25th anniversary today of Australia dethroning West Indies as World test champions.How great was that team?

[Harsh Thakor]

Today is the 25th anniversary of Australia capturing the unofficial world test championship title and dethroning West Indies from the pedestal after a period of 15 years,in 1995 at Kingston.Australia became the first team to defeat the West Indies in West Indies since Ian Chappel's team in 1973 and the first to win a series against them since New Zealand in 1980.Above all they accomplished it by a margin of an innings .Steve Waugh was the main architect in sculpting the win with the help of brother Mark.It was one of test cricket's most defining moments with a new epoch created of Australian supremacy or domination.It was one of sport's unforgettable moments at Kingston ,25 years ago .

Australia won the 1st test at Barbados and came close to winning the 2nd.On a broken pitch they were outplayed in the 3rd test.However they magnificiently rose like a phoenix from the Ashes at Kingston like a great boxer giving a knockout punch.

Still to me West Indian cricket was on decline inspite of being officially at the top.There was no Viv Richards or Malcolm Marshall or Greenidge and Haynes.Was it a depleted West Indies team.Afterall it came within the skin of its teeth from losing the 1992-93 series in Australia .Still would give credit to the astute leadership of Mark Taylor and the mental resilience of the Australians.I cant forget Australians going in for the kill on the fourth day like a well-knit army launching an offensive.What laid the base of the victory was the partnership of the Waugh brothers whose batting style differed like chalk and cheese.Mark exhibited his great flair for strokemaking while brother Steve was simply grit and concentration personified .Reminiscent of an artist and an architect.Mark Taylor displayed great mastery in galvanising his resources .Credit must also be given to former skipper Alan Border for knitting a bunch of talented individuals into a nucleus of a professional unit.Australia were the moral winners of a series in Pakistan in 1994,which is also noteworthy.They had the edge and played the better cricket in all the 3 tests in the series in Pakistan.

Morally it is Pakistan who should have toppled the Calypsos from their world championship status and been crowned unofficial tset world champion sin 1988.Dubious umpiring decisions robbed them of that title like the negating of a catch at short leg of Qadir and a leg before appeal of Marshall with the Calypsos still 86 runs adrift of the victory target.Players like Brian Lara even admit it .Infact even a negation of a leg before of Viv Richards had a crucial hand on the result in Trinidad in he 2nd test.Man to man Pakistan was stronger than the Australian team of 1995 and may have even given the great Australian teams a run for their money.

The Barbados win set the tone for Australian cricket to establish supremacy for over a decade.However in consistency it did not equal Clive Lloyd's West Indies team or West Indies from 1980-95.Man to man even Pakistan was more balanced or talented.Even Ian Chappell's team of 1974-76 wold have beaten the Australian team of 1995-99.

What Australia posessed in 1995 was professionalism of the highest degree,great organization and unmatched mental tenacity.No doubt great talent in Waugh brothers,Shane Warne ,Ricky Ponting and Glen Mcgrath but still not on par with the teams of Clive Lloyd,Ian Chappell or Imran Khans .

Australia under Taylor went on to beat strong South African teams home and away in 1997-98, Ashes series at home and away ,but lost in India in 1997-98 and could only share a series in West Indies in 1999.

Edited April 30, 2020 by Harsh Thakor

[zen]

The declining WI and the rising Aus of early to mid 90s produced some of the most exciting and competitive cricket in history. 

 

2 hours ago, Harsh Thakor said:

Morally it is Pakistan who should have toppled the Calypsos from their world championship status and been crowned unofficial tset world champion sin 1988.Dubious umpiring decisions robbed them of that title like the negating of a catch at short leg of Qadir and a leg before appeal of Marshall with the Calypsos still 86 runs adrift of the victory target.

 at the effort to link Pakistan with morals 

[Gollum]

Sick and tired of OP overrating Pakistanis, again and again. 

[MechEng]

1 hour ago, Gollum said:

Sick and tired of OP overrating Pakistanis, again and again. 

Seems like a very old school guy, must have followed cricket religiously during Pakistan's prime years of 80s and early to mid 90s.

[raki05]

He is obsessed with Sanjay manjarekar syndrome. I have seen people allegiance to Goras but only a sadistic would bring in Pakistanis everytime in everything on cricket matter. Typically even politicians consider word pakistan/ Pakistani as abusive and offensive whether it's bjp or kangress.

[zen]

Back on topic:

 

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Primary team Australia  or West Indies

Opposition team Australia  or West Indies

Start of match date between 1 Jan 1990 and 1 Jan 1996

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Team	Span	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	Draw	W/L	Ave	RPO	Inns	HS	LS
West Indies	1991-1995	14	5	4	0	5	1.250	29.76	3.17	25	606	136
Australia	1991-1995	14	4	5	0	5	0.800	28.66	2.81	26	531	105

 

 

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Primary team Australia  or West Indies

Opposition team Australia  or West Indies

Start of match date between 1 Jan 1990 and 1 Jan 1996

Qualifications runs scored greater than or equal to 500

Ordered by batting average (descending)

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Overall figures

Player	Span	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	0	4s	6s
BC Lara (WI)	1992-1995	9	16	1	774	277	51.60	1225	63.18	1	6	2	104	0
RB Richardson (WI)	1991-1995	14	24	2	1084	182	49.27	2093	51.79	4	4	1	142	11
SR Waugh (AUS)	1991-1995	11	18	3	689	200	45.93	1388	49.63	2	3	1	57	2
ME Waugh (AUS)	1991-1995	14	23	2	947	139*	45.09	1825	51.89	3	5	2	91	4
DC Boon (AUS)	1991-1995	14	25	3	908	111	41.27	2311	39.29	2	5	3	106	0
MA Taylor (AUS)	1991-1995	13	24	2	764	144	34.72	2086	36.62	1	5	1	71	0
AR Border (AUS)	1991-1993	10	18	1	573	110	33.70	1525	37.57	1	3	3	51	1
DL Haynes (WI)	1991-1993	10	17	1	535	111	33.43	1087	49.21	1	2	0	77	1

 

 

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Primary team Australia  or West Indies

Opposition team Australia  or West Indies

Start of match date between 1 Jan 1990 and 1 Jan 1996

Qualifications wickets taken greater than or equal to 10

Ordered by bowling average (ascending)

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Overall figures

Player	Span	Mat	Inns	Overs	Mdns	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	5	10
PR Reiffel (AUS)	1995-1995	4	8	98.4	31	263	15	4/47	7/95	17.53	2.66	39.4	0	0
CEL Ambrose (WI)	1991-1995	14	25	566.2	149	1293	64	7/25	10/120	20.20	2.28	53.0	4	1
MD Marshall (WI)	1991-1991	5	9	156.2	24	437	21	3/31	6/95	20.80	2.79	44.6	0	0
IR Bishop (WI)	1992-1993	5	10	201.0	39	480	23	6/40	8/57	20.86	2.38	52.4	1	0
GD McGrath (AUS)	1995-1995	4	8	121.1	32	369	17	6/47	8/114	21.70	3.04	42.7	2	0
ME Waugh (AUS)	1991-1995	14	17	101.0	23	315	13	4/80	4/80	24.23	3.11	46.6	0	0
MG Hughes (AUS)	1991-1993	10	17	317.5	63	1021	39	5/64	6/107	26.17	3.21	48.8	1	0
CA Walsh (WI)	1991-1995	14	26	503.1	108	1324	49	6/54	9/146	27.02	2.63	61.6	1	0
CJ McDermott (AUS)	1991-1993	10	17	360.0	67	1179	42	5/80	8/128	28.07	3.27	51.4	1	0
BP Patterson (WI)	1991-1992	6	11	162.0	19	536	19	5/83	5/77	28.21	3.30	51.1	1	0
SK Warne (AUS)	1992-1995	8	14	246.2	58	719	25	7/52	8/117	28.76	2.91	59.1	1	0
BA Reid (AUS)	1991-1992	3	5	126.0	21	380	12	5/112	7/151	31.66	3.01	63.0	1	0
KCG Benjamin (WI)	1993-1995	5	9	111.4	11	413	12	3/32	4/46	34.41	3.69	55.8	0	0
CL Hooper (WI)	1991-1995	13	21	388.5	76	1022	18	4/75	5/138	56.77	2.62	129.6	0	0