Will this be the Greatest Fast Bowling Quartet Ever

[BLUEALLTHRU]

Congrats. Roy Fredericks would too.

I’ll take the 780-odd wickets, the guy with the better average, and better strike rate than Lillee despite the more batsman-friendly conditions, and the guy with the better average and similar strike rate to Thompson.

#everythingwasbetterbackintheday

Ok

#feelbetternow

 

[PhatBoy]

Interesting to note that Thompson’s record overseas was farking dog shit too.

 

[Gough]

I'd take 74/75 Liillian T, over a McGrath led attack just as I'd have 2013/14 Mitchell Johnson ahead of him too. But in terms of wickets and longevity it's hard to put much past the Warne/McGrath combination that was the spine of our attack for nearly fifteen years. As good as the other bowlers who played along side them were, they were just extras.

 

[PhatBoy]

I'd take 74/75 Liillian T, over a McGrath led attack just as I'd have 2013/14 Mitchell Johnson ahead of him too. But in terms of wickets and longevity it's hard to put much past the Warne/McGrath combination that was the spine of our attack for nearly fifteen years. As good as the other bowlers who played along side them were, they were just extras.

That’s fair enough but you could make that argument about so many players - I’d take Lara vs Sri Lanka 2004/ Australia 1999 over any batsman in history, or Harbhajan 2001 over Warne etc etc.

Players, as well as partnerships, are judged over their careers. It doesn’t mean a player has to have x-amount of games (as long as their longevity is proven to a reasonable degree). Thompson’s pace gives him a reputation that, as an effective bowler, he simply doesn’t quite earn.

Heck, Trent Boult’s record is almost the same as Thompson’s.

 

[footyfan1978]

Thompson?
No such Aussie cricketer in my time of watching.

 

[footyfan1978]

I'll have Lillee and Thomo every day of the week over McGrath and Gillespie

Mid 70's version, yep, for sure.
Post shoulder injury for Thommo, no.

 

[BLUEALLTHRU]

Mid 70's version, yep, for sure.
Post shoulder injury for Thommo, no.

Fair call

I was comparing all four I mentioned at their best. Lillee and Thomo lay down masare

 

[footyfan1978]

Fair call

I was comparing all four I mentioned at their best. Lillee and Thomo lay down masare

True. No contest for that one. Only wish I was there to see it.

 

[DaRick]

Thompson was frightening but there is absolutely nothing remarkable about his record. Good but nothing unheard of.

Hell, they’re not even the best Australian pair. McGrath had stats the equal of Lillee and Gillespie easily has Thompson covered.

A nightmare to face no doubt but Thompson simply doesn’t have the record to back up his reputation.

Suffered greatly by going on the 1985 Ashes tour when he was finished as a Test bowler.

Nonetheless, Lillee/Thomson at their 1974/75 peak I would take, but McGrath/Gillespie have the better overall performance.

 

[cricketnut14]

where do cummins, hazlewood, starc & lyon sit now in regards to aussie quartets that have played a significant amount of cricket together?

for me mgrath, gillespie, lee & warne still have them covered.


haven't done my research but the miller, lindwall, davidson, w.johnston, benaud combination (or a combination of 4 of them) would also have to be right up there.

 

[Gethelred]

where do cummins, hazlewood, starc & lyon sit now in regards to aussie quartets that have played a significant amount of cricket together?

for me mgrath, gillespie, lee & warne still have them covered.


haven't done my research but the miller, lindwall, davidson, w.johnston, benaud combination (or a combination of 4 of them) would also have to be right up there.

Warne and McGrath are better than Lyon and Hazlewood. Starc is better than Lee, and Cummins is better than Gillespie. Warne vs Lyon has the largest discrepancy.

I feel as though what's lost in the difference between Warne and Lyon is more than made up for the difference between Cummins and Gillespie, where the latter played perhaps a year or two at Cummins career level. Starc vs Lee is probably the more even of the two, but Starc's record away from Australia is superior.

What I will say is, the older attack had real killer instinct I think the current lineup lacks. We've gone to pieces bowling to win in the 4th innings for a wide variety of reasons, where I can't remember a time in which any opposition pulled one over Warne/McGrath to win a game.

 

[DaRick]

RE the original question, it was never gonna happen regularly because the vast majority of pitches don't call for four quicks and Lyon was a dependable spinner, but Pattinson is still one of Australian cricket's greatest what-ifs. Back in 2011, I thought he was the next star. Express pace, late outswing, reverse swing, cutters, a dangerous bouncer and a lethal yorker. He could do it all on his day. But alas...

where do cummins, hazlewood, starc & lyon sit now in regards to aussie quartets that have played a significant amount of cricket together?

for me mgrath, gillespie, lee & warne still have them covered.


haven't done my research but the miller, lindwall, davidson, w.johnston, benaud combination (or a combination of 4 of them) would also have to be right up there.

Warne and McGrath are better than Lyon and Hazlewood. Starc is better than Lee, and Cummins is better than Gillespie. Warne vs Lyon has the largest discrepancy.

I feel as though what's lost in the difference between Warne and Lyon is more than made up for the difference between Cummins and Gillespie, where the latter played perhaps a year or two at Cummins career level. Starc vs Lee is probably the more even of the two, but Starc's record away from Australia is superior.

What I will say is, the older attack had real killer instinct I think the current lineup lacks. We've gone to pieces bowling to win in the 4th innings for a wide variety of reasons, where I can't remember a time in which any opposition pulled one over Warne/McGrath to win a game.

The best individual AUS attacks I've seen are McGrath/Gillespie/Kaspr/Warne (when the middle two were firing all cylinders during 2004), and McGrath/Clark/Lee/Warne (when Clark was basically a McGrath clone).

As for long-term attacks, it's very close. I marginally prefer the older one because Warne was a master of psychological warfare on the field, and McGrath a master off it (targeting the best batsman before every series). Even when their psychological tricks didn't work, their reputation intimidated the opposition. Of the current lot, only Cummins approaches their ability or reputation, and nobody would take him seriously if he got psychological because he's just too nice a guy. So batsmen find it easier to fight back against the current attack.

That said, this attack is more even. Starc has his bad days, but he's not the pressure valve that Lee was for much of his career. Additionally, this attack also has more variety. Starc's not only an express quick like Lee was, but he's also a left-armer. That creates an important point of difference, especially because it gives Lyon more footmarks to bowl into. IMO that's part of the reason why Lyon's basically become a superior version of Swann over the past seven years.

With an average captain, I'd prefer the older side. With Mike Brearley, I'd actually prefer the latter because he'd know how to best utilise them, and there are fewer obvious weaknesses for the opposition to exploit.

 

[PhatBoy]

Warne and McGrath are better than Lyon and Hazlewood. Starc is better than Lee, and Cummins is better than Gillespie. Warne vs Lyon has the largest discrepancy.

I feel as though what's lost in the difference between Warne and Lyon is more than made up for the difference between Cummins and Gillespie, where the latter played perhaps a year or two at Cummins career level. Starc vs Lee is probably the more even of the two, but Starc's record away from Australia is superior.

What I will say is, the older attack had real killer instinct I think the current lineup lacks. We've gone to pieces bowling to win in the 4th innings for a wide variety of reasons, where I can't remember a time in which any opposition pulled one over Warne/McGrath to win a game.

Butcher and Lara are the only ones I can think of