrer 10 tests
dyer 6 tests
rixon 3 tests
woolley 2 tests

39 tests of rubbish between marsh and then to healy :)
 

Pippen94

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Agree with you about Marsh over Wessels. Very underrated gully fieldsman along with his batting. Would personally have McDermott, Reid, and Hughes ahead of Lawson personally. Pretty spot on otherwise. Waugh was in and out of the test side in the 80's from my memory. Didn't really cement his spot until the 89 Ashes tour.

Hate to be that guy, but don't think Waugh was dropped till 1991...
 

BronCrow

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Hate to be that guy, but don't think Waugh was dropped till 1991...
Admittedly, I was born in the early 80's so am happy for someone to be that guy and correct me. Though am reasonably sure his best form wasn't until the 89 Ashes series. Am well aware of him being dropped for Mark in 1991, who scored a ton on debut here in Adelaide.

Probably a sign of where Australian cricket was at the time.
 

jle101

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Tugga seemed to skyrocket from the 1993 Ashes onwards.
 
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And so, Boony & Kepler snag the opener's slots. I feel these were the two best candidates anyway.

1980's Australia XI (Batting order subject to change)

01 KC Wessels
02 DC Boon
03
04 AR Border*
05
06
07
08
09
10
11

Next up, let's get some bowlers into the team. Please select one FAST BOWLER and one SPIN BOWLER.

Just for the record, players such as Chappell, Lillee, Marsh, Thomson & Tugga Waugh will be considered ineligible for this side as they played the majority of their careers in different decades.

but boonie played most of his career in the 90's :)
 

jle101

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but boonie played most of his career in the 90's :)
You're right actually! Didn't see that coming. Well, I suppose I should sub out Boony for the guy who scored the next highest amount of votes, Swampy Marsh?
 

Pippen94

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Admittedly, I was born in the early 80's so am happy for someone to be that guy and correct me. Though am reasonably sure his best form wasn't until the 89 Ashes series. Am well aware of him being dropped for Mark in 1991, who scored a ton on debut here in Adelaide.

Probably a sign of where Australian cricket was at the time.

Had long trial period. Contributed with bat & ball, but yeah scored first centuries in 1989
 

CliffMcTainshaw

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You're right actually! Didn't see that coming. Well, I suppose I should sub out Boony for the guy who scored the next highest amount of votes, Swampy Marsh?
Boon played 45 tests in the 80's, more any of the other openers of the 80's like Marsh, Wood, Laird, Dyson or Wessells.
 
Aug 27, 2014
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there are no other teams worthy
You're right actually! Didn't see that coming. Well, I suppose I should sub out Boony for the guy who scored the next highest amount of votes, Swampy Marsh?
When did Boon retire? I swear Boon started about 1984 and his best cricket was in the 80's for us.
I'm comfortable keeping Boon in 80's because whatever he did in 90's was not as important as what he did in 80's.
 

jle101

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When did Boon retire? I swear Boon started about 1984 and his best cricket was in the 80's for us.
I'm comfortable keeping Boon in 80's because whatever he did in 90's was not as important as what he did in 80's.
1995 I think? I'm still torn on Boony, played a greater number of Tests in the 90's. Might even be statistically better in the 90's as well.
 
Aug 27, 2014
38,196
41,193
spacetime
AFL Club
Carlton
Other Teams
there are no other teams worthy
And so, Boony & Kepler snag the opener's slots. I feel these were the two best candidates anyway.

1980's Australia XI (Batting order subject to change)

01 KC Wessels
02 DC Boon
03
04 AR Border*


Next up, let's get some bowlers into the team. Please select one FAST BOWLER and one SPIN BOWLER.

Just for the record, players such as Chappell, Lillee, Marsh, Thomson & Tugga Waugh will be considered ineligible for this side as they played the majority of their careers in different decades.

Why have we got Border 4 here but 5 in the same decade internationally? I think he stays 5 here.
Ok, now time to pick one fast bowler and one spinner.
 
Aug 27, 2014
38,196
41,193
spacetime
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Carlton
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there are no other teams worthy
1995 I think? I'm still torn on Boony, played a greater number of Tests in the 90's. Might even be statistically better in the 90's as well.
I remember Boon at one point even be said to be number one batsmen in the world. This was sometime in the 80's not the 90's.
But we should double check.
 
Aug 27, 2014
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Fast bowler is tricky.
Alderman was not fast, but awesome swing bowler. Got injured due to spectator attack and buggered his shoulder for some time.
But if the conditions were not ideal for swing he just a straight medium pace bowler. So he bookends the decade with awesome Ashes tours to England in 1981 and 1989. But between that he not really a feature for us.
McDermott made his debut around time Lillee gone I think but he also had some injuries and so raw early on and think his best bowling was in 1991 in West Indies and early 90's in general.
I think I have to go for Geoff Lawson for now simply because after Lillee retired he was only regular I remember for early to mid 80's and come back in 1989 Ashes series to help Alderman and Hughes finish Poms off after we had been s**t in Tests for a long time.

So Geoff Lawson and Bruce Yardley my votes.
 

jle101

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Why have we got Border 4 here but 5 in the same decade internationally? I think he stays 5 here.
Ok, now time to pick one fast bowler and one spinner.
I just figured we bumped him down in the World XI team thanks to Viv & Javed, I thought he batted most of the time at 4, especially in the 80's. But can put him at 5 if that's the way to go.

I remember Boon at one point even be said to be number one batsmen in the world. This was sometime in the 80's not the 90's.
But we should double check.
Had a glorious run from 1991 - 1993 including three tons on the trot against the Poms. His form took a bit of a dip after that though.
 
Aug 27, 2014
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I just figured we bumped him down in the World XI team thanks to Viv & Javed, I thought he batted most of the time at 4, especially in the 80's.
He not really bumped down as Javed was a regular at 4, Border not so. Border batted 6, 5 and 4 at various points. Probably more 6 at first when Greg Chappell still around and Kim Hughes there. Maybe after they gone Border batted a lot more at 4. Probably does not matter when I think about it as we going to really struggle to find 6 decent bats in general for this decade..lol. God we were bad.. Dark times indeed.
 
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