Australian Best Test Side

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Nugget

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Australian Best Test Side

Hi All,
Been speaking to my grandfather lately about Cricket and he posed me a question - Who would be in your best 12 Test Side for Australians from the end of World War II to now? A lot of names got thrown around. Being 22 i can only go so far back but was wondering others opinions on their best 12?
Hope to get some answers back.
Thanks
Nugget
 
Re: Australian Best Test Side

1 M. Hayden
2 J. Langer
3 D. Bradman
4 R. Ponting
5 G. Chappell
6 K. Miller
7 A. Gilchrist
8 S. Warne
9 J. Thompson
10 D. Lillie
11 G. McGrath
12
 
Re: Australian Best Test Side

Good thread. I know you said after World War 2, but I'm going to throw other names into mine as well, and we'll see how we go.

Trumper
Ponsford
Bradman
Ponting
Border
G.Chappell
Gilchrist
Miller
Warne
Lillee
McGrath

Stiff: S.Waugh, Hayden, Thomson, O'Reilly, Grimmett
 
Re: Australian Best Test Side

I myself can't do these sorts of things. We all know that a player playing today is a better player than that of 100 years ago, it's inevitable. It's just trying to match up a player compared to other similar players of their time to get them into this side, if you get what I'm saying.

I don't think it's possible to do this over that length of time.
 
Re: Australian Best Test Side

ants14;388338 said:
Good thread. I know you said after World War 2, but I'm going to throw other names into mine as well, and we'll see how we go.

Trumper
Ponsford
Bradman
Ponting
Border
G.Chappell
Gilchrist
Miller
Warne
Lillee
McGrath

Stiff: S.Waugh, Hayden, Thomson, O'Reilly, Grimmett
Click to expand...
out with Chapps in with waugh
 
Re: Australian Best Test Side

Boris;388535 said:
We all know that a player playing today is a better player than that of 100 years ago, it's inevitable.
Click to expand...
Says who?

I can name several pre-WWI players who IMO would walk into the current Australian Test side.
 
Re: Australian Best Test Side

Caesar;388542 said:
Says who?

I can name several pre-WWI players who IMO would walk into the current Australian Test side.
Click to expand...

I am not saying they aren't great players. It's just that I'm not sure even Bradman would be as good as he was today.

There are severly improved technologies, medicine and knowledge of the game. In those days even playing with a straight bat wasn't the most common thing you would ever see. These days even number 11s can video analyse their batting technique and improve on it two fold. Hell, how many players in those days could hop onto the internet and discuss their game on BigCricket? I know BC alone has improved my game a lot personally.

This happens in every sport. As it is commodified further things become more serious. It is inevitable.

You can't compare two players from two different eras. If someone from the 20s was playing today they could be just as good with the technologies to aid them, or players of today might have failed completely without it back then. It's a pure guessing game.
 
Re: Australian Best Test Side

Come off it, have a look at the footage of that era.

Most of the bowlers look like medium pace trundlers who benefitted greatly from uncovered wickets.
 
Re: Australian Best Test Side

LIONS then DAYLIGHT;388580 said:
Come off it, have a look at the footage of that era.

Most of the bowlers look like medium pace trundlers who benefitted greatly from uncovered wickets.
Click to expand...

That's not the point.

If they bowled today they would receive the modern aid and it's only a guessing game to determine if they were in fact of the level of today.

That, though, sounds very up ourselves to say that our generation of cricketers is the best that has ever been.

Therefore you can only compare players to other players within their decade. This is what makes say Bradman great. He averaged 99 when other batsman of the era were struggling 50. Who knows if a batsman today would be good enough to do that then. Who knows if Bradman would be good enough to do that today.

All in all I don't think you could ever compare a 30s player with a 2000s player. 10 years at the most for comparisons between individuals.
 
Re: Australian Best Test Side

Boris;388668 said:
That's not the point.

If they bowled today they would receive the modern aid and it's only a guessing game to determine if they were in fact of the level of today.

That, though, sounds very up ourselves to say that our generation of cricketers is the best that has ever been.

Therefore you can only compare players to other players within their decade. This is what makes say Bradman great. He averaged 99 when other batsman of the era were struggling 50. Who knows if a batsman today would be good enough to do that then. Who knows if Bradman would be good enough to do that today.

All in all I don't think you could ever compare a 30s player with a 2000s player. 10 years at the most for comparisons between individuals.
Click to expand...

Im just saying that there were some, or quite a few, medium pace trundlers back in the 'day', there still are today.

But often in the passage of time past feats and players are elevated to higer status then they truly were. It is only natural.

In 30 years when there are docu's being made on cricket in the 2000's (which there no doubt will be due to the match fixing incidents in 2000, Warne's drug ban, the invention of 20/20, Australia's domination and a classic Ashes series as well as advert of IPL) the same thing will happen. That is opposition players, mellowed by the passage of time, will over-state the respective ability of many players that they played against.
 
Re: Australian Best Test Side

Alright then, let's make this thread a little more interesting then. If you think you can't compare for more than the 10 years you've specified, pick a few sides of the decade. Australian Team of the 00's 90's 80's 70's etc if you want, and we can work from there.
 
Re: Australian Best Test Side

Boris;388668 said:
That's not the point.

If they bowled today they would receive the modern aid and it's only a guessing game to determine if they were in fact of the level of today.

That, though, sounds very up ourselves to say that our generation of cricketers is the best that has ever been.

Therefore you can only compare players to other players within their decade. This is what makes say Bradman great. He averaged 99 when other batsman of the era were struggling 50. Who knows if a batsman today would be good enough to do that then. Who knows if Bradman would be good enough to do that today.

All in all I don't think you could ever compare a 30s player with a 2000s player. 10 years at the most for comparisons between individuals.
Click to expand...

Maybe bradman and co could have used a real bat today instead of those sticks they had. Development of the game and associated equipment has had a serious impact on batting ease and standards. None the less this is not to determine the fate of the world but a curiosity, if you don't like the comparison there is no need to involve yourself in it, but then again its up to you.
 
Re: Australian Best Test Side

Thumbs up;388804 said:
Maybe bradman and co could have used a real bat today instead of those sticks they had. Development of the game and associated equipment has had a serious impact on batting ease and standards. None the less this is not to determine the fate of the world but a curiosity, if you don't like the comparison there is no need to involve yourself in it, but then again its up to you.
Click to expand...

That's the point I was making, Bradman could have average 200 today, or 50. Bowlers are better, but so is batting ease. Incomparable.

ants14;388733 said:
Alright then, let's make this thread a little more interesting then. If you think you can't compare for more than the 10 years you've specified, pick a few sides of the decade. Australian Team of the 00's 90's 80's 70's etc if you want, and we can work from there.
Click to expand...

What about, for the sake of it, picking one player from each decade to make a team? Are there enough players and information from the 1910s to do that?

Could make up a side of (no particular order):

1. 1910
2. 1920
3. 1930
4. 1940
and so on

This way talents of all ages will be recognised as how they stood out against their fellow players.

Possible?
 
Re: Australian Best Test Side

Boris;388864 said:
That's the point I was making, Bradman could have average 200 today, or 50. Bowlers are better, but so is batting ease. Incomparable.



What about, for the sake of it, picking one player from each decade to make a team? Are there enough players and information from the 1910s to do that?

Could make up a side of (no particular order):

1. 1910
2. 1920
3. 1930
4. 1940
and so on

This way talents of all ages will be recognised as how they stood out against their fellow players.

Possible?
Click to expand...
Well, if you want, but given that in 13 decades of Test cricket we have 412 players you're not narrowing it down much by picking an XI for ever 10 years.
 
Re: Australian Best Test Side

Caesar;389000 said:
Well, if you want, but given that in 13 decades of Test cricket we have 412 players you're not narrowing it down much by picking an XI for ever 10 years.
Click to expand...

With that I wasn't talking about an XI for each ten years. I meant picking the best and most useful player from each decade. For example say that Jaques Kallis was the best player of this decade and you were in need of an all rounder, then he would be in the XI. Do the same for each decade back to 1910.

That way you are forced to look at the top 5ish of each decade and pick which ones best suit your side. Just putting ideas out there, as I'm not much of a history nut myself.
 
Re: Australian Best Test Side

1900 to 1909 I've narrowed it down to a choice between Victor Trumper or Clem Hill as batsmen, or Monty Noble and Hugh Trumble as bowlers.

1910 to 1929 (because world wat occurred during this time): Warren Bardsley and Charles McCartney are the standouts with the bat, whilst Jack Gregory and Arthur Mailey were the best with the ball. Warwick Armstrong, the best all rounder from that time.

1930 to 1939: Clarrie Grimmett and Bill O'Reilly were dominant with the ball, whilst Bert Ironmonger took 74 wickets @ 17ish as the main seam bowler. Bradman was obviously the best bat of that time, followed by Stan McCabe who also did a bit of bowling throughout his career.

all i can be bothered doing for now.
 
Re: Australian Best Test Side

1. Victor Trumper, Clem Hill, Monty Noble, Hugh Trumble

2. Warren Bardsley, Charles McCartney, Jack Gregory, Arthur Mailey

3. Bradman, Stan McCabe, Clarrie Grimmet, Bill O'Reilly

Number 3 is a tough one, obviously Bradman is the best there, but when you have those four to pick from... Grimmet can be argued as the best spin bowler ever so tough if he as to go. Can replace him with Warne though if he is picked later on.
 
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