4th thread - who's going to win?

[Salamuddin]

Nah through 2011 we were the best in the world.

Basically what jack said

Bull****. England pretty much lost any legitimate claim to being number 1 when they got hammered 3-0 away by an average Pakistan side.

 

[Cabinet96]

Luckily that was in 2012.

 

[Salamuddin]

Luckily that was in 2012.

Even so
Can't see how England could ever claim to be number 1 in 2011 when they hadn't won on the subcontinent or beaten South AFrica (home or away).

 

[Pothas]

So you have to beat everyone to be the best side in the world? I thought you just had to be better than everyone else.

 

[Salamuddin]

So you have to beat everyone to be the best side in the world? I thought you just had to be better than everyone else.

How were they better than South AFrica though ?

 

[Pothas]

Because South Africa kept failing to win series. We just did this.

 

[GIMH]

Salamuddin in anti-England stance. I for one am shocked.

 

[Salamuddin]

Because South Africa kept failing to win series. We just did this.

SA beat the WIndies 2-0 away in 2010 and Sri Lanka 2-1 in 2011. They also drew away in India and Pakistan (hardly results to scoff at).
The only thing you could probably hold against them was failing to beat England in 09-10 despite dominating the series. On balance they were still a better credentialled team than England.

 

[Pothas]

Beating Sri Lanka and West Indies makes them the best side in the world? Ok then.

 

[Salamuddin]

Beating Sri Lanka and West Indies makes them the best side in the world? Ok then.

Umm. beating West Indies in the Caribbean is something England failed to do in 2009.
Drawing with Pakistan in the UAE is something England spectacularly failed to do in 2011.

 

[Cabinet96]

Never seen a bigger myth than South Africa 2009-2011. Literally the only thing they had going for them was a drawn series in India. They went four home series in a row without a win. That was at a time when England only lost two home tests in 20 and won in Australia very convincingly.

 

[Cabinet96]

Imagine getting to the end of this period and thinking South Africa had any claim to be the world's best side. Team records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[GIMH]

Drawing with Pakistan in the UAE is something England spectacularly failed to do in 2011.

So spectacularly that we didn't even play it that year

Are you unable to read? People are claiming England were the best team in 2011. An honour we claimed by beating the #1 ranked team of the day 4-0.

 

[Spark]

Imagine getting to the end of this period and thinking South Africa had any claim to be the world's best side. Team records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo

People love to overrate SA based on their paper team. They're doing it now with the ODI side.

 

[Furball]

How were they better than South AFrica though ?

By the same logic South Africa didn't win a series against England between 2008 and 2012, so how were they better than England?

 

[Flem274*]

Very questionable whether that Indian side was very good. England faced probably the weakest side India put out in a home series in a generation.

Sehwag, Gambhir, Tendulkar and Zaheer were all well past their best. Kohli, Pujara, Ashwin were all still rookies. On top of that Yadav got injured after his match winning performance in the first test at Ahmedabad.

The truth is that series win probably masked over the weakness inherent in the England side - they were luckly to get away with a draw in NZ shortly afterwards and obvioulsy got demolished in Oz a year later.

do you ever think anyone is good?

 

[Gob]

IIRC rad haddin

 

[FBU]

Woakes for Anderson when he's fit again tbh.

Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[Lillian Thomson]

There's an irrational sense of optimism amongst a lot of England followers. We have no Test class spinner, no Test class Keeper, a new ball pair who currently both look likely to crack under pressure, unproven and inadequate 3rd and 4th seamer, a number 6 who'll come off twice a summer if we're lucky, unproven and iffy looking opener, a middle order where two of the three are misfiring. Happy holidays.

I wouldn't normally quote my own posts, but looking back at my lack of optimism for the series, not much has changed - yet The Ashes are coming home.