The Next Powerhouse?

[bren122]

The Next Powerhouse?

so it would seem that India and South Africa are the teams leading world cricket at the moment, but does either country have what it takes to dominate world cricket like Australia and The WIndies before them? or is this simply a hiatus until Australia returns to the top in a couple of years time? or is cricket headed for a long span of shifting superiority like the 70's?

To me South Africa seem to have the right ingredients at the moment but political developments in the country will be a big factor in determining how long that will last. Zimbabwe was just starting to get competitive when the crisis there shattered the game.
India seems to have the longterm balance in its favour though the playing roster is not as strong as South Africa at the moment.
And how long will it take Australia to bounce back from this low point in its history? is it just a matter of experience or will it require the next generation to take its place before we dominate again?
personally i hope we are in for an era of shifting superiority where every series will have an effect on who will be number one by the end of it- even if Australia occasionally gets ranked 4th or 5th.

 

[distributer of pain]

Re: The Next Powerhouse?

india sould've been dominating world cricket for a long long time now, i blame the pitches they play on for their limited success over the years, they're near on unbeatable at home but they struggle on quicker and bouncier pitches, i think they're slowly improving in this area though, so on a talent basis i think india are or will be the best, time will tell if they can put it on the scoreboard.

 

[breeno]

Re: The Next Powerhouse?

South Africa.

Great nucleus of players, and have that x factor about them.

 

[breeno]

Re: The Next Powerhouse?

Sri Lanka could be smokeys, Samaraweera is unstoppable.

 

[distributer of pain]

Re: The Next Powerhouse?

over 1 billion cricket mad indians, remember theres no football in india, hockey for some but the vast majority play cricket, thats what i based my opinion on.

 

[mas cambios]

Re: The Next Powerhouse?

You would have thought that India would be in the best place to dominate but I don't think their infrastructure is there just yet. The country is too big, too many people and too many 'boards/regions' with their own interest at heart.

You can go from mega sized city to third world village separated by language, religion and a million other things. Whilst this doesn't mean they won't dominate it does make it harder, as co-ordination of resources is key.

They have the numbers and the devotion but it takes more than that. Look at the teams that have dominated and they generally have 1/2/3 stand out players, players who are world class and then a little bit more.

South Africa have a good crop of players but again, I don't think they'll dominate. The lack of a quality spinner is a big handicap.

Sri Lanka have talent but lack depth, once the likes of Sangakarra goes, who is there to come in? They got lucky in finding Mendis but even he is suffering from second season syndrome.

Australia need to rebuild and are maybe 5 years away from being a strong and settled unit, like wise England. Pakistan will always be inconsistent, brilliant one day, rubbish the next. West Indies in turmoil and New Zealand simply too small a country, unless they find a golden generation but it's unlikely.

Personally, I think a few years where the number one spot changes between teams is a good thing. Let have exciting test cricket with matches that mean something with everyone capable of beating everyone else.

 

[distributer of pain]

Re: The Next Powerhouse?

i agree 100%, if india started throwing money at cricket like Australia do then the rest of the world would be playing for 2nd IMO, they're a 3rd world country and they dont have the cash to spend at the moment but their economys growing rapidly, as fast as any country in the world im guessing and IMO within 10/15 yrs we'll see a major improvment in their team, SA and sri lanka are probably a touch ahead of them as far as talent in the national team goes, but the clock is ticking.

 

[bren122]

Re: The Next Powerhouse?

New Zealand could be said to have just come out of a golden age- Fleming, Astle, Cairns and Bond made it a good team to watch but are all gone now.
Sri Lanka will lose a lot of development in the game trying to rebuild the country after the civil war.
India has announced a crackdown on corruption and one of the main targets are going to be the cricket associations- this could bring the talent forward or destabilise the game depending on how serious the crackdown is and how much the boards fight back.
South Africa is in a period of political turmoil that could grow into something resembling Zimbabwe if not handled well- the number of whites leaving the country is starting to grow again.
Australia has a bit of a development gap from the change in selecting older players; there was that period in the late nineties and earlier this decade where all the up and comers seemed to head straight for the local football league. i think that this hiatus may last a little longer than we are expecting- there really isn't a lot of bowling talent between say 24 and 30 years of age.

 

[hattrick]

Re: The Next Powerhouse?

South Africa is in a period of political turmoil that could grow into something resembling Zimbabwe if not handled well- the number of whites leaving the country is starting to grow again.

Wow, where did that come from? An ex-Saffa ? I can confidently say as a proud South African that lives here and have African soil under my feat, the expatss are beginning to return. We do have issues but this is totally out of proportion mate!

 

[hattrick]

Re: The Next Powerhouse?

I have read all of the posts and agree without a majority of what has been said there but I think domination eras are over.
There are various reasons for it but currently I would rate it like this.

Tests:
South Africa
India
Sri Lanka
Australia
England
New Zealand
Pakistan

It all boils down to personnel and facilities.India has the most money by far and they could be silently be developing High Performance Groups which could help them move up.

 

[breeno]

Re: The Next Powerhouse?

Alright so I'll do a report on the top 4 ranked teams in world cricket, with their players between 24-28 who have shown they can play at the top level, and hold a spot in the side. There are a few exceptions like Hughes and Sharma, but both have shown they can do it. I believe the 24-28 bracket is the peak of a cricketers career, so it will show who has a good nucleus to their side.

Australia

Batsmen:

Clarke
Hughes - Only 20, but has shown he can be an elite talent.

Bowlers:

Siddle
Hilfenhaus
Johnson
Hauritz - May not be elite, but was our second leading wicket taker before being dropped.

Australia don't seem to have enough 24-28 batsman coming the the ranks, Clarke is an elite talent, and one of the worlds best, but their bowling remains strong for a rebuilding phase.

_____________________________

South Africa:

Batsmen:

Smith
De Villiers
Amla
Duminy

Bowlers:

Steyn
M.Morkel

South Africa have a great bunch of players between the 24-28 age bracket. Smith and De Villiers are two of the best batsmen in the world, and Amla and Duminy are also very, very good batsmen. Their bowling has Steyn who was the number one pace bowler in the world last year, and he is yet to hit his absolute peak. Morkel is an awkward bowler, and could be one of the best in the world if he improves as he should.

_________________________________

India

Batsmen:

R.Sharma (only 22, but I believe he can be top class).
Gambhir
Vijay

Bowlers:

I.Sharma (only 20, but probably the best young fast bowler in the world)
A.Mishra
M.Patel

All Rounders:

I.Pathan

Keepers:

MS Dhoni
P.Patel

India are a tough one. Because their older players have carried them for so long, it's left their younger players starved of game time, so I've mentioned the guys I think will carry them through this era. Pathan could be anything if coached right, and Patel looks the goods as a reserve keeper, while they have a core young group of Dhoni, I.Sharma and Gambhir, they are some top class players, but they don't have enough of them.

__________________________________

Sri Lanka

Batsmen:

Mathews

Bowlers:

Mendis
Kulasakera
Thushara
Malinga

Sri Lanka are similar to India, their older players are keeping them afloat, and they have some very high quality older players. They will probably have to invest into a couple of young project batsmen, giving them game time here and there, as their bowling looks like a very good young unit with the 4 mentioned above.

_________________________________________

Here are my rankings:

Batting:

1. South Africa
2. India
3. Australia
4. Sri Lanka

South Africa are so far ahead in the batting stakes it's not funny, and this is the place where the rest fall down with their young players.

Bowling:

1. South Africa
1. Australia/Sri Lanka
4. India

SA, Sri Lanka and Australia are pretty much even in the bowling stakes I feel, I had SA first as they have two elite players in Steyn and Morkel, but the top three could be switched around and it wouldn't bother me. India are improving in this area, but they don't have the depth of bowling talent in the age bracket specified as Sri Lanka or Australia.

Overall:

1. South Africa
2. Australia
3. India
4. Sri Lanka

Please note: This doesn't take into account players over 28 years old. India would definitely be higher than Australia with the likes of Tendulkar, Laxman and co. And Sri Lanka would probably be fairing a bit higher with Dilshan, Jayawardene, Samaraweera and co.

I believe the 24-28 age bracket is what would be classed as a "dominant" era, as the 30+ Year olds will be retiring soon.

Hope you enjoyed the write up.

 

[distributer of pain]

Re: The Next Powerhouse?

Alright so I'll do a report on the top 4 ranked teams in world cricket, with their players between 24-28 who have shown they can play at the top level, and hold a spot in the side. There are a few exceptions like Hughes and Sharma, but both have shown they can do it. I believe the 24-28 bracket is the peak of a cricketers career, so it will show who has a good nucleus to their side.

Australia

Batsmen:

Clarke
Hughes - Only 20, but has shown he can be an elite talent.

Bowlers:

Siddle
Hilfenhaus
Johnson
Hauritz - May not be elite, but was our second leading wicket taker before being dropped.

Australia don't seem to have enough 24-28 batsman coming the the ranks, Clarke is an elite talent, and one of the worlds best, but their bowling remains strong for a rebuilding phase.

_____________________________

South Africa:

Batsmen:

Smith
De Villiers
Amla
Duminy

Bowlers:

Steyn
M.Morkel

South Africa have a great bunch of players between the 24-28 age bracket. Smith and De Villiers are two of the best batsmen in the world, and Amla and Duminy are also very, very good batsmen. Their bowling has Steyn who was the number one pace bowler in the world last year, and he is yet to hit his absolute peak. Morkel is an awkward bowler, and could be one of the best in the world if he improves as he should.

_________________________________

India

Batsmen:

R.Sharma (only 22, but I believe he can be top class).
Gambhir
Vijay

Bowlers:

I.Sharma (only 20, but probably the best young fast bowler in the world)
A.Mishra
M.Patel

All Rounders:

I.Pathan

Keepers:

MS Dhoni
P.Patel

India are a tough one. Because their older players have carried them for so long, it's left their younger players starved of game time, so I've mentioned the guys I think will carry them through this era. Pathan could be anything if coached right, and Patel looks the goods as a reserve keeper, while they have a core young group of Dhoni, I.Sharma and Gambhir, they are some top class players, but they don't have enough of them.

__________________________________

Sri Lanka

Batsmen:

Mathews

Bowlers:

Mendis
Kulasakera
Thushara
Malinga

Sri Lanka are similar to India, their older players are keeping them afloat, and they have some very high quality older players. They will probably have to invest into a couple of young project batsmen, giving them game time here and there, as their bowling looks like a very good young unit with the 4 mentioned above.

_________________________________________

Here are my rankings:

Batting:

1. South Africa
2. India
3. Australia
4. Sri Lanka

South Africa are so far ahead in the batting stakes it's not funny, and this is the place where the rest fall down with their young players.

Bowling:

1. South Africa
1. Australia/Sri Lanka
4. India

SA, Sri Lanka and Australia are pretty much even in the bowling stakes I feel, I had SA first as they have two elite players in Steyn and Morkel, but the top three could be switched around and it wouldn't bother me. India are improving in this area, but they don't have the depth of bowling talent in the age bracket specified as Sri Lanka or Australia.

Overall:

1. South Africa
2. Australia
3. India
4. Sri Lanka

Please note: This doesn't take into account players over 28 years old. India would definitely be higher than Australia with the likes of Tendulkar, Laxman and co. And Sri Lanka would probably be fairing a bit higher with Dilshan, Jayawardene, Samaraweera and co.

I believe the 24-28 age bracket is what would be classed as a "dominant" era, as the 30+ Year olds will be retiring soon.

Hope you enjoyed the write up.

sharma's spell against ponting at perth was one of the best spells of fast bowling ive seen, absolute awesome talent.

 

[joshie91]

Re: The Next Powerhouse?

I have read all of the posts and agree without a majority of what has been said there but I think domination eras are over.
There are various reasons for it but currently I would rate it like this.

Tests:
South Africa
India
Sri Lanka
Australia
England
New Zealand
Pakistan

It all boils down to personnel and facilities.India has the most money by far and they could be silently be developing High Performance Groups which could help them move up.

I'll disagree with you there. Sri Lanka have rarely beaten South Africa, India or Australia, Australia have kept India quiet recently, New Zealand had the wood over England and England just bet Australia. I'll agree with you that RSA are certainly the best test team, but Sri Lanka? below Pakistan champ

 

[breeno]

Re: The Next Powerhouse?

I'll disagree with you there. Sri Lanka have rarely beaten South Africa, India or Australia, Australia have kept India quiet recently, New Zealand had the wood over England and England just bet Australia. I'll agree with you that RSA are certainly the best test team, but Sri Lanka? below Pakistan champ

Last time we played India with a team resembling the one we have now they destroyed us.

 

[hattrick]

Re: The Next Powerhouse?

Joshie91 - Mate I tend to look at like this - They are unplayable at home for all known reasons (spin, wicket etc). They messed with England the last time they were in England and I see the most potential in them from all the Asian teams. The Indian team travel generally bad, if it bounces higher than the waist then they have an issue.Have a look at South Africas away record in Sri Lanka.. it aint great.. I am honest about it, Murali has taken 70% of the wickets.

Having them below Pakistan is not possible as they have played more cricket then Pakistan in the last year.

So are you in effect saying the following is correct:

South Africa, India, England, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka ?

It is just my opinion, I have not backed it up with Stats at all ..

 

[hattrick]

Re: The Next Powerhouse?

Breeno - Mate what about Wayne Parnell, Lonwabo Tsotsobe .. he is not in your list .. is it because he is only an ODI, Both Left armers and both I tend to think will be featured in the next few season.

 

[breeno]

Re: The Next Powerhouse?

Breeno - Mate what about Wayne Parnell, Lonwabo Tsotsobe .. he is not in your list .. is it because he is only an ODI, Both Left armers and both I tend to think will be featured in the next few season.

Yeah I was going to mention them, but my report was on Tests. If I was going to mention ODI, I would've mentioned S.Marsh for Australia. I know Parnell and Tsotsobe are big parts of SA's future, but they aren't in the Test side at the moment.

 

[el-capitano]

Re: The Next Powerhouse?

Sri Lanka once they lose Murali, will slip back down the table, as has Australia post Warne. I would put them ahead of New Zealand, as they have a bigger cricketing base to select from, but they wouldn't be in the top three.

 

[Caesar]

Re: The Next Powerhouse?

Definitely an exciting time at the moment. So many legendary players for their country will be retiring from Tests over the next few years, from practically every nation:

AUS: Ponting
IND: Tendulkar, Dravid
SA: Kallis
SL: Muraliduran
NZ: Vettori (?)
ENG: Flintoff
PAK: Yousuf, Khan
WI: Chanderpaul

There'll be a lot of turmoil, I'll be interested to see what comes out of it. There'll be a lot of young players making their marks, and a lot of toussling for dominance.

 

[distributer of pain]

Re: The Next Powerhouse?

i suppose it will come down to who gets the majority of once in a generation players, we had warne and mcgrath, i cant see any of our current players being labeled as superstars, clark will be our best bet but he isnt going to average 55/60 i wouldnt think, hughes could be another one.