Which test team is currently the best in 2024?

[Spark]

It's India but it's also a curious time to be asking this question; it feels like both India and Australia either are or will be in transition so it's difficult to know what "this team" will even be referring to by year's end

 

[Owzat]

To suggest anyone other than India at this point is ridiculous, because neither Australia or England can beat India home or away. Australia can’t even beat India at home.

aussies should have lost to England, England are a bit too gung ho/bazballsy for their own good, great when your bowlers can keep you in the game and usually helpful conditions to eg Anderson, but seems to be unravelling

many will pinpoint X, Y or Z, name and blame eg Bairstow, but fact is you can't go to India, biff, bash, bosh and expect to build a total with no substance.

Three centuries granted, but take away each of 1-7s HS and apart from Crawley who got to fifty FOUR times then got out before he reached 80 the rest averaged 22 or less from their other 9 innings..... bazballs may well work for players like Duckett and Crawley, think it doesn't really with the rest and they don't know whether to stick or twist

aussies were lucky to survive in the Ashes, gifted a win in the 1st Test thanks to a dopey declaration and then England not being able to polish off their lower order in the 2nd innings, fortunate with the rain - fortunate if it saves you, unfortunate if it doesn't, happens for you sometimes, against you other times.

so on balance India who have a strong home record, and yet in spite of being spin central produced also Bumrah, Siraj and Shami with a decent batting line up that if not undone by swing is usually as strong as any side.

can't see past India, be a laugh to see if anyone voted England, would have thought kiwis might have been the third or simply go with 4-5 and "Other"

 

[Owzat]

had a little "guess" before sneaking at the three England voters, nailed it that Aidan would be 11 I mean 1

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

had a little "guess" before sneaking at the three England voters, nailed it that Aidan would be 11 I mean 1

England officially thrice as good as Australia.

Democracy works! \o/

 

[HouHsiaoHsien]

If you take out the actual results then it's England.

Moral champions

 

[Molehill]

Probably England.

Little evidence to suggest otherwise

 

[Coronis]

If you take out the actual results then it's England.

Actual results don’t save test cricket

 

[GIMH]

Clearly India. England are better than Australia though

 

[Immenso]

Clearly Windies. Beat the reigning WTC Champions away.

 

[subshakerz]

If we look at latest record, India did draw in Eng and SA and have the strongest home record, so they have the edge for now but if they lose in Aus it will switch.

 

[ma1978]

If we look at latest record, India did draw in Eng and SA and have the strongest home record, so they have the edge for now but if they lose in Aus it will switch.

Aus will have to beat jndia in India for it to switch

all that will show is a level of parity

 

[ma1978]

If we look at latest record, India did draw in Eng and SA and have the strongest home record, so they have the edge for now but if they lose in Aus it will switch.

by the way this admission must be really hard for you

 

[subshakerz]

by the way this admission must be really hard for you

Not really. No team is really well ahead of the others.

 

[ma1978]

Not really. No team is really well ahead of the others.

other than the team that’s undefeated at home for twelve years and undefeated elsewhere other than NZ. This all must by very difficult for you.

edit: won every series at home.

 

[PlayerComparisons]

England haven’t won a test series since 2022 apparently. At least they’re doing very well in white ball cricket.

 

[TheJediBrah]

by the way this admission must be really hard for you

I'm really hard for you



what

 

[Coronis]

England haven’t won a test series since 2022 apparently. At least they’re doing very well in white ball cricket.

#bazball

 

[Slifer]

Aus will have to beat jndia in India for it to switch

all that will show is a level of parity

I disagree. Australia has to beat India by at least 2 tests for me to put them ahead of India. Why? Because Australia drew at home to WI. India ain't doing that anytime soon. So India the best atm imo, until they are heavily beaten by any team.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Unless Australia white wash India next year and it doesn't prove anything

They should be beating them at home

 

[Molehill]

I suspect had India toured England under the Stokes leadership and lost their premier fast bowler to injury, they'd have been staring down the barrel of a 4-1 defeat.

Home conditions are so key in current Test Cricket and India's are more alien to the other strong nations. They're probably the current number 1, but they're never going to win a WTC in England straight after an IPL unless they meet SL in the Final.