West Indies vs Australia

[stephen]

There is all this talk about Greenidge vs Hayden and to be honest I really don't think there's a huge difference between them - or at least not enough to make a difference in the hypothetical series that we're talking about.

IMO if we were playing a series in today's playing conditions the Australian side would win the series comfortably. If we were playing in the 80s playing conditions the West Indians would win comfortably.

The confidence that a player gets by batting in a helmet and with the protective gear we have these days just changes the game completely. As does a true pitch (which is pretty much all that we have seen in the last 11 years). Both sides would put up very good fights in their opposing era.

IMO The Aussies have the better balanced side, with the stronger batting attack and a bowling attack that is more likely to be able to take 20 wickets regardless of conditions. The West Indies have a much better pace battery which can exploit any pitch with anything at all in it.

I'm not sure that the ATG West Indies sides would have been able to beat India in India more than once or twice in the 00s either. The Indian batting lineup was simply too good in home conditions, though I would have loved seeing Tendulkar vs Marshall and Dravid vs Garner.

 

[Spark]

There is all this talk about Greenidge vs Hayden and to be honest I really don't think there's a huge difference between them - or at least not enough to make a difference in the hypothetical series that we're talking about.

IMO if we were playing a series in today's playing conditions the Australian side would win the series comfortably. If we were playing in the 80s playing conditions the West Indians would win comfortably.

The confidence that a player gets by batting in a helmet and with the protective gear we have these days just changes the game completely. As does a true pitch (which is pretty much all that we have seen in the last 11 years). Both sides would put up very good fights in their opposing era.

IMO The Aussies have the better balanced side, with the stronger batting attack and a bowling attack that is more likely to be able to take 20 wickets regardless of conditions. The West Indies have a much better pace battery which can exploit any pitch with anything at all in it.

I'm not sure that the ATG West Indies sides would have been able to beat India in India more than once or twice in the 00s either. The Indian batting lineup was simply too good in home conditions, though I would have loved seeing Tendulkar vs Marshall and Dravid vs Garner.

Agreed.

 

[vcs]

No way. That leaves Symonds to bowl 10 overs on his own, which is a potential problem you shouldn't have in a side with so many options, and Watson isn't far behind Clarke as an ODI batsman anyway, if at all.

I'd have this order, with Watson down the order like in the '07 WC.
Gilchrist
Hayden
Ponting (c)
Hussey
Symonds
Bevan
Watson
Lee
Warne
Bracken
McGrath

Hell of an ODI team, really hard to imagine anyone beating them.

Amazing team.

I think when Watson's career is done, he'll get into Australia's all-time ODI XI at the expense of Hayden, which means you can accommodate another proper middle-order batsman like Dean Jones, Clarke or Martyn.

 

[smash84]

I'm not sure that the ATG West Indies sides would have been able to beat India in India more than once or twice in the 00s either. The Indian batting lineup was simply too good in home conditions, though I would have loved seeing Tendulkar vs Marshall and Dravid vs Garner.

The Indian batting line-up of the 80s was quite decent tbh.

 

[stephen]

The Indian batting line-up of the 80s was quite decent tbh.

I'm not saying that they weren't, but with Sehwag up top and Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman in the middle order the 00s Indian batting lineup was superior, particularly in home conditions.

Having said that, perhaps the West Indian bowlers would have been better suited to dismissing them as they are weaker to pace than spin.

 

[ankitj]

There is no way I am voting in this poll. Comparing players across eras is tough enough but you compare the standards set by peers etc. But when in comes to comparing full XIs, I have no clue where top start from.

 

[Spark]

Amazing team.

I think when Watson's career is done, he'll get into Australia's all-time ODI XI at the expense of Hayden, which means you can accommodate another proper middle-order batsman like Dean Jones, Clarke or Martyn.

Interesting call, not a bad one though.

 

[ankitj]

The Windies were unbeaten in a Test series from 1981 thru to 1995....

That's an unbeaten run that the Aussies were never able to match. That's why it was such big news around the world when the Aussies finally beat Richie Richardson's team in 1995.

That's an interesting fact! The team that WI lost to before 81 was none other the Hadlee inspired NZ.

 

[blahblahblah]

I'm not saying that they weren't, but with Sehwag up top and Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman in the middle order the 00s Indian batting lineup was superior, particularly in home conditions.

Having said that, perhaps the West Indian bowlers would have been better suited to dismissing them as they are weaker to pace than spin.

very much a possibility especially seeing how the pitches seemed to help pacers in those days

 

[abmk]

No way. That leaves Symonds to bowl 10 overs on his own, which is a potential problem you shouldn't have in a side with so many options, and Watson isn't far behind Clarke as an ODI batsman anyway, if at all.

I'd have this order, with Watson down the order like in the '07 WC.
Gilchrist
Hayden
Ponting (c)
Hussey
Symonds
Bevan
Watson
Lee
Warne
Bracken
McGrath

Hell of an ODI team, really hard to imagine anyone beating them.

All you need to do is get Shane Bond, make 3 clones of him and your work is done

 

[Slifer]

I'm not saying that they weren't, but with Sehwag up top and Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman in the middle order the 00s Indian batting lineup was superior, particularly in home conditions.

Having said that, perhaps the West Indian bowlers would have been better suited to dismissing them as they are weaker to pace than spin.

Nail on the head. U dont win with spin in India, everyone knows u need a talented pace attack ala Wi 80s era. Imo they would have at the very least, drawn in India. (See Wi in India in '94).

 

[Slifer]

FWIW i voted WI in this particular poll. Oz has the better batting lineup clearly, and the WI the better bowling attack. Its very interesting how people mention how Warne would b the difference between the 2 teams and while I think thats a valid point remember two things:

A. Tests WI lost to spin in the 80s were mostly inconsiquental
B. Warne was never great shakes vs the (ordinary) WI teams he faced

 

[andyc]

FWIW i voted WI in this particular poll. Oz has the better batting lineup clearly, and the WI the better bowling attack. Its very interesting how people mention how Warne would b the difference between the 2 teams and while I think thats a valid point remember two things:

A. Tests WI lost to spin in the 80s were mostly inconsiquental
B. Warne was never great shakes vs the (ordinary) WI teams he faced

Don't really see what that has to do with how he might perform against a completely different team, tbh.

And for those a couple of pages back talking about the on-pitch behaviour of the West Indians, you'd never see something like this from any team nowadays.

 

[Ikki]

B. Warne was never great shakes vs the (ordinary) WI teams he faced

Actually, besides a single series he had in that injury-filled period of his; he did well in pretty much every series against them.

Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[smash84]

Don't really see what that has to do with how he might perform against a completely different team, tbh.

And for those a couple of pages back talking about the on-pitch behaviour of the West Indians, you'd never see something like this from any team nowadays.

Disgraceful really.

 

[Xuhaib]

had partition not taken place would a combined Indo-Pak xi stopped Aus or Winidies domination at any point.

 

[smash84]

it is possible i think.....if imran miandad, kapil, akram, gavaskar, waqar, etc were playing together

 

[archie mac]

Don't really see what that has to do with how he might perform against a completely different team, tbh.

And for those a couple of pages back talking about the on-pitch behaviour of the West Indians, you'd never see something like this from any team nowadays.

Loved it. Gee Croft bowled wide on the crease, exept for that last ball

 

[abmk]

Actually, besides a single series he had in that injury-filled period of his; he did well in pretty much every series against them.

Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo

that series was a horrid one, wasn't it ? Tbh, his performance vs WI is slightly below average ( by his standards ) even excluding that series

16 matches, 63 wickets, ~4 wickets per match at an average of ~ 27 .....

 

[Borges]

Ah! Warne's overall record in West Indies is actually worse than his record in India.

In WI: 2.42 wickets/match @39.64 SR 78.2 (7 tests)
In India: 3.77 wickets/match @43.11 SR 81.0 (9 tests)

Had never realized that till now.

TBF, he did ok against the West Indies at home. 4.00 wickets/match @26.52 SR 57.2 (12 tests)