How did India become the No. 1 Test Side?

[Gob]

Aust batsmen like Warner and Khawaja get quite a bit of stick for making loads of runs on flat home pitches so shouldn't the Aust bowlers get lot of extra credit for bowling on them or its a something we should collectively ignore? Rabada and Phillander have better numbers but i'm sure both Hazlewood and Cummins at least would have similar numbers if they get to bowl on wickets like the ones in this series.

Think SA might still be slightly better man to man in the pace department but Lyon makes the Aust attack better over all. That being said this is based on the assumption that SA revert back to playing an all rounder instead of a specialist bowler and Lyon may not have a huge impact in this series anyway if similar wickets are prepared

 

[GotSpin]

Why?

All-round records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo
All-round records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo

Lyon taken more wickets, but bowled many more overs and has a higher avg. Played in India, Bangladesh, spin friendly conditions, and at home against Eng. Maharaj has taken less wickets but bowled many less overs with a better avg, And basically played all his cricket outside SA, on generally un-spin friendly pitches.

Problem is people ignore Maharaj because he is not the star of the SA line-up but to outright say that Lyon is far superior is disingenuous. Lyon has bowled really well and he is probably a touch better (due to experience) than Maharaj but I don't think he is leagues ahead like what is being implied.

Bowling spin for an Australian spinner traditionally hasn't been what I would call 'friendly'

 

[StephenZA]

Aust batsmen like Warner and Khawaja get quite a bit of stick for making loads of runs on flat home pitches so shouldn't the Aust bowlers get lot of extra credit for bowling on them or its a something we should collectively ignore? Rabada and Phillander have better numbers but i'm sure both Hazlewood and Cummins at least would have similar numbers if they get to bowl on wickets like the ones in this series.

Great, as long as we could add 10 runs to all the SA batsmen avg...... (sigh!)

 

[Gob]

Great, as long as we could add 10 runs to all the SA batsmen avg...... (sigh!)

10 is too much but i definitely think likes of Amla and DeVilliers should get lot of extra credit for playing half of their games on these wickets and still averaging 50 plus

 

[Motorwada]

10 is too much but i definitely think likes of Amla and DeVilliers should get lot of extra credit for playing half of their games on these wickets and still averaging 50 plus

Both of them average below 50 though and will prolly end up around 47-48

 

[Gob]

Both of them average below 50 though and will prolly end up around 47-48

Pretty sure DeVilliers averaged above fifty at the start of the game. Must have have fallen below the mark after two failures.

 

[Spark]

Last time I checked I swore he averaged 52-ish?

Just shows how meaningless the 50 threshold is tbh.

 

[Furball]

10 is too much but i definitely think likes of Amla and DeVilliers should get lot of extra credit for playing half of their games on these wickets and still averaging 50 plus

They don't open.

 

[Gob]

They don't open.

They are out playing in side first ten overs very often so they are as good as opening especially Hashim

 

[Shri]

Like the new Perth pitch. Can't wait to watch a test match when it happens and I hope Cummins/Starc/Hazlewood shoot sides out.

 

[Slifer]

RSA attack > Oz attack. Not by that much but they just do. The hardest place historically to succeed as a fast bowler has been in Australia. Oz batsmen are the best at playing pace and lately their pitches have flattened out a bit. RSA bowlers outbowled their counterparts the last time they played in Australia. Also, even without Steyn I'd rank the bowlers thusly Philander, Rabada, Hazelwood, Starc, Morkel, Cummings, Lyon, Maharaj. Again, not a huge gap but RSA attack for me.

 

[srbhkshk]

It needs to be mentioned that from initial signs Ngidi looks as good as any fast bowler in the world currently.

 

[stephen]

I wouldn't read too much into the last SA tour to Aus. It said a lot more about Australian batting than either bowling attack. Perth was a case of the Australian batting crapping themselves on a WACA road. Hobart was a reading green top which favoured the strengths of Philander in particular. And Adelaide was a heavy win by Australia.

And Cummins is better than Siddle, Mennie or Bird.

South Africa's bowling is better if Steyn plays. It's much closer if he doesn't. I don't think people truly appreciate how terrible and road-like the pitches were in Australia this summer and all of our bowlers still took over 20 wickets each.

 

[Slifer]

U can't have it both ways. Last time RSA were in Oz they outbowled their Oz counterparts on said roads and in one test they only had 3 frontline bowlers. Australian bowlers donot get extra brownie points for performing at home, all bowlers tend to do better in home conditions.

 

[Gob]

U can't have it both ways. Last time RSA were in Oz they outbowled their Oz counterparts on said roads and in one test they only had 3 frontline bowlers.

Last time was hardly roads with two games being played on Hobart and Adeilaide.

Australian bowlers donot get extra brownie points for performing at home, all bowlers tend to do better in home conditions.

Lol

 

[Slifer]

Last time was hardly roads with two games being played on Hobart and Adeilaide.



Lol

Whether they were roads or not, an under strength RSA attack did better than their Oz counterparts.

 

[Gob]

Whether they were roads or not, an under strength RSA attack did better than their Oz counterparts.

And?

 

[Chrish]

Great, as long as we could add 10 runs to all the SA batsmen avg...... (sigh!)

Kallis averaged almost 57 over there

Only shocker is his record in England.. I mean he had no reason not to do well over there. Otherwise he was pretty much brilliant everywhere else.

 

[Heboric]

Kallis averaged almost 57 over there

Only shocker is his record in England.. I mean he had no reason not to do well over there. Otherwise he was pretty much brilliant everywhere else.

They had to employ dodgy windows to distract Kallis over there

 

[Slifer]

And?

...And therefore they (Rsa) imo are better.