Best Test Team In The World?

[Howsie]

Because there really shouldn't be any arguments on the matter, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Pakistan and the West Indies aren't even close to being the best test team in the world.

 

[WindieWeathers]

If you know the West Indies aren't the best team going around, or even in the mix why the hell would you bring them up?

Another one who hasn't read my post properly!! , my argument is if Pakistan is on this list then WI should be too as Pak haven't done any better than us recently, especially when you consider we actually beat one of these teams last year, if Pak wasn't on this list i'd have no complaints, but leaving us out and putting Pak in is disrespectful imo, we aren't the "minnows" some people seem to think we are.

 

[Howsie]

One win in your last 20 test matches would suggest otherwise tbh. Pakistan if anything are up there based on potential, they arguably have the best bowling attack going around at the moment and even if the batting is paper thin an excellent bowling attack will always give them a chance to compete with any team they go up against.

 

[WindieWeathers]

One win in your last 20 test matches would suggest otherwise tbh. Pakistan if anything are up there based on potential, they arguably have the best bowling attack going around at the moment and even if the batting is paper thin an excellent bowling attack will always give them a chance to compete with any team they go up against.

"Competeing" and winning are two different things though, we actually WON last year against England which is more than they have done against the top sides for the last four years, i agree their bowling attack is great but it's a futile argument whilst their batting continues to fail them, a car needs four wheels to move, not two,

As for "potential", well i could name Roach, Barath, Darren Bravo etc but for some reason people don't buy that!!, the bottom line is until Pak actually start getting better results than us they don't deserve to be on this list.

 

[Howsie]

Potential, as in the potential to actually start winning games with that bowling attack.

 

[Hurricane]

Only Pratters knows why he put Pakistan on the list. I assumed it was the joke option and didn't take it seriously.

 

[sanga1337]

Can't see how Pakistan can be in the poll when Sri Lanka is not there. Bowling is all class obviously, but the batting is on par, if not worse, than New Zealands IMO. Maybe in 3-5 years if players like Butt and Umar start to develop, but they're nowhere near now.

Best team atm would be South Africa. Not too long ago I would have Australia at the top, but our current lack of a world class pace bowler like an Asif or Steyn pegs us back.

 

[G.I.Joe]

WAC
z

 

[Jezroy]

Because there really shouldn't be any arguments on the matter, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Pakistan and the West Indies aren't even close to being the best test team in the world.

Correct. However, Pakistan is already in the poll. Sri Lanka aren't in the poll when perhaps they could be. Certain people are bringing the West Indies into this.

So why not? Let's make it as Polictially Correct as possible. Give everyone an equal chance when ya just know that only half the test teams are actually good enough to be involved in this discussion.

 

[Top_Cat]

.........and will still receive votes from fanboys anyway.

 

[Jezroy]

.........and will still receive votes from fanboys anyway.

Yep. Bet you someone would vote for Bangladesh. Interesting that there are no NZ fans saying that NZ should be in this poll.

Nice to be realistic considering we haven't been able to bat for a while. Actually bat like a test match.

 

[WindieWeathers]

Yep. Bet you someone would vote for Bangladesh. Interesting that there are no NZ fans saying that NZ should be in this poll.

Nice to be realistic considering we haven't been able to bat for a while. Actually bat like a test match.

To be fair i'm not saying WI deserve to be on this poll, i'm just saying that Pak shouldn't be on there ahead of us, that's all, realistically it would be Ind, Eng, Aus and Sa for now as SL haven't really been playing that many tests of late and were well beaten in India not long ago, but if they were on the list i wouldn't have any complaints.

 

[Pratters]

Let's not argue who is in the poll and who isn't as it is not very constructive. All 9 teams could have been better to avoid controversy but it isn't. No need to cry a river about it.

It is better if we discuss which team we consider the best. RSA is the one by common consensus but Neil has raised hitting points against RSA which no one has countered yet.

 

[pasag]

WAC
z

dwta

Anyways:

- India are let down by their lack of fastmen
- Aus are very well rounded on paper, but are very hit and miss at the moment. Guys are going in and out of form regularly. Not one batsmen is interested in making a big hundred, it seems. Happy with the bowling nonetheless. I think they just need to find one rock middle order player and everything will fall back into place. Until they rectify their tendency to collapse like a pack of cards they have no place in this discussion.
- SA win just because Aus and India have fallen out of the race and also because Morkel has gotten better so they're no longer a one man bowling attack. Still if Steyn ever gets injured, like fast bowlers tend to do, especially later in their career - watch them freefall.
- England - ineligible to ever be a part of these discussions just because.

 

[Zinzan]

South Africa, IMO their ahead of everybody else, not by much but still better.

Agreed, not by bucket-loads, but clearly no.1 for me too. Especially when one contemplates 2 or 3 of those nail-biting last wicket saves by both England & India in the last 12 months.

 

[WindieWeathers]

Let's not argue who is in the poll and who isn't as it is not very constructive. All 9 teams could have been better to avoid controversy but it isn't. No need to cry a river about it.

It is better if we discuss which team we consider the best. RSA is the one by common consensus but Neil has raised hitting points against RSA which no one has countered yet.

Excuse me i'm not "crying a river" i'm merely pointing out that it's rather frivolous to put Pakistan ahead of WI and especially SL on this poll, no-one would have an issue if you didn't make such a glaring error to be honest!! .

 

[Zinzan]

I'd love to know how on earth Pak made the list and yet WI were excluded? .

In all fairness mate, Pakistan look comfortably better than either NZ or the WI's at the moment, especially considering their pace attack is up with SA & Aust.

My current rankings would be; (gaps indicating my margins)

1 South Africa
=2 Australia/India/England

5 Sri Lanka
6 Pakistan


=7WI/NZ


8 Bangladesh

 

[WindieWeathers]

In all fairness mate, Pakistan look comfortably better than either NZ or the WI's at the moment, especially considering their pace attack is up with SA & Aust.

My current rankings would be; (gaps indicating my margins)

1 South Africa
=2 Australia/India/England

5 Sri Lanka
6 Pakistan


=7WI/NZ


8 Bangladesh

The problem you have is the results simply don't back up your statement, yes their bowling has looked fantastic of late (and tbh they are playing on bowler friendly pitches right now) but their batting has been shocking and it's glaringly obvious that WI's strongest batting line-up is a lot better than theirs, so what seperates them from us? man for man i don't believe they have the advantage.

 

[Zinzan]

The problem you have is the results simply don't back up your statement, yes their bowling has looked fantastic of late (and tbh they are playing on bowler friendly pitches right now) but their batting has been shocking and it's glaringly obvious that WI's strongest batting line-up is a lot better than theirs, so what seperates them from us? man for man i don't believe they have the advantage

Of course the only problem is almost the entire cricketing world would disagree with that. If you dispute that fact, I challenge you to start a poll asking who 'the best test side is - West Indies or Pakistan' and I'm more than happy to 'fess-up' if more vote for the Windies

 

[Uppercut]

Well India have kinda earnt the right to be called the best team in the world. Kinda, because there's some huuuge gaps in their CV. But they make a more compelling case than anyone else.

SA have the best players but I'm kinda tired of waiting for them to start delivering.