Was test cricket at it's best in

taipan wrote:

PlanetPakistan wrote:90s- No doubt about it.

1999 in particular was fantastic and the BEST year of cricket that i have ever seen.

Probably because you know nothing about cricket pre 1990

like what?

I thought 80s were quite decent, i wish i had been old enough to watch Imran and Lloyd's team.

....having said that i would much rather WATCH Wasim's team than Imran's(even though Imran was a lot more succesful)

tac wrote:

PlanetPakistan wrote:90s- No doubt about it.

1999 in particular was fantastic and the BEST year of cricket that i have ever seen.

What happened in test cricket to make '99 so great?

1- Arguably the greatest test match ever played between 2 teams after 12 years(i don't like the word arch rivals).
2- Kumble's perfect 10.
3- 90,000 people Shhhhhoaibed at Kolkata
4- BC Lara vs AUS- 153* at Barbados and that other 213 some where.
5- Brilliant world cup.
6- Hobart test match and Gilly's heroics.
7- Sharjah tie- possibly the most dramatic ODI ever.

and most importantly the overall standard of fast bowling was brilliant that year.

That RSA team of 1970 was a great team, but I agree with JGK about cricket in the 60's being as boring as batshit. I watched Ian Chappell score what was considered a "good" century. It took him five and a half hours to notch the three figures.

PlanetPakistan wrote:

tac wrote:

PlanetPakistan wrote:90s- No doubt about it.

1999 in particular was fantastic and the BEST year of cricket that i have ever seen.

What happened in test cricket to make '99 so great?

1- Arguably the greatest test match ever played between 2 teams after 12 years(i don't like the word arch rivals).
2- Kumble's perfect 10.
3- 90,000 people Shhhhhoaibed at Kolkata
4- BC Lara vs AUS- 153* at Barbados and that other 213 some where.
5- Brilliant world cup.
6- Hobart test match and Gilly's heroics.
7- Sharjah tie- possibly the most dramatic ODI ever.

and most importantly the overall standard of fast bowling was brilliant that year.

PP, I wasn't even baiting you . . . But you really shouldn't be including ODI stuff, eh?

I have a fondness for the 70s. It was the decade I "got" the great game, starting as a wee tacker watching the 1970-71 tour to Aus by the MCC. The 1st Test at the Gabba when Stacky made 207 and Dougie made a ton is my first memory of Test cricket.

We lost the series that saw the end of Bill Lawry's career but then clawed our way back to become the best team in the world by 1974-75. There was Lillee and Thommo, the mighty KDW, the Chappells, Maxie, Bacchus and the fleeting talents of Gus Gilmour.

And there was the WSC revolution that changed cricket forever.

The only real blight was Graham Yallop and the 78-79 series in Aus (yeah, yeah, I know we were without all our WSC stars, but it didn't hurt any less because of that).

PlanetPakistan wrote:

tac wrote:

PlanetPakistan wrote:90s- No doubt about it.

1999 in particular was fantastic and the BEST year of cricket that i have ever seen.

What happened in test cricket to make '99 so great?

1- Arguably the greatest test match ever played between 2 teams after 12 years(i don't like the word arch rivals).
2- Kumble's perfect 10.
3- 90,000 people Shhhhhoaibed at Kolkata
4- BC Lara vs AUS- 153* at Barbados and that other 213 some where.
5- Brilliant world cup.
6- Hobart test match and Gilly's heroics.
7- Sharjah tie- possibly the most dramatic ODI ever.

and most importantly the overall standard of fast bowling was brilliant that year.

I think the most dramatic ODI ever was in 1999 but it wasn't that match.

JGK wrote:I think the most dramatic ODI ever was in 1999 but it wasn't that match.

yeah that 99 semi comes close because of magnitude of the occasion how ever i will still go with this
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/65889.html

SL only needed 24 to win with 8 wickets(most of them were quality batsmen) and 10 overs in hand

Best decade? IMO, from around 1968-9 to around 1978-9. Our first win in India, a tired capitulation against the best Saffie side ever, the brilliant Doug Walters, the ROW tour of Oz in 1971-2, Lillee and Thomson, Massie's match, two great series v the Windies in 1968-9 and 1975-6, the Centenary test, a great series v Pakistan in 1972-3 (Walker 6 for 15), the birth of One Day Internationals, the first World Cup (especially the final), the WSC split.

First ten years of my cricketing obsession, too, so I have to declare that as an obvious bias.