How England's Test Cricket Team Became Number One in the World
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Has England's Test Cricket team really arrived? Are they really the best team in the world?
Andrew Strauss has said they won't be the best until everyone agrees they are the best. When is that going to happen? I reckon England could win every Test from here until Doomsday and the Aussies will never say- England are the Best!
So, lets enjoy the moment they got to the top of the ICB World Rankings- without worrying too much about what other people think.
Especially the Aussies.
In the last ten years England have been up and down the ICB rankings like squirels in a nut tree.
They have never been number one in the rankings until now.
So what have been the landmarks and just how rocky has that road been?
The Team of the Eighties- not quite good enough
Ian Botham, Bob Willis, Geoff Boycott and Graham Gooch plus a very young David Gower meant England always had a chance. The 1981 3rd Test at Headingly produced an England Ashes victory that will never be forgotten Lack of depth, though meant very limited England success.
The Team of the Nineties- purest Hell
During one especially bad spell, England did not win a single Test match for two and half years. The nineties were hell for fans.
The 21st Century- Hey, we can play this Game!
Duncan Fletcher arrived as coach, central contracts meant England got first dibs on England players (instead of the Counties running them into the ground). Nasser Hussain got professional as England Captain and England started to win a few series again.
It took Michael Vaughan's captaincy though with Kevin Petersen in suburb form for England to regain the Ashes- after an 18 year wait.
A low point was the battle between England coach, Moores and captain, Pietersen during the India 2008–09 tour. England lost the series and they both resigned. The team lost the next series against the West Indies too but have not lost since. Andy Flower is the current coach and can't seem to put a foot wrong in Test Cricket.
The Present Team- Best Ever?
Nasser Hussain reckons that there isn't a single weakness in the present English team. When you start looking at the stats it is hard to disagree. There is also depth. Englands second IX could give most teams a torrid time.
These stats tell you something:
Top Bowlers
1 D.W. Steyn
2 J.M. Anderson
3 M. Morkel
4 G.P. Swann
5 Zaheer Khan
Top World Players Aug 2011
Batsmen
1 J.H. Kallis
2 K.C. Sangakkara
3 S.R. Tendulkar
4 I.J.L. Trott
5 I.R. Bell
England have two of the top 5 batsman and 2 of the top 5 bowlers in the world. Stuart Broad even comes in at number three in the top all rounders list. Who can say Bresnen will not be joining him soon?
It will still be a while before anyone can truly say this is the best England team ever. The nineteen fifties teams of the Jim Laker era will take some living up to.
Also, those South Africans are shaping up.
What has Changed in English Cricket since the Nightmare Nineties?
- Duncan Fletcher got England fit
- Central contracts meant fewer demands outside of Test Cricket
- A lot of money came into the game from new broadcasters
- Test matches matter in England. While India is going crazy over the hugely entertaining (and profitable) IPL, England has never wavered in its commitment to Test Match Cricket.
- The Ashes. This is the one test series everyone wants to watch and England are part of it.
The Series that Mattered the Most on the Road to the Top
The Ashes 2005
No one can forget the rollercoaster 2005 Ashes in England when ascendancy switched almost on session by session basis. Finally- after every England cricket fan had chewed off every fingernail- England regained the Ashes for the first time in 18 years. Suddenly, the Aussies were no longer invincible. They still crushed England in the following Ashes series in 2007 by 4-0.
The Ashes 2009
Australia were still reckoned the best team in the world when they visited England in 2009. The battle that followed saw a narrow England victory and was also the beginning of the end of three decades of Australian supremacy in Test Cricket.
India 2011
The defeat of Australia, in Australia, was England's finest performance in fifty years and suddenly we all knew England could become the best team in the world.
There was the little matter of beating India, of course. As it happened, India had to play England in England. Worse still, for the Indians, their players were hardly match ready after messy scheduling and the demands of the IPL. Not even Virender Sehwag, Sahin Tendilka and Raul Dravid- batting legends- managed to offer serious resistance to an outstanding England attack.
England looked hardly troubled as they walked away with the series and took up the title of the 'Best Test Team' in the world.
Can England Stay Number 1?
These are the series scheduled for 2012, Will England's Test Team still be Number 1 in twelve months time?
- Jan- Feb 2012, Pakistan in Pakistan, 3 Tests
- May-June 2012,West Indies in England, 3 Tests
- July-September 2012, South Africa in England 3 Tests
- Nov-Dec 2012, India in India, 4 Tests
I reckon that schedule gives them an excellent chance. In the longer term they will need to get a lot better at winning away from home. That last Ashes win in Australia was one of the few series England has won convincingly away from home in the last decade.
World Cricket Test Rankings July 2011
Rank
| Team
|
|---|---|
1
| India
|
2
| South Africa
|
3
| England
|
4
| Sri Lanka
|
5
| Australia
|
6
| Pakistan
|
7
| West Indies
|
8
| New Zealand
|
9
| Bangladesh
|
August 13th.This table is about to change! England have leapfrogged South Africa to replace India as number one.
There are a lot more stats here: espncricinfo.com/rankings/content/page/211271.html
CommentsLoading...
I'm a long way from believing England are the 'best' team in the world. But they are certainly one of the best and that is a great achievement after years of frustration!
I was disappointed by the Indians on this tour. Fantastic team but just not in the right condition to play to their best. They owe it to cricket lovers to find some kind of accommodation between the IPL, Test, OD and 20/20.
I wouldn't want to knock the IPL- it is a fantastic spectacle. There is a gladiatorial atmosphere and even watching on TV, the tension towards the end is almost unbearable. It is probably the best TV drama around!
But having said that I was brought up on Test Cricket. I was lucky enough to see a very young David Gower make a hundred at the Oval and I have been hooked ever since.
Come on india shudbe given no 1 i love cricket (india no cricket no)england super team but only england
Very interesting Hub. Unfortunately, with England not playing another test series this year South Africa can become the Number 1 Test Nation if they win their test series against Australia and Sri Lanka before England play another Test.
There is a huge gap in the Test schedule for England after the India series, so you are probably right Watford110.
It could make South Africa's tour of England next year especially interesting.
Nice Stats! Will. I think you are a bit harsh on us Indians here spiffy. Test cricket is indeed priority in Indian cricket but its the BCCI who is less concerned about scheduling the events properly rather more keen on making money. The IPL is for Indians first and if the Indian star cricketers are not playing the tournament, nobody will watch that. It's not the Indians only who are leveraging the T20 success, do you remember in your own region there was played some millions dollar match sponsored by Standford the fraudster. I think what should have been done is BCCI should have opted out from the WI tour as there was no meaning of playing against so weak a team or at least lessen the no. of matches, so that players could have got preparation time for English tour. Also the condition this time around favored a lot to English bowlers though nothing taking from their excellent skills and confidence of beating Australia earlier in winters. The untimely injuries to the Indian team also hit back. Despite that, their performance was quite good in first two test but they couldn't deliver the knock out punch, on which England pounce upon. But it would be interesting to see how they perform in Indian subcontinent where the true test lies for them. So guys, get ready as the battle begin on 14th Oct on Indian soil against England.
It could be even tougher next year, Anush unless India come up with a couple of world class bowlers.
Great batsmen will get you a draw but you need bowlers for a win!
I don't know from where to start ... England made me what I'm today... and forever.. Always wanted you guys to shine.. to see the side on top of the table in all the formats of cricket.. Love you guys.. Always shine as best as you can ....
SpiffyD Level 2 Commenter 9 months ago
I never thought I'd say that I'm happy to see England at Number 1. ENgland takes Test cricket more seriously than India. Imagine some England players forego IPL to play County cricket! I don't mind IPL, but I hate that Test players - particularly Indian ones - are treating it as a very important event.
I believe that to be a Number 1 as Australia was, England would have to be unofficially regarded as the Number 1 team. They have to beat everybody in any condition. Will an Aussie claim England as Number 1. I think so, but grudgingly. Rankings alone are not enough - Strauss is right. Few persons outside of India believe that the Indians are a genuine Number 1. Which Number 1 team has a poor bowling attack and loses three Tests by huge margins? Rankings are only part of it.