AUSTRALIA TEST CRICKET TEAM
1999-2007
PLAYED............... 95 WON.................... 74 LOST.................... 10 DREW.................. 11 WIN RATIO......... 78 per cent WON: 25 of 31 test series
WORLD CUPS: 1999, 2003, 2007 They weren’t lovable, but the Australian cricket team in the earlier millennium were bloody good. They could play – it was just unfortunate that they knew it too.
They had an edge – a desire to humiliate opponents. There was nothing gentlemanly about the Australians. They had no desire to be good sports or to embrace the concept of fair play, for them, it was all about winning.
Winning was all that mattered and that mind-set enabled them to dig their way out of a few tough scrapes. The Aussies were not only stroke makers, but were battlers when they needed to be and they would never stop believing in themselves. SCORES ON THE DOORS LONGEVITY 6/10 The surprising thing was how far and how quickly Australia fell as some of their great players of this team retired. A team that falls apart like that... INTENSITY OF COMPETITION 5/10 There are only a handful of nations that take cricket seriously and at any given time, at least three of them will be in turmoil. Throughout Australia’s period of domination, they never really had a serious rival. There was no other side that was ever able to sustain their form. PINNACLE TOURNAMENTS 8/10 Three one day World Cups in succession – good effort. That took planning, guts, tenacity and skill. WINNING RECORD 7/10 Their win ratio shouldn’t be seen as the sole measurement of their record. The Australians had a view it was better to chase the win in tests than accept the draw and sometimes their aggressive approach counted against them. SPORTING FOOTPRINT 8/10 Their hard-nosed, win at all costs attitude has pervaded across cricket and is now standard fare for Australian sides. This team also contained a handful of great players such as Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne.