Harsh Thakor Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 1.South Africa-1999-Morally,the best team of 199 world cup.Posessed all-rounders,batting depth and bowling attack like few teams ever in addition to fielding which was better than any team which contested the world cup..At their peak spitted fire and blasted their opponents with the all-round prowess of Lance Kluesener,Jacques Kallis, Hanse Cronje ,Shaun Pollock and the mercurial bowling of Alan Donald.Imagine Mark Boucher batting at no.10.Unlucky to miss out inspite of being the best team in 1999.A run-out blunder in tied semi-final cost them almost certain victory in the cup after succesive blows by Lance Kluesner. 2.West Indies-1983-within a whisker of the 1979 team with Viv Richards marginally better in 1979 and Holding and Roberts or even Garner more effective.Malcom Marshall boosted their pace attack after the team made a shoddy start in 1983.However before the final they reached a level of invincibility few teams have ever had.Capitualted to lose the final as though the spirit of the devil posessed them. 3.Pakistan-1987 Although beaten in the semi-final posesed batting depth and bowling attack which few teams have ever posessed.Imagine Wasim,Imran and Qadir bowling together and the likes of Miandad,Malik etc comprising their batting.To me the best team of the 1987 cup who were beaten by Australia who were a better team on their day.At their peak they would have won the title. 4.India-1987 At it's best in the league stage India was on par with Pakistan blazing away opposition.The way it vanquished eventual winners Australia at Delhi showed what it was capable of.Simply did not play well on the day of semi-final against England.One of the best batting line ups to play world cup with the likes of Azharrudin,Sidhu,Amarnath,Shrikanth Gavaskar,Vengsarkar,Kapil Dev etc. 5.Pakistan-1999-In terms of match-winning talent the best team of the 1999 world cup if you combine batting and bowling depth.No team posessed such a creative bowing attack with Wasim,Waqar ,Shoaib and Mushtaq .Btasmen like Inzamam and Seaed Anwar were match-winners as well as all-rounders like Abdur Razzaq and Azhar Mehmood.Lost it's peak at acrucial stage otherwise could well have won the title. 6.New Zealand of 1992 In the league stage performed better than any team of the 92 competition and arguably as well or better than the previous champions in a league stage.Beat the likes of England,Australia,South Africa etc.Fizzled out marginally in the semi-final against Pakistan. 7.Pakistan -1975 Were on the doorsteps of acheiving famous wins over West Indies,the title winners and ruuner-up Australia.A last wicket partnership of 64 runs by the pair of Andy Roberts and Deryk Murray robbed them of certain victory at Edgbaston after Pakistan had piut up a formidable total of 266 runs and rduced their opponents to 166-8and then 203-9.Agiant Australai at 181-5 chasing 279 to win it looked like a walk in the park before the middle order caved in.Man to amn arguably the most talented team of 1975 cup.,with the bets batting line-up.Imagine having Majid Khan,Sadiq Muhammad,Zaheer Abbas,Mushtaq Muhammmad,Asif Iqbal,Wasim Raja and Javed Miandad all batting together with the ranks of Asif Masood and Sarafraz Nawaz in the bowling attack. 8.Pakistan-1979 Although beaten in the semi-final in 1979 Pakistan gave the mighty West Indies a strong run for their money.Chasing a target of 293 runs to win at the Oval in the the semi-final against the West Indies the Pakistanis were cruising home when Majid and Zaheer were batting at 176-1 ,with 20 overs left.However they packed in like a bunch of cards yeilding to the pressure.Few teams ever had such a strong batting line up as Pakistan who would have been more deserving finalists than England in 1979 who were thrashed.Remember Pakistan lost by half the margin England did in the final against the same team. 9.England-1992 One of the most organized and well-balanced teams to have played in a world cup who lost their form at the end.Man to man the best team of the 1992 world cup . 10.South Africa-1996 Although unlucky losers in the quarter final man to man the best team of the 1996 tournament with better batting depth and all-rounders than any team
BlueBee Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 South Africa never had a bad team actually, but their choking always costed them big.
CoverDrive Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 losing in the finals is not unlucky I feel. atleast you got a shot at it
Marut Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Choking is not unluck - it is ineptitude. Habitual choking has nothing to do with misfortune.
maniac Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Good list OP....covered pretty much every team but South Africa in 1996....It was just one bad day when they got owned by a genius but the S.A team in 1996 was as good as the one in 19999...They were dominant and the favorites even in that tournament.
maniac Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 My bad I see that you covered it in your article and not in the poll
putrevus Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 OP definitely weird definition of unlucky. How in world Pakistan in 1975 was unlucky, Australia/ West indies were in same group and they were miles ahead of Pakistan in every facet. I would say 1987 Pakistan team the best team in that cup and were unlucky not win that cup. IMO 1992 NZ and 1996 SA would be most unlucky teams. In 1992 NZ essentially had locked up everything and had to nothing to play for in their last group match which they lost. and in the semis Crowe's injury and not being on the field as a captain was major difference. In 1996 SA had won every group match only to face a legend Lara on his good day. 1999 SA I would not call them most unlucky, yes they deserved to win their semis but they lost twice in that cup leading to semis including to Zimbabwe.
Crookbond Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Good list OP....covered pretty much every team but South Africa in 1996....It was just one bad day when they got owned by a genius but the S.A team in 1996 was as good as the one in 19999...They were dominant and the favorites even in that tournament. That's what you get for dropping Alan Donald and playing 3rd grade spinners particularly when Donald had the best year of his career. They played Paul Adams for Donald :WTF: The final 10 overs WI scored 48 runs of which 16 runs were taken from Adams final over. The result? West Indies won by 19 runs.
maniac Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 That's what you get for dropping Alan Donald and playing 3rd grade spinners particularly when Donald had the best year of his career. They played Paul Adams for Donald :WTF: Yeah the Bob Woolmer-Cronje combo was very innovative and obviously succesful, but sometimes too smart for their own good :haha: I think the rationale was to rest Donald for the Semis.At the same time the thinking was since WI had this reputation of being poor players of Spin, having got owned by Odumbe of all people earlier in the tournament,would struggle against the Unorthodox action of Adams. Backfired big time :cantstop:
Crookbond Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Sorry but if WI were so weak against spin there was already Pat Symcox playing. Also, if there was a need for another spinner why NOT drop Craig Matthews? He played of Donald! :wall:
maniac Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Sorry but if WI were so weak against spin there was already Pat Symcox playing. Also' date=' if there was a need for another spinner why NOT drop Craig Matthews? He played of Donald! :wall:[/quote'] As I said they were supremely over confident....Cronje was my favorite captain then and even now(only if he didn't have the stigma attached to his name )... He had a bit of swagger and arrogance about him,so he was already preparing for the Semis giving his best bowler a day off...that is what you get for underestimating a certain Brain Charles Lara. He was better than Fleming,Waugh,Ranatunga etc....way more aggressive..obviously helped that he had a gun team.
Austin 3:!6 Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 SA 1992 obviously' date='cant call that a choke[/quote'] This. That 92 WC had SA written all over it.
The Outsider Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Even before the rain rule came into play, SA had lost the match. I watched a lot of cricket in my teens and McMillan/Richardson were never going to pull 23 from 13 balls anyway.
Marut Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 Even before the rain rule came into play' date=' SA had lost the match. I watched a lot of cricket in my teens and McMillan/Richardson were never going to pull 23 from 13 balls anyway.[/quote'] Exactly. Neither batsman at the crease was known for big hitting. McMillan played only a very few innings in his career where his S/R exceeded 100. Richardson could hit some lusty shots but he was a hack. 23 off 2 was a chase SA was going pull of only once in three matches.
Lord Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 Didn't watch the match live,but from scorecard it appears that they scored 25 runs in 17 balls after Rhodes got out before rain came :hmmm: Might not have been easy but seemed possible
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