Australia again

When comparing all-conquering teams across generations, the contention most often made is that such equations are fatuous: times, attitudes and the game itself change, evolve, making it impossible to find a completely fair or comprehensive system for judging players of different eras. How, for example. would Don Bradman have done against the West Indies quicks of the 1980s? How would the aforementioned and other plunderers of his day have fared on pitches slightly less favourable than those of the 1930s - depression years for economies; peak times for scoring runs. We shall never know, although it is fun to pontificate.

Even the best players of the same generation are hard to compare: Lara or Tendulkar? Warne or Murali? There will always be a few truly great players in the game, but it is rare that you will get two worldbeating teams in close proximity. But if Ricky Ponting's team win the forthcoming Test at Sydney, they will equal the record for most consecutive Test wins, currently held by a team led by Ponting's predecessor, Stephen Waugh. And with the similarities between the two, perhaps it is possible to judge which of Australia's Sweet 16s is the better.

Waugh's induction into the Australian captaincy was not as easy as his final record and longevity might suggest. He was denied series victory in the Caribbean by the bat of one man, Brian Lara, at the peak of his monumental powers; while rain and the Sri Lankan spinners ensured a 0-1 reverse on the subsequent tour. And it proved to be defeat, rather than stalemate, which bookended the run of victories, as India came form behind to triumph in the titanic encounter of 2001. In contrast, Ricky Ponting has suffered defeat in live games only in the Ashes series of 2005. Since, his team has won 18 of 19 Test matches, with only the South Africans holding out for a draw. So which is the better team?

In terms of appearances, these are the teams which best represent the two winning sides (Colin Miller is replaced by Gillespie, who played two fewer games in that time, in the interest of balance).

1999-2001: Slater, Blewett, Langer, M.Waugh, S.Waugh, Ponting, Gilchrist, Warne, Gillespie, Fleming, McGrath

2005/6-2007/8: Langer, Hayden, Ponting, Hussey, Clarke, Symonds, Gilchrist, Warne, Lee, Clark, McGrath

Five players appear in both line-ups, although with only the unimpeachable greats - Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist - in the same role. One significant player, Damien Martyn, falls between the cracks, having appeared sporadically during both runs but with the bulk of his appearances during the period in between. Symbolic, perhaps.

In terms of batting, there seems a clear divide between the relative quality in the top and middle order. The top 3 of the recent side appears far superior, with Hayden and Langer one of the best statistical opening partnerships ever and Ponitng one of the modern greats at No.3. In contrast, only Slater stands out from Waugh's side; Blewett never really made the Test berth his own, while Langer prospered most when moved up to partner Hayden. In the middle-order however, the trend reverses. Stephen Waugh vs. Hussey would make an interesting battle royale, and one dares not declare the winner on paper. Ponting and Clarke, the young buccaneers of both teams, are also well matched at the same stage of their careers. The elegant insouciance of Martyn would be a better complement to Mark Waugh's exquisite talents than Symonds' rougher edges and although the Queenslander increasingly looks like he belongs in the Test side, he does not match up to any of the middle-order trio in Waugh's team. Gilchrist is the trump card for both sides, but the latter stage of his career has seen only glimpses of his swashbuckling best, and he was a more significant presence in the first team.

In the bowling, McGrath and Warne are constants, although their relative contributions differed during the two runs. For McGrath, the years around the turn of the century were peak ones, with his pace still high and bounce and movement maximised. By the post-2005 period, he was still highly effective, but a pile-up of injuries had dulled his menace. For Warne, the same equation of age vs. effectiveness does not apply: during the years 1999-2001, he averaged in excess of 30, with a strike-rate of over 60. Despite never recapturing the high-noon of 2005, he was still near his best during his last year of Test cricket and if anything he was better for Ponting's side, although he was of course instrumental for both teams. Gillespie was in his prime during the first run; pacy and a real exponent of swing and seam, constantly threatening both edges of the bat. In the post-McGrath era, Lee has shown signs of ascending to that level, but his inconsistency for much of the run means he ranks below Gillespie. Stuart Clark continues to operate at a stunningly high-level, and shades Damien Fleming, no spare-part himself. Overall, Waugh's attack is probably superior: Gillespie's pace and Fleming's outswing were perfect foils for McGrath and Warne, and as a unit it surpasses the quartet of the later team.

What remains is to assess the quality of opposition and the relative merits of the leaders themselves. In fairness, the teams Waugh's side came up against were mostly unexceptional: 5 Tests were against a West Indies side reeling from defeat in England and the retirement of Curtley Ambrose; New Zealand and India were easy meat at home and there was a game against Zimbabwe. 11 Tests were on home soil. If Ponting's team defeat India in the forthcoming Test at Sydney, they will equal the record with the same number of home games. On paper, the more recent team's opponents have been stronger. However, the expected challenge of South Africa and England never materialised - home and away in the case of the former - while tours to Australia these days seem to bring about both injury and managerial delusion for visiting sides. Ironically, the closest Australia were pushed was by Bangladesh at Fatullah, where they conceded a first innings lead and sneaked home by three wickets.

Much derided after losing the Ashes in 2005, Ponting has since developed into an assured and successful captain. The tactical shortcomings which produced gems in 2005 such as all fielders on the boundary to Flintoff with the score at about 170-9 at Edgbaston are long gone, while situations such as his handling of Brad Hogg, nursing him through a mauling by Tendulkar at Melbourne, show how he has grown into the role. Perhaps we will never see him pressurised as he was back in 2005 and how he might cope; it is unlikely he would crack as he did then. In a tight corner you would still want Waugh, all intensity, aggressiveness and with an unbranded tattoo on his forehead that screamed WIN. People lament the inability of any other team to give the current Australian side a contest; a match between these two teams would certainly be that, and this bookie is making Waugh odds-on.