Best England side of this century

[Sunil1z]

As much people are hyping this bazball thing , I believe their other sides were better.

 

[kevinw]

The Strauss side with Cook, Trott, Bell, Pietersen, Collingwood, Prior, Broad, Swann, Anderson, Bresnan/Finn/Tremlett was the finest of the three. No weaknesses whatsoever.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

The Strauss side with Cook, Trott, Bell, Pietersen, Collingwood, Prior, Broad, Swann, Anderson, Bresnan/Finn/Tremlett was the finest of the three. No weaknesses whatsoever.

Yes, a very solid side.

 

[GIMH]

The Strauss side with Cook, Trott, Bell, Pietersen, Collingwood, Prior, Broad, Swann, Anderson, Bresnan/Finn/Tremlett was the finest of the three. No weaknesses whatsoever.

Only thing is really lacked came along in 2013 ie Ben Stokes

 

[GIMH]

2010-12 the best England side - wins in Australia and India ffs.

2004-06 had the best player in prime Flintoff and the best achievement, beating THAT Australia side

2022- is the best to watch

 

[Adders]

As much people are hyping this bazball thing , I believe their other sides were better.

If there's any hype its around the way this current side is playing the game more so than the quality of the team. This is a team producing more than the sum of its parts.

Despite as GIMH just pointed out not having a quality allrounder its 10/12 > 04/06>current.

Thats said, put the current side on the park against either of the earlier sides and you'd be brave betting against them IMO (depending on who gets Jimmy tbf)

 

[Flem274*]

Collingwood was a very good semi-allrounder. His mediums were solid work.

 

[Aidan11]

10-12 was a very strong side.

 

[Chubb]

2010-12 the best England side - wins in Australia and India ffs.

2004-06 had the best player in prime Flintoff and the best achievement, beating THAT Australia side

2022- is the best to watch

Pretty much spot on what I thought, except the 2022 side has the big black mark of Zak $rawley opening the batting. But as soon as he's out I don't mind them.

 

[honestbharani]

Srauss > Vaughan >Stokes (at the moment)

But may well change this time next year.

 

[subshakerz]

It's not about just strength of a teamsheet but how they played as a unit.

Strauss' side was best on paper. But Vaughn's team were better IMO as a group of players.

Vaughn's team beat SA away and beat an ATG Aussie side at home. That side had a lot of self belief like the current side.

Strauss' team had some great achievements but also suffered notable losses, like being whitewashed in the UAE and losing to WI in 2009. At one point they had lost four games in a row in the SC.

If Stokes manages to win this series, I may give him the edge.

 

[Chubb]

Strauss' team had some great achievements but also suffered notable losses, like being whitewashed in the UAE and losing to WI in 2009.

The UAE series has a big asterisk due to Ajmals chucking. Any visiting side would have lost it. And the 2009 Windies series was right at the start of his tenure and could easily have been a draw.

 

[subshakerz]

The UAE series has a big asterisk due to Ajmals chucking. And the 2009 Windies series was right at the start of his tenure and could easily have been a draw.

I don't give it an asterisk. At the point Ajmal was legal and they had played him the previous year in England. We take the result on face value.

The WI series yes was at the start but they lost the deciding test by an innings. They also lost at their peak to a SA side at home in 2012.

The way I am taking this is, in the middle of each team's host streaks, which team was better? Strauss' team was more beatable in the middle of theirs even though they were more dominant in winning.

 

[Chubb]

I don't give it an asterisk. At the point Ajmal was legal and they had played him the previous year in England. We take the result on face value.

I disagree. If Ajmal had been called for throwing in the first test of the UAE series as he should have been, England would very probably have won the series or at least drawn it. He was the difference and he shouldn’t have been able to carry on like he did.

 

[subshakerz]

I disagree. If Ajmal had been called for throwing in the first test of the UAE series as he should have been, England would very probably have won the series or at least drawn it. He was the difference and he was intentionally or not cheating.

We can play these counterfactuals. Maybe Ajmal gets called for chucking in England in 2010 and Yasir Shah gets in early and Pakistan still win in 2012. Also note that SA managed to draw twice against Pak with Ajmal in UAE. It's not like Ajmal couldn't be faced.

Point is, England were whitewashed and it's on Strauss' record. Guarantee you if they won you wouldn't negate the result.

 

[GIMH]

It's not about just strength of a teamsheet but how they played as a unit.

Strauss' side was best on paper. But Vaughn's team were better IMO as a group of players.

Vaughn's team beat SA home and away and beat an ATG Aussie side at home. That side had a lot of self belief like the current side.

Strauss' team had some great achievements but also suffered notable losses, like being whitewashed in the UAE and losing to WI in 2009. At one point they had lost four games in a row in the SC.

If Stokes manages to win this series, I may give him the edge.

Vaughan’s team didn’t beat SA at home?

The away win was massive though.

 

[Adders]

Point is, England were whitewashed and it's on Strauss' record. Guarantee you if they won you wouldn't negate the result.

That makes absolutely zero sense.

 

[subshakerz]

Vaughan’s team didn’t beat SA at home?

The away win was massive though.

sorry it was a draw y'right.

 

[Howe_zat]

The 2010-12 side and I don't think it's very close. It's not just the wins, it's the margin of the wins as well. That team could make the opposition lose the will to live.

The 2022-current side is definitely the funniest though.

 

[subshakerz]

Let's review the Vaughn and Strauss hot streaks:

Vaughn's side from 2004 to 2006 started with impressive away victories in WI and SA and a string of home dominant performances, peaking with a win for the ages against an ATG Aussie side. They were derailed by a thumping loss in Pakistan, made up only somewhat by a come from behind draw in India under Flintoff.

Strauss' side from 2010 to 2012 started with a bare draw against a clearly better SA side away, followed by a monumental victory in Australia, and then a string of dominant home performances leading to no.1 status. They then were whitewashed in UAE, drew in SL before being decisively beaten at home by SA. They then rounded it up with a spectacular home from behind victory against India in India under Cook, defying expectations.

Based on the above, I think Vaughn's side was slightly more impressive, as they were harder to beat in their prime, better captain, and they had IMO a better pace attack and were more resilient. Under Strauss, they would have likely lost against ATG Aussie in 2005.