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Gough would also run through these, to be fair.

 

You're certainly right about the batting. I don't think we necessarily have better players now (certainly much weaker opposition across the board), but the mentality of the side is much better.

Yeah i'm pointing more towards the series against South Africa and Australia than this game I suppose.

 

I reckon this team has more good players than back then in general.

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Dunno, I think it's close. Atherton/Stewart/Thorpe/Caddick/Gough were all top class players. The problems used to be more that the management of the team was an absolute shambles, and there wasn't the collective mentality to take on the top sides. I think there are significantly less top quality bowlers in test cricket now which makes it easier. Pakistan had Wasim, Waqar, and the two Mustaqs, India had Kumble (even Srinath was better than anything they have now), Curtly and Courtney for the Windies, Donald and Pollock for the Saffers, Murali and Vaas, etc. Everyone had a couple of quality bowlers that on their day could rip through even a pretty good batting line up. I don't think that's the case now.

 

I think we've stepped forward and addressed our enormous behind the scenes issues of the 90s, made the team more positive generally, and it has coincided with a period of relative paucity of top quality bowling in test cricket. 

 

The Pakistan series should be more competitive. Be interesting to see how good Mohammed Amir is.

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Dunno, I think it's close. Atherton/Stewart/Thorpe/Caddick/Gough were all top class players. 

I'm not sure any of them were, maybe Thorpe? He along with Stewart and Gough were my favourite players, but I don't think they were top drawer.

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I'm not sure any of them were, maybe Thorpe? He along with Stewart and Gough were my favourite players, but I don't think they were top drawer.

 

Nah, they were top drawer. Anyone that got 7k/8k test runs in that era of bowling was top class. Thorpe averaged 45 which was the same as Azharuddin and Kirsten (chosen because they were other top class players of the same era), and had to play half his games on English pitches.

 

Yeah, we had no-one in the Tendulkar/Lara/Waugh/Kallis bracket, but then we're talking about some of the best batsman of all time there.

 

You don't think Gough was top drawer? I could probably accept Stewart might not have been, but Gough? Gough was a great bowler. A complete tit, yes, but a great bowler.

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It's not as simple as that mate. You have to look at loads of different factors.

 

I know, and I have done, obviously. But the averages alone do suggest that Gough not being a patch on Anderson on Broad is a bit of a silly thing to say.

 

You're right there are plenty of other factors. The pitches, the batsmen they bowled against, the overall quality of the team they were playing in, the help they got from England coaching/management, etc, etc.

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I know, and I have done, obviously. But the averages alone do suggest that Gough not being a patch on Anderson on Broad is a bit of a silly thing to say.

 

You're right there are plenty of other factors. The pitches, the batsmen they bowled against, the overall quality of the team they were playing in, the help they got from England coaching/management, etc, etc.

It's not a silly thing to say though, it's just personal taste/opinion. If I had to pick a team I wouldn't go near Gough but i'd take Broad or Anderson every day of the week.

 

I'm looking at all factors (fitness is a big one).

 

Gough wouldn't get near this England team for me, personally.

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Bringing back some horrendous memories this feature on England's team of the 90s.

It was hard work watching England back then, especially when they played away. I'm surprised it didn't put me off cricket for life, watching that brought back some mental scars. I liked a fair few of them though, Atherton, Thorpe, Robin Smith, Stewart, Butcher, Gus Fraser, De Freitas, Gough (can't stand the guy now though).

 

Fitness, better management, TV money and especially central contracts have all helped the England team improve.

 

I would definitely agree that the opposition was tougher back then, as well as the Aussies, you still had a strong West Indies, a very good Pakistan team, an Indian team with some class players and were virtually impossible to beat in India and a South African team still finding their way after their reintroduction to the sport but with some very good players.

 

We should still be proud of some of our current players though, Cook, Root, Anderson and Broad would be class performers in any era, and we have some great prospects in Bairstow, Buttler and Stokes.

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Bairstow MOTM. Harsh on Jimmy that, for me.

9 catches and 140 out of 298 runs though? I think it's a fair decision, although Jimmy wasn't far behind.

 

EDIT: To add some context, a wicketkeeper has only ever scored 100 and taken ten catches once in the history of test cricket.

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