*Official* Australia in decline thread

[marc71178]

It just continues to show how misleading FC stats can be.

 

[Richard]

What, so Dorey, Lewis, Johnson, Clark, White, Hopes, Watson, Hauritz, Williams, Harvey and Bichel (though his domestic records are OK) are actually brilliant bowlers?
Pull the other one.
With the exception of Clark, Harvey and Bichel, all were stupid selections.

 

[FRAZ]

Teams catching up to the Aussies or not ?

hehehehe
I asked this question a long time ago and continuing again and well trying to beat Mr SJS in digging the old thread thing .
Question is still there
Teams catching up or not ... Answer : Marginal success in the last two years but , NO ONE IS near AWESOME AUSSIES .....................................................

 

[FRAZ]

I guess we need 11 like him to do the job

http://www.henryolonga.net/

 

[dinu23]

If SL could play all their games at home, then maybe...

this comming from a guy, whose team lost 5-0 to SL...in England. LOL

 

[FRAZ]

this comming from a guy, whose team lost 5-0 to SL...in England. LOL

Hmmm you know what this is quite a good example that you gave .There is a thing called "standard" and maintaining it is the main problem . Pakistan can beat Australia , England did that too but how many times?

 

[GIMH]

In all fairness, didn't he say it in 2004?

 

[marc71178]

Yes, I did.

 

[FRAZ]

So

 

[Tim]

NZ is going to give them a good run for their money in the ODI's this year, but as far as test matches go NZ is a long way off right now.

 

[Run like Inzy]

I dont see a team surpassing the great aussie team of the last decade in the near future, but the decline of the Aussie team is apparent and with an ageing team it is more likely that the others don't catch up but infact the Aussies fall behind.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

I dont see a team surpassing the great aussie team of the last decade in the near future, but the decline of the Aussie team is apparent and with an ageing team it is more likely that the others don't catch up but infact the Aussies fall behind.

In test cricket, the only blemish so far is really the Ashes. Outside of that series, Australia has been virtually flawless in test cricket for several years. Since the series win in India for instance, Australia has won 16 tests, drawn 4 and lost 2. Take out the Ashes and it's 15 wins and 2 draws, with no losses. That includes series against South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand, West Indies and Bangladesh, so a fair cross-section of world cricket. I don't think there's much evidence there of a clear decay in the team as a whole, so much as one series where a number of problems with the team came to a head. If those problems can be rectified, there's no reason Australia can't continue to dominate in test cricket for a couple more seasons at least. There will inevitably be a decline when some of the current greats move on (Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist etc), but I don't think it's necessarily something that is happening right now.

In ODIs I think there is clear evidence that the team is more beatable than it was, but I think that has more to do with the improvement of opposition sides than anything else. There's far more strong, competitive ODI teams today than in 2003, IMO, while the Australian team is quite similar to what it was then in terms of strength.

 

[SJS]

Are the other teams catching up to the Aussies or what ?

The tortoise never runs fast. Its just that it lives much, MUCH longer than the hare.

The hare will finally slow down with age.

 

[FRAZ]

The tortoise never runs fast. Its just that it lives much, MUCH longer than the hare.

The hare will finally slow down with age.

May be Hare will slow down but this hare seems not to be "sleeping atleast" any time in the future for sure.

 

[SJS]

May be Hare will slow down but this hare seems not to be "sleeping atleast" any time in the future for sure.

Yes I agree.

But its relative isnt it. My Opel Astra seemed so damn fast when I bought it many years ago but fatser cars have come to India now. The Opel hasnt gone to sleep. The manager who inherited it from me is thrilled with it (he had a Maruti-Suzuki 800 before) but my Accord V6 is a zipper.

I think the Australians are being made to last FOREVER by stagnant, even declining, overall standards. With the gap there was to start with, its not surprising is it.

Play this Aussie side (at their current career stage and ages) against Steve Waugh's side of five years ago and the difference will be stark.

 

[wpdavid]

In test cricket, the only blemish so far is really the Ashes. Outside of that series, Australia has been virtually flawless in test cricket for several years. Since the series win in India for instance, Australia has won 16 tests, drawn 4 and lost 2. Take out the Ashes and it's 15 wins and 2 draws, with no losses. That includes series against South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand, West Indies and Bangladesh, so a fair cross-section of world cricket. I don't think there's much evidence there of a clear decay in the team as a whole, so much as one series where a number of problems with the team came to a head. If those problems can be rectified, there's no reason Australia can't continue to dominate in test cricket for a couple more seasons at least. There will inevitably be a decline when some of the current greats move on (Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist etc), but I don't think it's necessarily something that is happening right now.

I can't argue with your stats, but I just wonder if Aus' batting lineup has got away with it a bit in recent years due to the weakness of bowling attacks elsewhere. Obviously I'm not saying they have a bad top 7, but I'm not convinced it's what it was when both Waughs were playing, and I'm not sure that Gilchrist is as good as he was. As for the bowling, you'd have to say that there's not as much quality beyond the two all-time-greats as when Gillespie was still a world class performer.

Not that I think any of that will matter in the immediate future, but I can see the argument that their side is weaker, even if results have mostly been fine. As we all know, the interesting time will be when McGrath goes (probably after the Ashes?) and especially when the leggie whose name escapes me decides to call it a day. I also wonder how they'd fare if some of the other countries managed to produce a pace attack as goos as some of the sides Aus were seeing off in the 1990's.

 

[silentstriker]

I think the Australians are being made to last FOREVER by stagnant, even declining, overall standards. With the gap there was to start with, its not surprising is it.

I think Test cricket has rarely been more competitive. What are you talking about? Yes Zim and Bang aren't competitive, and WI are in a down cycle...but for the most part I've never seen this many close tests.

 

[wpdavid]

I think Test cricket has rarely been more competitive. What are you talking about? Yes Zim and Bang aren't competitive, and WI are in a down cycle...but for the most part I've never seen this many close tests.

Doesn't mean the standard's high though. Just means there's a lot of moderate sides that are quite evenly matched.

 

[SJS]

Doesn't mean the standard's high though. Just means there's a lot of moderate sides that are quite evenly matched.

Perfect.

 

[Turbinator]

What will happen to India and Australia once their key players retire?

I was wondering, what will happen to the Indian team once Dravid, Tendulkar, and Kumble retire. Will the young stars of today, such as Dhoni, Yuvraj, Kaif, Sehwag, Pathan, and Bhajji, be able to cope well with the immense responsibilty that would be put on their shoulders. Two big superstars, Dravid and Tendulkar, will be gone. This will be a big morale loss for the team. Yuvi, Dhoni, and Kaif certainly don't look very responsible at the moment. Sehwag is very inconsistent.

Australia on the other hand, will also lose superstars like McGrath, Ponting, Warne, etc etc. Will they ever produce such a talented bunch again?

Well one thing is for certain, the retirement of these key players will not only be a loss for both the teams, but also a tremendous loss for the cricket world