Which 2 teams were the closest rivals for Test supremacy in a single era?

[subshakerz]

Aus won the first two tests in the away series in South Africa in 1997, SA were only able to win the dead rubber of that series. At home later in the year Aus took a 1-0 lead early in the series and never looked like surrendering it and won the series 1-0.

In the 96-97 away series, Australia comfortably won the first test and South Africa the last test but the second test was very tight and could have gone either way.

In the 1997 series at home, Australia nearly lost the last test with South Africa not taking the catches necessary to finish them off.

So they were close series with Australia having the edge in both.

 

[Heisenberg111]

Nonsense, we lost in Pakistan & won at home vs Pakistan in that era. No conclusion can therefore be drawn about superiority. I'd probably concede 1990-1992 to Pakistan... '93/'94 the toss of a coin or either side on their day and certainly Oz wins at home also...

Good series between Oz & Pak around that era though. Oz winning 1:0 at home in 1990 (Pakistan drawing 2 games at the slightly slower & more familiar tracks in Sydney & the old version of Adelaide);

Pakistan taking a close series at home in '94 by one of the narrowest ever test wins, 1 wicket (Healy famously missing a stumping off Warne to lose the game by byes), with 2 drawn Tests also.

So the margins of victory are close at home in both cases- neither crushing the other. Inconclusive.

By '95, the pendulum had shifted.

I think, Pak were still better than OZ till 1994, and the retrospective ICC test rankings show that too.

https://web.archive.org/web/2013032...ket.com/match_zone/test_ranking.php?year=1994

Rankings show Pak at no.2 and OZ at 3rd in 1994.

 

[wrongun]

I think, Pak were still better than OZ till 1994, and the retrospective ICC test rankings show that too.

https://web.archive.org/web/2013032...ket.com/match_zone/test_ranking.php?year=1994

Rankings show Pak at no.2 and OZ at 3rd in 1994.

Perhaps. But rankings points take time to accumulate & to some extent reward past achievement as much as current status. Especially when talking about as narrow a window as Pakistan being #2 (behind WI) in 1992 but Oz being #2 in 1994.

certainly we didn't "topple" Pakistan in 1994 after one ultra close test & then 2 flat patta draws but neither did Oz change much from the side that won the corwn a year later, which Pakistan has never done - even with greater teams than that.

So I'll respectfully disagree with that real time assessment, while fully accepting Pakistan were a deserved #2 in the rankings after that series.

Thing is, within months, one team goes on to be the best of all time (arguably) and one slides backwards.

 

[Harsh Thakor]

I think, Pak were still better than OZ till 1994, and the retrospective ICC test rankings show that too.

https://web.archive.org/web/2013032...ket.com/match_zone/test_ranking.php?year=1994

Rankings show Pak at no.2 and OZ at 3rd in 1994.

By a whisker.Morally in series in 1994 Australia overshadowed Pakistan,all but winning all 3 tests.

 

[street cricketer]

By a whisker.Morally in series in 1994 Australia overshadowed Pakistan,all but winning all 3 tests.

I'm sorry but I refuse to believe Australia could have outshadowed any side "morally" at any point in history, no less the 90s.

 

[Harsh Thakor]

I'm sorry but I refuse to believe Australia could have outshadowed any side "morally" at any point in history, no less the 90s.

Sorry,I meant came within a whisker of winning 3-0.in 1994.See the scorecards.

 

[szrana007]

I'm sorry but I refuse to believe Australia could have outshadowed any side "morally" at any point in history, no less the 90s.

Bingo, Australia and "moral victories" don't go hand in hand