Finding out the best decade for test cricket: The tournament thread! 12 ATG XIs duke it out.

[harsh.ag]

The 90s side would have beaten this 00s side (I think). Weird.

 

[ma1978]

That's not actually true - it's just touted by cricket fans.

For instance, football has quite a number of strikers who have ridiculous goalscoring records (at the very highest level) that make Cristiano and Messi's records look bang average.

There's Gretzky with hockey, that squash dude etc.

name the footballer that was so far ahead of his peers

The Great One had Mario Lemieux on his heels his entire career

Babe Ruth had Willy Mays, Tes Williams, Barry Bonds etc

Jordan had Magic, Lebrun

 

[OverratedSanity]

That's not actually true - it's just touted by cricket fans.

For instance, football has quite a number of strikers who have ridiculous goalscoring records (at the very highest level) that make Cristiano and Messi's records look bang average.

There's Gretzky with hockey, that squash dude etc.

No, the stats those football strikers put up have context that can explain it. Many of them were during wartime outside the elite leagues iirc. Wilt is only a statistical outlier when you ignore pace of play. In wilts era, lot of players out up obscene numbers he simply put up evrn more because he held on to the ball more than anyone.

Bradman is an outlier in the sense that there are ATGs from his era that averaged no more than the norm (ie) 50-60 like Hammond and sutcliffe. He is a far bigger outlier than any basketball or football player.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

I think if Lomu had been healthy he could've been an outlier for rugby. He was a freak and could only play at about 60% of his capacity.

 

[The Sean]

The 90s side would have beaten this 00s side (I think). Weird.

Yeah, it feels like bizarrely inconsistent voting. We voted for this 1980s side over both the 1930s and 1990s teams, and yet somehow they're losing to the 2000s team. If the '80s are beating those other two sides, they're beating this one too.

 

[sunilz]

Yeah, it feels like bizarrely inconsistent voting. We voted for this 1980s side over both the 1930s and 1990s teams, and yet somehow they're losing to the 2000s team. If the '80s are beating those other two sides, they're beating this one too.

Having 3 of the top 6 greatest bowler helps.

McGrath, Steyn, Murali

 

[ma1978]

I think the 00s side is ahead of the 90s side slightly

equivalent to slightly better openers in the 00s
Ponting equivalent to Lara
Dravid worse than 90s Tendulkar
Kallis equivalent in batting to Waugh ; and bowls
Sangakkara better then de Silva )no offence to Mad Max)
Gilchrist way better than Healy
Pollock can bat at 8
Steyn as good as Wasim
Murali as good as Warner

 

[mr_mister]

Warner's leggies aren't terrible but they're not Murali level

 

[sunilz]

All batsmen in 2000 are ATG or borderline ATG . Same can't be said for 80s/90s.

 

[anil1405]

The significant difference is Gilchrist at 7.

The X-factor for any side.

Knott a better keeper and a good batsman too but nobody can take the game away from the opposition like Gilchrist is capable of. No competition on that front.

 

[kyear2]

The significant difference is Gilchrist at 7.

The X-factor for any side.

Knott a better keeper and a good batsman too but nobody can take the game away from the opposition like Gilchrist is capable of. No competition on that front.

It is. Sangakkara and Gilchrist at 6 and 7 win's it over Imran at 6 and Dujon at 7. That added to Steyn, McGrath and Murali, that's literally 3 out of the absolute top tier 7 bowlers of all time.

Hard to beat that.

 

[srbhkshk]

Don't think there is any lack of consistency at all. The 00 side is a lot superior to the 90s side, primarily in batting terms, but in bowling as well imo.

 

[The Sean]

Fair enough, I'm clearly in the minority here!

 

[trundler]

It's weird how everyone suggests 00s batsmen should be marked down but Smith is the only guy since then who is good enough to replace someone in that top 6. It's crazy we got a bunch of players who played 130+ tests and got 10k runs at the same time. You don't see that kind of longevity and quality anymore.

Bowling depth is way better these days (looking at guys like Lee, Zaheer and Ntini who had looooong careers but were fairly meh on a historical scale) but the cream of the crop was.. creamier back then.

 

[ma1978]

The 00s team excluded Tendulkar and Lara. That says a lot

 

[_00_deathscar]

The 00s team excluded Tendulkar and Lara. That says a lot

Cos they weren’t the players they were in the 90s. If they were, they’d get in easy.

 

[ma1978]

Lara played half his tests in the 2000s (66 out of 131), scored 21 of his 34 ventures in the 2000s (basically a century every three matches) and averaged two points above his 90s average

Tendulkar also scored 21 centuries in the 2000s and averaged 53.2 for the decade and 54 away

either was an arguably better pick then Dravid or Sanga

 

[ma1978]

Actually def not Dravid but likely Sanga

my point is more about the ridiculous batting depth in the 2000s

 

[_00_deathscar]

Lara played half his tests in the 2000s (66 out of 131), scored 21 of his 34 ventures in the 2000s (basically a century every three matches) and averaged two points above his 90s average

Tendulkar also scored 21 centuries in the 2000s and averaged 53.2 for the decade and 54 away

either was an arguably better pick then Dravid or Sanga

Yes but Sachin’s numbers are lower than his 90s numbers - and while Lara’s are higher, it’s also when batting/pitches took a turn for the more flat (and bowling stocks went from amazing to “Oh here’s someone mediocre”).

They were of course very damn good in the 00s, but that decade wasn’t what gave them their status.

 

[Flem274*]

I think if Lomu had been healthy he could've been an outlier for rugby. He was a freak and could only play at about 60% of his capacity.

Rugby has this real weird thing where Six Nations writers/fans are determined to point out he would be average today, like some people try with Bradman.

First, no Jonah still has serious weight advantage on modern power wingers like Savea and North and was faster than both. Second, it wasn't his job in 1995 to be good in 2019.

Anyway probably more appropriate for the rugby thread to discuss the second most glorious winger of all time behind Taranaki's finest Shayne "kick chase" Austin.