How would the current Aussie batting lineup do against the 1980's WI?

[silentstriker]

In the last Ashes, Australia were pinned back by a very good England pace attack, which won them the Ashes.

West Indies had a far superior pace attack than the one Aussies faced, and I know there's been discussion on where this team lies among the all time greats.

How do you think they would have fared against the west indies bowlers in full flow?

 

[Xuhaib]

They would struggle to be honest but I still believe it would be a good contest because looking back at WI (of that era) record against spinners I am sure Warne and Macgill would also be able to tie them in knots

 

[Perm]

I beleive that the current Australian batting line-up would be dominated by the West Indies pace attack of the 1980's. But in saying that Warne and MacGill would have done the same to the West Indies batting lineup of that era.

 

[aussie]

currently it would struggle but if you put together the best Aussie batting line-up of the past 11 years vs the best Windies pace attack from 1976-1995:

Hayden
Taylor
Ponting
M Waugh
S Waugh
Hussey
Gilchrist

They would do fairly ok i would think..

 

[UncleTheOne]

You really think Mark Waugh would be in there, would you want him in there? I'd much rather have a hard grafter like Justin Langer against and attack like the West Indies than a guy like Mark Waugh.

 

[Fusion]

currently it would struggle but if you put together the best Aussie batting line-up of the past 11 years vs the best Windies pace attack from 1976-1995:

Hayden
Taylor
Ponting
M Waugh
S Waugh
Hussey
Gilchrist

They would do fairly ok i would think..

I agree. The current lineup may struggle, but if we include the Waugh brothers and Taylor, then they have a chance.

 

[aussie]

You really think Mark Waugh would be in there, would you want him in there? I'd much rather have a hard grafter like Justin Langer against and attack like the West Indies than a guy like Mark Waugh.

Yea at his best just need someone to get in his ear, after all as a youngster in 1991 he did very well againts the Windies in his career, he averaged 39 in the series where Ambrose/Walsh were playing together which is a pretty decent effort for me.

 

[Slifer]

I think the nature of the outcome would depend on venue. I would expect ach country to win in their own back yard but I would expect WI to have the edge overall.

PS SHane Warne and Stuart Mcgill have a pretty ordinary track record against a pretty ordinary WI team.

 

[tooextracool]

currently it would struggle but if you put together the best Aussie batting line-up of the past 11 years vs the best Windies pace attack from 1976-1995:

Hayden
Taylor
Ponting
M Waugh
S Waugh
Hussey
Gilchrist

They would do fairly ok i would think..

Hussey in the best Australian lineup of the last 11 years? Thats quite a joke. Thats like me putting Cook down in the best England lineup of the past 11 years.....

Edit: Actually Cook is amongst the best English batsmen in the last decade, after Mark Ramprakash of course.

 

[aussie]

Hussey in the best Australian lineup of the last 11 years? Thats quite a joke.

No its isn't maybe he has just started and hasn't played in all conditions around the world like Martyn or Langer etc, but i think he has what i takes to become players and have better records than them both, plus if you have a middle order of Ponting & the Waugh's he would be the best man to come @ number 6 for me.

 

[aussie]

PS SHane Warne and Stuart Mcgill have a pretty ordinary track record against a pretty ordinary WI team.

West Indies weren't ordinary in the 91/92, 95 & 96/97 series though, he averaged 27 with in those series, decent but not ordinary.

 

[Slifer]

True but those teams certainly have nothing on the WI teams circa late 70s early 80s. But i still think it will go either way with both teams winning in their own backyard.

 

[SJS]

Will someone remember to always recall this poll whenever a comparison is made of modern day batting titans with those who faced better attacks please for that really is what would put this Aussie side to such a disadvantage against the 80's Carribeans as against todays opposition around the world.

Put together a Pakistani side with Imran and Sarfaraz (with Qadir to support) and later Wasim and Waqar, same with the South Africans with Donald and a faster version of Pollock and one gets an idea of the continuously sliding bowling standards around the world.

 

[Burgey]

The Aussie line up would dominate overall.

Current batsmen play with aggression off the back foot better now than ever before, owing to the effect on techniques of one-day cricket. They are also more innovative - for example, when did you see upper cuts and sixes over point and third man in the 80s? I'd love to see players like Ponting, Gilchrist, Mark Waugh, Slater (going back a few years) against those bowlers. Also, better helmets mean a big part of the fear factor is gone.

Batsmen from all over the world are more aggressive now, which is one (though by no means the only) reason run rates are up. Guys like Lara, Tendulkar, Pietersen, Kallis, Dravid, Inzi, Yousef and Strauss would all score runs becuase they are able to play off either foot and be aggressive.

Not only that, the West Indies would have to bowl 90 overs in a day, something they never had to do, especially in the 80s.

It would be a wondreful contest though. That attack was certainly an imposing one. But if you played a series between them over differing conditions, I just think the current Aussie line up would win.

 

[Slifer]

u know y batsmen these days are so aggressive hint hint because there r a lack of quality fast bowlers to keep them in check. In the mid to late nineties when WI had the services of both Ambrose and Walsh most test series between the Aust. and WI were decided by one test. Now imagine if u had 4 bowlers of similar ability plus a far superior battin/fielding line up to back them up.

NE way that Australia or WI would win is a matter of opinion. i could see the WI of the 80s losing in present day Australia 2-1 or 3-2 but back in the WI (as it was in the 80s and with no helmets) I could see Australia losing 3-0 or 3-1.

 

[GIMH]

Last year it was debated whether the Aussies were simply out of form, or whether they were struggling because they'd never come up against a great attack before. I guess your stance in this poll would correlate with what your opinion was there.

For me, the Aussies undoubtedly do and did have a great batting line-up, but our bowlers had their number and Vaughan's plans worked a treat. I would imagine the West Indies pace attack would have finished them off at Old Trafford, so I have to vote for WI dominate.

 

[Matt79]

I agree it would depend on venue. I would expect the Aussies to still win in Australia, but not in the West Indies, and not on tracks favouring seamers like those in England.

But as has been remarked, I think the Windies batting line up of the time would look distinctly more mortal against McGrath, Warne, the old good Gillespie and probably Lee.

Also, are we playing on 1980s pitches or 2000s pitches?

 

[Slow Love™]

I'm a little in the "depends what era and venue" camp in general myself, but in order to at least try and be fair in these situations, shouldn't a particular West Indian side (that actually played together for some length of time) get named?

The way this kind of question usually works is that everybody cherrypicks the 11 best West Indians of the 80's (an entire decade), imagining them at their best, and then lines them up against a team of Aussies right now that may or may not be either the best 11 of the decade, OR at the height of their powers.

 

[silentstriker]

I'm a little in the "depends what era and venue" camp in general myself, but in order to at least try and be fair in these situations, shouldn't a particular West Indian side (that actually played together for some length of time) get named?

The way this kind of question usually works is that everybody cherrypicks the 11 best West Indians of the 80's (an entire decade), imagining them at their best, and then lines them up against a team of Aussies right now that may or may not be either the best 11 of the decade, OR at the height of their powers.

OK:

Garner
Marshall
Holding
Walsh

Take it right from the middle of the decade.

 

[Slow Love™]

In Sydney in '85, an Aussie batting lineup that I'd call significantly inferior scored 470 against that lineup, and we towelled up the Windies in an innings victory.

So I guess it does end up being a case of the conditions, and what "on balance" would happen. I would be surprised if they couldn't towel us up in bowler-friendly conditions, though. They're all great bowlers and obviously superior to what England have - and I think we are obviously not as dominant as we once were. In the context of a proper match it'd be very interesting, although I'm tempted to say that the WI '85 team is a little better anyway, all things considered. A match up between them and the Aussie '00/'01 side might be different.