Top 10 Greatest Cricket Teams Of All Time
When these famous squads stepped onto the cricket field, other teams took notice. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the teams that have ruled the cricketing world.
Transcript
00:00 "Tody finishes off in style! A magnificent strike into the crowd! India lift the World Cup!"
00:07 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at the teams that have ruled the cricketing world.
00:11 Number 10. Sri Lanka.
00:19 Considered among the weaker teams at the beginning of the 90s,
00:22 the Lankans turned things around like never before. Led by Arjuna Ranatunga,
00:27 the team revolutionized batting to perfect the pinch-hitting technique.
00:30 Batsmen like Sanath Jadhasudia and Aravinda Da Silva clobbered bowlers from the get-go,
00:42 pushing Sri Lanka toward a big total or an easy chase. With future bowling legends like
00:48 Matthaiya Muralidharan and Chaminda Vasco coming into their own, the team found a perfect recipe
00:53 for success. Particularly strong in Asian conditions, the Lankan team rode their newfound
01:03 momentum to win the 1996 World Cup. Although their time at the top was short-lived,
01:19 the Lankans proved they belonged on the big stage as a force to be reckoned with.
01:24 Number 9. Australia Women.
01:27 Few sports teams are so far ahead of the competition that victory is a foregone conclusion.
01:32 The Australian team has always been the best in women's cricket,
01:36 but they've been a class apart since 2018.
01:48 Finishing up matches with extreme ruthlessness, the Australians have won every tournament they've
01:53 been a part of. Whether it's the 50-over World Cup, multiple T20 World Cups, or the Ashes,
01:59 these women have torn down their opponents time and again. It's true that the quality of the
02:10 opposition hasn't been the best, but the one-sided victories in Australia's favor are way too many
02:16 to ignore. Barring the rare upset, the team has hardly ever been tested, as no one seems capable
02:22 of stopping them anytime soon. Number 8. India.
02:26 After the disastrous 50-over 2007 World Cup, MS Dhoni engineered a remarkable comeback that won
02:33 India the inaugural World T20. From then on, Dhoni established India as the team to beat.
02:53 Hall of Famers like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid were well-supported by young stars like
02:58 Yuvaraj Singh, Virat Kohli, and R. Ashwin, as Dhoni looked for both experience and talent.
03:04 India's home grounds became their stronghold, with opposition teams finding little to no
03:08 room for success. The one blip in an otherwise incredible run was the lack of wins in overseas
03:18 test tours, although they held their own in white ball cricket. Dhoni's men were always
03:22 the favorites in global tournaments, ultimately winning the 50-over World Cup and the 2013
03:28 Champions Trophy. Number 7. England.
03:41 While the number one ranking generally varies across formats, England topped each in 2012.
03:47 It was the culmination of a golden run kickstarted two years before, led by Andrew
03:51 Strauss and Alistair Cook. The English were near flawless in sealing overseas victories.
03:56 "Tremlitz the man, put the beer away, put the champagne on ice.
04:04 24 years of pain in Australia. Finally they're beaten at home by England."
04:14 After beating Australia on their own turf with authority, England achieved the impossible by
04:19 winning in India. This test team is easily the strongest in their history, as batsmen like Cook,
04:24 Joe Root, and Kevin Peterson were complimented by bowlers Stuart Broad,
04:28 James Anderson, and Graham Swan. Although global tournaments were still a weak point,
04:32 the English team bagged several bilateral home and abroad series to make winning a natural habit.
04:37 Number 6. South Africa. It's hard to go wrong when you've got hard-hitting batsmen like Gary
04:47 Kirsten, world-class all-rounders like Jacques Callis and Lance Klusener, and an intimidating
04:52 bowling attack led by Alan Donald, Sean Pollock, and Micaiah Anttini. The Proteus are famously
04:57 known for choking on the big stage. However, the 1998 squad won the inaugural champions trophy,
05:04 beginning Hansi Kroenius' charge of taking South Africa to new heights.
05:08 "Salutes the trophy from the Honorable Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Her Excellency Sheikh
05:18 Haseena." With coach Bob Wollmer, Kroenius' team used technological techniques to study the
05:23 opposition and target their weak spots. Apart from world champions Australia, the Proteus bossed
05:29 every other team around to become serious threats. Kroenius' role in the infamous match-fixing scandal
05:34 destroyed the team's aura, but their glory days cannot be forgotten. Number 5. Pakistan. In the
05:52 80s, no team seemed to challenge the mighty West Indies apart from Pakistan. The men in green
05:58 propelled themselves in the early 90s thanks to Imran Khan's captaincy. Embracing the cornered
06:06 "tigers mentality," Khan's men roared through global events like the Austral Asia Cup before
06:11 becoming world champions in 1992. It was an era defined by Pakistan's bowling attack, with Khan,
06:22 Waqar Younis, and Waseem Akram ruling the roost. Batting heavyweights like Javed Miarad, Saeed
06:27 Anwar, and Indamam Ul Haq balanced the squad's depth, this team carried a fearless attitude
06:32 that brought a heightened level of excitement into the game. They might not have been invincible,
06:37 but their daring approach enabled Pakistan to land at the top of the ratings at their peak.
06:48 Number 4. Australia. Coming in straight after the end of World War II, Don Bradman ended his
06:54 career in the best way possible. The legendary batsmen continued to rack up the runs, leading
06:59 a team that is now known as the Invincibles. Their peak saw the Australians play an entire
07:11 English summer undefeated, remaining the only team to ever do so. Australia also dominated
07:20 the other sides they faced, blanking New Zealand, South Africa, and India, while West Indies were
07:26 handily defeated as well. This marvelous run brought cricket back to popularity in a post-war
07:31 world, as crowds broke attendance match records to watch Bradman's Invincibles in action.
07:39 Although Bradman himself ended his career with a duck, the winning mentality he injected into
07:44 his team continued after his retirement. Number 3. India. Virat Kohli's appointment
07:50 as captain in 2015 signaled India's ongoing ascension. Kohli re-established home conditions
07:56 as an impenetrable fortress, but took one step further overseas. The Indians became the first
08:06 Asian side to win a Test Series in Australia, repeating this feat later on. They also adapted
08:12 to English conditions, representing India's constant improvement. Although global trophies
08:17 have eluded them, they generally win all the group stage matches before an unlucky knockout defeat.
08:23 Batsmen like Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Shubhman Gill strike fear into opposition lineups.
08:32 India finally overcame bowling shortcomings with match winners like Mohamed Shami,
08:36 Jasprit Bumrah, and Kuldeep Yadav who cut through batting orders in their opening spells.
08:41 Their consistency paid off when India topped the rankings in all three formats,
08:46 consolidating themselves above their opponents.
08:57 Number 2. West Indies. For a long time, it seemed as if the West Indies would rule cricket forever.
09:03 Easily winning the first two editions of the World Cup,
09:06 the Windies kept their hold on the sport in both ODIs and Tests.
09:09 Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall, Kirtley Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, and Michael Holding were among
09:20 the pace brigade that decimated batting orders with ease. Batting legends Vivian Richards,
09:36 Gordon Greenwich, and Desmond Haynes piled up runs and then some,
09:40 making for a team that was complete in every way.
09:42 The Windies still hold the record for the longest unbeaten Test streak,
09:49 remaining unconquered for a mind-boggling 15 years. Simply avoiding defeat against
09:54 this team was considered a success, although few ever achieved it.
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10:14 Number 1. Australia
10:16 Heading into the 21st century, Australia remained far and away superior to everyone else. During
10:22 this run, they managed a 16-match Test winning streak twice. The team won the World Cup three
10:28 times in a row, undefeated in their 2003 and 2007 campaigns. From trouncing a World XI in
10:43 the Super Series to winning the Champions Trophy, Australia captured every piece of
10:47 silverware available. Apart from the 2005 Ashes, the team largely dominated arch-rivals England,
10:59 whitewashed fellow heavyweights South Africa, and overcame the final frontier India in 2004.
11:05 Whether it was batsmen Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, and Matthew Hayden, or bowlers
11:09 Glenn McGraw and Shane Warne, the entire team was filled with legends of the game.
11:13 When it comes to achieving excellence, look no further than this Australian era.
11:25 Which cricket team do you think is perfect in every way? Let us know in the comments.
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11:51 [Music]