Is this the most impressive test victory ever?

[Slifer]

From a WI perspective this:

AUS vs WI Cricket Scorecard, 3rd Test at Adelaide, January 26 - 30, 1980

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Not the best Aus team but still very good imo.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Aus v Pak, Hobart, 1999

Definitely biased because first Test match that was happening while I was aware of cricket existing.

Yeah Langer should have been out but chasing down 350 in the 4th innings when 5/120 ish, with guy in his second Test making 149*, against a strong attack definitely shouldn't happen

 

[subshakerz]

Aus v Pak, Hobart, 1999

Definitely biased because first Test match that was happening while I was aware of cricket existing.

Yeah Langer should have been out but chasing down 350 in the 4th innings when 5/120 ish, with guy in his second Test making 149*, against a strong attack definitely shouldn't happen

Well the 1st and 3rd tests were bigger hammerings.

 

[Ali TT]

What about this one? Admittedly not a great Pakistan side and one playing in exile, but bowling them out twice for 112 was about as dominating as you can get

AUS vs PAK Cricket Scorecard, 2nd Test at Sharjah, October 11 - 12, 2002

Get cricket scorecard of 2nd Test, AUS vs PAK, Australia tour of Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates 2002/03 at Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium dated October 11 - 12, 2002.

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[TheJediBrah]

What about this one? Admittedly not a great Pakistan side and one playing in exile, but bowling them out twice for 112 was about as dominating as you can get

AUS vs PAK Cricket Scorecard, 2nd Test at Sharjah, October 11 - 12, 2002

Get cricket scorecard of 2nd Test, AUS vs PAK, Australia tour of Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates 2002/03 at Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium dated October 11 - 12, 2002.

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That was possibly the hottest Test. Was over 50 degrees Celcius IIRC

 

[Burgey]

Poor old EH Jr, his test career was all but over before his voice broke.

During the late 90s/00s the Aussies seemed to brutalise the South Africans even more than they did us, which was surprising given that those South African teams were, on paper at least, pretty strong.

The SA team seemed to have a real mental block playing Australia in that era, and especially when Steve Waugh was in the team. He missed SA's famous win in Sydney in 93/94 with injury, came back for the next in Adelaide and basically turned the series momentum (if there is such a thing) on its head.

 

[Howe_zat]

I don't think the late 90s SA side in the OP were especially good. They had lost to a pretty bad England side in England in 1994 and won a narrow return series 18 months later, and also did the same against a middling mid-90s India. They were a pretty average Test side at that point. The 2002 side was coming off a much better run and would go on to win 10 consecutive tests after playing Australia, so the bogey team thing was pretty real for them.

 

[Ali TT]

I don't think the late 90s SA side in the OP were especially good. They had lost to a pretty bad England side in England in 1994 and won a narrow return series 18 months later, and also did the same against a middling mid-90s India. They were a pretty average Test side at that point. The 2002 side was coming off a much better run and would go on to win 10 consecutive tests after playing Australia, so the bogey team thing was pretty real for them.

Agree (it was 97 we beat them, 94 was a draw after they pissed off Big Dev). By the time we toured in 99/00 they were far more formidable - that was the series we started 2/4, losing 2 matches by an innings and coming worse off in two draws, before the Cronje test. Perhaps they peaked then and were sliding down by the time they met Australia. The sides we faced in 2003 and 04/05 felt more like teams in transition.

 

[subshakerz]

I don't think the late 90s SA side in the OP were especially good. They had lost to a pretty bad England side in England in 1994 and won a narrow return series 18 months later, and also did the same against a middling mid-90s India. They were a pretty average Test side at that point. The 2002 side was coming off a much better run and would go on to win 10 consecutive tests after playing Australia, so the bogey team thing was pretty real for them.

Bowling attack wise though Donald and Pollock were at their peaks though, whereas in 2002 had a much worse attack.

 

[OverratedSanity]

I don't think the late 90s SA side in the OP were especially good. They had lost to a pretty bad England side in England in 1994 and won a narrow return series 18 months later, and also did the same against a middling mid-90s India. They were a pretty average Test side at that point.

I don't think that's quite right. SA lost to India in 96 but that Indian side was still strong at home. They were beyond woeful away. It was also the only series they'd lost since readmission (The England tour in 94 was drawn thanks to that famous Devon Malcolm spell) . They'd definitely displaced West Indies as the second best side in the world and that 97 series was seen at the time as the contest that'd decide the number 1 spot.

 

[Marius]

In terms of beating annihilating a strong team, is there an victory that tops this?

SA under Cronje are playing at home with a strong batting lineup batting up to no.8, and peak Donald/Pollock.

Yet they get annihilated in an innings loss, Waugh and Blewett batting an entire day without a wicket loss, and then SA quickly fold in the 2nd innings without a whimper.

SA vs AUS Cricket Scorecard, 1st Test at Johannesburg, February 28 - March 04, 1997

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Is there any other comparable victory where a quality team has been decimated, that too at home?

I was at the stadium the day Blewett and Waugh ground us into dust

 

[Chin Music]

Agree (it was 97 we beat them, 94 was a draw after they pissed off Big Dev). By the time we toured in 99/00 they were far more formidable - that was the series we started 2/4, losing 2 matches by an innings and coming worse off in two draws, before the Cronje test. Perhaps they peaked then and were sliding down by the time they met Australia. The sides we faced in 2003 and 04/05 felt more like teams in transition.

It was 98 when England beat SA. From what I recall their batting wasn't as strong as it might have been. In 2003 their batting was very strong but their bowling with a declining Pollock as their lead, wasn't nearly as strong. So I agree that it was between those periods that they matched up far better. That said, they got absolutely caned when they played the Aussies when in theory they should have been more competitive. Even so, they still lacked a spinner of any real class. They would have killed to have Maharaj or Harmer in those days.

 

[Ali TT]

It was 98 when England beat SA. From what I recall their batting wasn't as strong as it might have been. In 2003 their batting was very strong but their bowling with a declining Pollock as their lead, wasn't nearly as strong. So I agree that it was between those periods that they matched up far better. That said, they got absolutely caned when they played the Aussies when in theory they should have been more competitive. Even so, they still lacked a spinner of any real class. They would have killed to have Maharaj or Harmer in those days.

98, correct. I've blotted out whatever series happened in 1997, some weird cricketing memory issue I had every 2.5 then 1.5 years throughout the 90s and early 00s.

 

[Boags]

England perspective.

IND vs ENG Cricket Scorecard, 2nd Test at Mumbai, November 23 - 26, 2012

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AUS vs ENG Cricket Scorecard, 4th Test at Melbourne, December 26 - 29, 2010

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These would be England's two most impressive away wins. I couldn't choose between them, the heart says Melbourne, head says Mumbai.

Honestly, Rawalpindi 2022 is up there as well for managing a result on one of the flattest pitches I've ever seen. https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...an-vs-england-1st-test-1330871/full-scorecard

 

[Prince EWS]

What about this one? Admittedly not a great Pakistan side and one playing in exile, but bowling them out twice for 112 was about as dominating as you can get

AUS vs PAK Cricket Scorecard, 2nd Test at Sharjah, October 11 - 12, 2002

Get cricket scorecard of 2nd Test, AUS vs PAK, Australia tour of Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates 2002/03 at Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium dated October 11 - 12, 2002.

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It got Misbah dropped for five years too.

 

[subshakerz]

England perspective.

IND vs ENG Cricket Scorecard, 2nd Test at Mumbai, November 23 - 26, 2012

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AUS vs ENG Cricket Scorecard, 4th Test at Melbourne, December 26 - 29, 2010

Get cricket scorecard of 4th Test, AUS vs ENG, England tour of Australia 2010/11 at Melbourne Cricket Ground dated December 26 - 29, 2010.

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These would be England's two most impressive away wins. I couldn't choose between them, the heart says Melbourne, head says Mumbai.

Honestly, Rawalpindi 2022 is up there as well for managing a result on one of the flattest pitches I've ever seen. https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...an-vs-england-1st-test-1330871/full-scorecard

Yeah that is a good one. That Aussie side had no right losing that badly.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Yeah that is a good one. That Aussie side had no right losing that badly.

Not sure I agree with that. The team was a shambles, even though they did win the previous Test. They lost the next by an innings as well. Might look good on paper but Ponting, Clarke and Katich were in the worst form of their careers and the bowling sucked. It was basically Hussey & Haddin v 11 Englishmen in the form of their lives

 

[subshakerz]

Not sure I agree with that. The team was a shambles, even though they did win the previous Test. They lost the next by an innings as well. Might look good on paper but Ponting, Clarke and Katich were in the worst form of their careers and the bowling sucked. It was basically Hussey & Haddin v 11 Englishmen in the form of their lives

I recall it as a combo of relentlessness from England and poor form from Australia but still Australia were better than that level of performance

 

[Boags]

Not sure I agree with that. The team was a shambles, even though they did win the previous Test. They lost the next by an innings as well. Might look good on paper but Ponting, Clarke and Katich were in the worst form of their careers and the bowling sucked. It was basically Hussey & Haddin v 11 Englishmen in the form of their lives

England were a great side at that point but Australia weren't THAT bad. It's been a while now, but I think Australia fell apart during that series more than anything and their form got real bad, real fast, while England were at their peak. I recall most of the batsman being in decent form coming into the series, aside from Ponting being well passed his best and Hussey being in the worst form of his life (the century in Brisbane saved his career). The pace attack was decent, even if not one of Australia's strongest, but there was a lack of any quality spinner which hurt. It still wasn't a team that should have gotten as thrashed as badly as they did.

By comparison, it was thought that the 2010/11 series would be close and hard fought with England being the favorites, in 2013 England were expected to dominate both series and no one gave Australia a chance (sounds pretty funny now given what happened in Australia).

 

[TheJediBrah]

England were a great side at that point but Australia weren't THAT bad. It's been a while now, but I think Australia fell apart during that series more than anything and their form got real bad, real fast, while England were at their peak. I recall most of the batsman being in decent form coming into the series, aside from Ponting being well passed his best and Hussey being in the worst form of his life (the century in Brisbane saved his career). The pace attack was decent, even if not one of Australia's strongest, but there was a lack of any quality spinner which hurt. It still wasn't a team that should have gotten as thrashed as badly as they did.

By comparison, it was thought that the 2010/11 series would be close and hard fought with England being the favorites, in 2013 England were expected to dominate both series and no one gave Australia a chance (sounds pretty funny now given what happened in Australia).

Going into the series that was definitely the case. But the levels of performance were vastly different. I also wouldn't agree at all that Australia's attack was decent. On paper it was ok at best, in execution they were poor. Siddle was the only guy that bowled to his potential. Harris could only play a few games, Johnson was his bad version except the one innings at Perth and Hilfenhaus and Bollinger weren't performing at a Test standard.

Compare that to the series 3 years later it's not even a comparison