Cricket - Australia vs South Africa

[GoTfan]

Who do you blame for Australia fall from the heights they were from 1999-2008.

Er... you can't just conjure up great players from nowhere. Talent doesn't work like that. Australia had a glut of talent and then one day they didn't. It happens. At present they aren't a bad side, just not a great one. Tbh Australia has managed the inevitable decline better than the West Indies

I think I remember Viv Richards saying aomething similar.He said something like "Australia is not a bad team; not by any stretch of the imagination. The wow factor's just not there anymore". I'm inclined to agree. You're only going to find players like Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer, Michael Clarke and Mitchell Johnson once in a few decades.

[GoTfan]

Who would you rank as Australia top 5 players from that era

Here's mine

1. Gilchrist
2. Pointing
3. Warne
4. Waugh
5. McGrath

Test:

1) McGrath (only quick to take over 500 wickets)
2) Warne (Greatest leg spinner in the world)
3) Ponting (great batsman and a fine captain)
4) Waugh (Steve, that is. A solid, dependable all-rounder and a damn good captain)
5) Lee (was a great bowler, and could score handy runs)

ODI:
1) Gilchrist  (Greatest ODI player ever)
2) Mark Waugh (very good all-rounder; frequently opened; could bowl handy off spin)
3) Glenn McGrath  (need a reason?)
4) Darren Lehmann  (solid all-rounder; good batsman and could bowl handy spin)
5) Brad Hogg (became out number 1 ODI spinner in 2003; could take key wickets and score handy late-innings runs)

As a side note, I wasn't aware that so many Americans watched cricket.