best team in world cricket right now

[centurymaker]

It's like England winning 2-1 (or 3-1) in India this time around.. with Ashwin & Jadeja injured & missing the series.

Actually England would've probably won this current series if those two weren't playing. England are a quality side and more likely than not would've taken Mishra & co apart!

 

[centurymaker]

Honestly think two recent overseas series flattered to deceive, and really confuse where people think the teams are currently.

One is England's victory in SA, with SA down their best two bowlers. & the other is Pakistan's drawn series in England.

I watched that Pak/Eng series intently & honestly feel Pakistan played well above themselves and were damn lucky to tour England late in the season which meant they got some wickets that actually really suited them. On the wickets that were a little more typically English, they got thrashed if IIRC, and doubt they would have stood a chance on the sort of wickets SL faced earlier in the series.

I also think England were massively below par by their own standards. It's not to take Pakistan's series draw away from them, but it really did give some a false sense of security that they were a lot better at the moment in time than was really the case imho.

Hmm probably.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Honestly think two recent overseas series flattered to deceive, and really confuse where people think the teams are currently.

One is England's victory in SA, with SA down their best two bowlers. & the other is Pakistan's drawn series in England.

I watched that Pak/Eng series intently & honestly feel Pakistan played well above themselves and were damn lucky to tour England late in the season which meant they got some wickets that actually really suited them. On the wickets that were a little more typically English, they got thrashed if IIRC, and doubt they would have stood a chance on the sort of wickets SL faced earlier in the series.

I also think England were massively below par by their own standards. It's not to take Pakistan's series draw away from them, but it really did give some a false sense of security that they were a lot better at the moment in time than was really the case imho.

Probably a little unfair. All teams require some luck to win tough overseas tours tbh. Even when the great Australian side won in India in 04, they had the benefit of Tendulkar being out injured and got a pitch at nagpur that was a very un-indian pitch and perfectly suited to them. You generally do either need the opposition to play below expectations or need other things like the pitch or injuries to go in your favour. Series where both teams are at their peak performance and have everyone at full fitness aren't actually that common.

If anything, I think pakistan's series in England doesn't get enough credit. Even in one of the tests they lost, they were in a good position halfway through and let it slip. They genuinely could've won it and would've deserved it if they had.

 

[GIMH]

Mate, if Oz beats India, the sun will set in the east

Yes, I though GIMH's comment was odd. But he's a very odd man tbh.

Oz are away right?

Correct me if I'm wrong but Australia haven't won in india for...a long time? Or am I missing something?

 

[DriveClub]

Oz are away right?

Correct me if I'm wrong but Australia haven't won in india for...a long time? Or am I missing something?

This is funny

 

[honestbharani]

Well, happened to me once too. Its gonna feel pretty dumb to GIMH once it dawns on him.

 

[DriveClub]

Well, happened to me once too. Its gonna feel pretty dumb to GIMH once it dawns on him.

Nice use of pun

 

[S.Kennedy]

McGrath slipping on the ball playing Rugger 2005, cricket is full of these incidents; you cannot very well go around re-ordering test matches because 'x was injured' or 'out of form'. England were without Anderson and Stokes for the beginning of the Pakistan series; they were without Mark Wood throughout the English summer - and still are without Wood (genuine pace).

 

[Zinzan]

Probably a little unfair. All teams require some luck to win tough overseas tours tbh. Even when the great Australian side won in India in 04, they had the benefit of Tendulkar being out injured and got a pitch at nagpur that was a very un-indian pitch and perfectly suited to them. You generally do either need the opposition to play below expectations or need other things like the pitch or injuries to go in your favour. Series where both teams are at their peak performance and have everyone at full fitness aren't actually that common.

If anything, I think pakistan's series in England doesn't get enough credit. Even in one of the tests they lost, they were in a good position halfway through and let it slip. They genuinely could've won it and would've deserved it if they had.

See I maintain Pakistan's performances in this test to date, the 2 tests that saw them slaughtered against NZ & their series in the Windies are far more indicative for me of what sort of side they are outside the SC.

I think I might have said it before, but I was shocked looking at the personnel of their squad when I saw they got to number 1 when they did. They just aren't very good players imo. and I maintain that was a bit of a perfect storm of weird results that saw them get the no.1 spot on the back of other sides like SA, Eng & Aus getting strange home and away results,

Right now I have them below India, SA, England & Australia as a test side, and I'm not convinced they're all that much better than NZ & SL, but that could just be me.

For all the talk of Pakistan's ability to travel, there's no way India would have got annihilated in NZ the way Pakistan just did.

 

[Daemon]

Yep they're so bad that england should get docked major points for nearly losing to them at home

 

[Zinzan]

Yep they're so bad that england should get docked major points for nearly losing to them at home

Lol, Not sure if sarcastic or not, but almost fair.

 

[Daemon]

Actually what have England even done of late? Drew against NZ at home, managed to beat an SA side without their two best bowlers and who were carrying liabilities like Vilas? and van Zyl. Viljoen got a game didn't he?

Then they managed to embarrass themselves against Pakistan, Bangladesh and now are going to lose 3 zip in India.

Yes they beat Australia at home but that's easy when the ball is moving off the straight.

I'd rank them 5 atm.

 

[Shady Slim]

mhm that's actually a fair point

also broad is more pivotal to england's success than anderson imo as proven by that series so you can't say anderson getting injured is a flip side to an injury to steyn

 

[Slifer]

Actually what have England even done of late? Drew against NZ at home, managed to beat an SA side without their two best bowlers and who were carrying liabilities like Vilas? and van Zyl. Viljoen got a game didn't he?

Then they managed to embarrass themselves against Pakistan, Bangladesh and now are going to lose 3 zip in India.

Yes they beat Australia at home but that's easy when the ball is moving off the straight.

I'd rank them 5 atm.

England also drew in the WI, where teams like Oz, Rsa and India dominate.

 

[S.Kennedy]

Actually what have England even done of late? Drew against NZ at home, managed to beat an SA side without their two best bowlers and who were carrying liabilities like Vilas? and van Zyl. Viljoen got a game didn't he?

Then they managed to embarrass themselves against Pakistan, Bangladesh and now are going to lose 3 zip in India.

Yes they beat Australia at home but that's easy when the ball is moving off the straight.

I'd rank them 5 atm.

Really? I found that a close run keenly fought series. Nothing embarrassing about that.

Pakistan are a very talented team but they're not putting it together right now. I think they need to sort who they see as their front line seamers out.

 

[Zinzan]

Actually what have England even done of late? Drew against NZ at home, managed to beat an SA side without their two best bowlers and who were carrying liabilities like Vilas? and van Zyl. Viljoen got a game didn't he?

Then they managed to embarrass themselves against Pakistan, Bangladesh and now are going to lose 3 zip in India.

Yes they beat Australia at home but that's easy when the ball is moving off the straight.

I'd rank them 5 atm.

It's a great point actually, which is why I say that one series win against SA minus their two best bowlers was a bit of an aberration & they've done very little in recent times, including a 1-1 series draw with NZ at home in 2015.

England also drew in the WI, where teams like Oz, Rsa and India dominate.

Add NZ to that list of sides beating the Windies on their last visit there.

 

[Daemon]

This is great because that post is going to sit here and gather momentum until Furball finally wakes up in about 4-5 hours and loses his ****

 

[S.Kennedy]

I have no problems with drawing the NZ series. That was a great two test series and should have been a bigger five test series.

Windies was a bit of a dog's dinner. If memory serves, that was before Moores was sacked.

 

[Shady Slim]

tbf it's a probably true post

our opinions are worth more bc we're neutral trust me that's how it works

 

[honestbharani]

This is great because that post is going to sit here and gather momentum until Furball finally wakes up in about 4-5 hours and loses his ****

You are like CW's Roman Reigns, Daemon. Got NFI on what your actual gimmick at the moment is and just floundering between past and present gimmicks for no rhyme or reason...