best team in world cricket right now

[stephen]

If Australia wanted to press a home field advantage against India, we'd make them play at the Gabba, WACA and Hobart in that order. Instead we dish up our flattest decks in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne.

If you can't see how that benefits India you've frankly got rocks in your head. Similarly, giving Perth and Hobart to South Africa helps their game because it turns Philander into a beast.

The fact is that India finds Australia as hard as Australia finds India.

 

[stephen]

And I will concede that India are marginally better than everyone else right now.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Except Brisbane, the pitches were indeed low and slow for Australian conditions. No use pretending otherwise.

 

[S.Kennedy]

Why not use past 10 years then, why 5?

It is always going to be slightly arbitrary, but at some point we have to cap the chronology in order to determine a pecking order. Unless you only take the previous home and away - including this, just completed one,

Last two India/England series,

England wins: three (all home)
India: five (four home, one away)
Draws: two

India have certainly pulled away by some margin if you restrict ourselves to the last two. India's sole victory in England becomes rather crucial, the one lone away victory by either side.

 

[Zinzan]

Jeez, are we still on whether India's last tour to Aus had pitches that suited them or not? This is quickly becoming more tedious than a Furball rant.

None of it changes the fact that India are clearly the best Test side currently. Thankfully Stephen has just acknowledged this.

The real debate should be about rankings 2-7 which for me currently is probably something like...

2 SA
3 Aust
4 Pakistan
5 England
6 SL/NZ =

 

[S.Kennedy]

Jeez, are we still on whether India's last tour to Aus had pitches that suited them or not? This is quickly becoming more tedious than a Furball rant.

None of it changes the fact that India are clearly the best Test side currently. Thankfully Stephen has just acknowledged this.

The real debate should be about rankings 2-7 which for me currently is probably something like...

2 SA
3 Aust
4 Pakistan
5 England
6 SL/NZ =

I just think you're rating Oz far too high. There form has been woeful (Sri Lanka, SA) recently.

 

[Zinzan]

I just think you're rating Oz far too high. There form has been woeful (Sri Lanka, SA) recently.

Possibly S Kennedy, the only problem is Pakistan, England, NZ & SL have sucked even more.

 

[OverratedSanity]

If we're ranking teams purely results they've had recently, I don't see an argument for SA at number 2 tbh. If we're judging them by the potential of their young guns and how they could go in the future, then sure. But not on results.

Got embarrassed in India, lost to England at home and their batting has looked far too brittle even in the matches and series they've won recently.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Possibly S Kennedy, the only problem is Pakistan, England, NZ & SL have sucked even more.

Pakistan have not sucked more. The only series they've lost recently is the one in NZ.

 

[S.Kennedy]

Possibly S Kennedy, the only problem is Pakistan, England, NZ & SL have sucked even more.

What is the great reason why you are chucking Australia so far ahead? The lone victory of Proteas?

 

[cnerd123]

Let me try this


India (dominating at home and in WI and SL)
Australia (beat everyone at home except SA, thrashed in SL)
South Africa (lost to Eng at home and to India in India, but beat NZ at home and beat Aus away)
Pakistan (drew in England, dominated in UAE but dropped some tests, dropped a test to Zimbabe, being thrashed in Oceania)
England (beat SA away, beat SL at home, drew at home with Pak, drew in BD, thrashed in India)
New Zealand (beat Pak at home, took a test off them in UAE, but losing everywhere else quite badly)
Sri Lanka (beat Aus at home but lost to India and suck overseas)
WI (not yet gone full minnow)
Zim (historically better than BD and beat Pak at home)
BD (first ever test win tho!)


This is hard

 

[Zinzan]

If we're ranking teams purely results they've had recently, I don't see an argument for SA at number 2 tbh. If we're judging them by the potential of their young guns and how they could go in the future, then sure. But not on results.

Got embarrassed in India, lost to England at home and their batting has looked far too brittle even in the matches and series they've won recently.

I think there is an element of just how good SA looked against NZ at home and then Aust away.

Anyone as someone who's always quick to critique others for on their opinion, are you prepared to say who you think is no.2 if not SA?

 

[Zinzan]

Let me try this


India (dominating at home and in WI and SL)
Australia (beat everyone at home except SA, thrashed in SL)
South Africa (lost to Eng at home and to India in India, but beat NZ at home and beat Aus away)
Pakistan (drew in England, dominated in UAE but dropped some tests, dropped a test to Zimbabe, being thrashed in Oceania)
England (beat SA away, beat SL at home, drew at home with Pak, drew in BD, thrashed in India)
New Zealand (beat Pak at home, took a test off them in UAE, but losing everywhere else quite badly)
Sri Lanka (beat Aus at home but lost to India and suck overseas)
WI (not yet gone full minnow)
Zim (historically better than BD and beat Pak at home)
BD (first ever test win tho!)


This is hard

If you're going back far enough to include NZ's win in the UAE, you should also include the fact they drew 1-1 in England in mid 2015 to go along with England's drawn home series vs. Pakistan.

 

[akilana]

I think there is an element of just how good SA looked against NZ at home and then Aust away.

Anyone as someone who's always quick to critique others for on their opinion, are you prepared to say who you think is no.2 if not SA?

He cant.

 

[akilana]

Cant remember. did England win in WI?

 

[TheJediBrah]

The simple fact of the matter is that there is no outright no. 1 side. Any official or unofficial rankings will inevitably depend upon different factors and how each factor is weighted, eg. Home v Away, series wins v match wins, quantity of matches, injuries etc etc the list goes on, as we've seen this thread.

There's nothing wrong with the discussion but it's important to realize that there is not going to be a resolution whereby one team is decreed "the best in world cricket". Not right now at least, and this would probably have been the case for most of history with the exception of WI 1970s, Aus 90s/00s and maybe Aus back when Bradman was around (ie Invincibles era)

 

[S.Kennedy]

1. India
2. S. Africa
3. Pakistan
4. England
5. Australia

 

[Zinzan]

The simple fact of the matter is that there is no outright no. 1 side. Any official or unofficial rankings will inevitably depend upon different factors and how each factor is weighted, eg. Home v Away, series wins v match wins, quantity of matches, injuries etc etc the list goes on, as we've seen this thread.

There's nothing wrong with the discussion but it's important to realize that there is not going to be a resolution whereby one team is decreed "the best in world cricket". Not right now at least, and this would probably have been the case for most of history with the exception of WI 1970s, Aus 90s/00s and maybe Aus back when Bradman was around (ie Invincibles era)

Have to disagree, India are clearly out on their own at this moment. If Australia could've beaten SA at home or England could have beaten Pakistan or NZ when they last toured, there could have been a case for those sides to be in the argument, but since they couldn't dominate at home like India have, coupled with the fact NO sides are currently great travelers, it's a fairly clear case for me.

Rankings 2-5 are more interesting and warrant genuine debate though.

 

[Zinzan]

1. India
2. S. Africa
3. Pakistan
4. England
5. Australia

Swap Australia and Pakistan and I'd accept that.

 

[S.Kennedy]

Swap Australia and Pakistan and I'd accept that.

What have they actually done to justify your ranking of them? Defeated home by SA, a team England beat away. Defeated by Sri Lanka. Just got over the line against Pakistan recently. Dodgy team selection. Dodgy spinner. Dodgy captaincy.

At a very minimum they're equal with England.