Which Country is the greatest ever cricketing nation?

[Quagmire]

Well over 100 years of cricket has been played at an international level which country has been the most successful?

[Mr Kiwi]

Well I said Australia - purely because for many years Test Cricket was only Aus vs Eng, and the Aussies have normally had the upper hand.

Bear in mind though that this poll isn't that fair on countries which might have only been playing Test Cricket for a few decades but started to get some good results reasonably quickly (eg: Sri Lanka).

[Andy Mellon]

Yes. The poll is a little unfair, but the Aussies aren't the only candidates.

The only serious candidates for best country ever are Australia, England, West Indies, India and Pakistan as at least they've been playing for a decent period.

Personally, and this is very much a personal choice, it comes down between Australia and the West Indies. I'm going to vote for the West Indies. Only because no matter how much they used to thump England in the 80s, I was always enthralled by Desmond Haynes, Gordon Greenidge, Malcolm Marshall and Viv Richards. Laterlly, Curtley Ambrose provided me with the best entertainment I've cared to watch on a cricket pitch.

[Maranello]

The results summary can be seen here. Only four countries have won more Tests than they have lost: Australia, Pakistan, England and the West Indies. Of these, Australia are the only one to have maintained this for away Tests too. The answer thus has to be Australia.

[Seamer]

Hahahaha

Good one Rowan - i was saving this question up for a rainy day. The only glitch in the system is the West Indies from memory. Also from memory, Australia would have to lose every single test for the next twenty years to lose out unquestioned historical dominance.
The question should not be who is the best, but rather why are Australians the best.

[BarmyBarmyArmy]

England - we invented it

[Holden]

Originally Posted by BarmyBarmyArmy

England - we invented it

The English invented it , The Aussies 'perfected' it.

[Quagmire]

It would have to be between West Indies and Australia but the only reason that Australia have been better is because the West Indies have gone down hill over the years. I also said greatest not most successful or who have been successful over a long period. Sri Lanka might have done alot more in a short amount of time than if Australia, England and other countries would have done in the same amount of time.

[Rachael]

One good way of judging "most successful" is by where the sport has got in the time available: in England and Australia, Test cricket is sustainably founded on a solid domestic game backed by excellent coaching, an outstanding academy and sound administration.

The Aussie game has achieved more in terms of public profile: it's a mainstrem sport and barring some chronic scandals one suspects Australian Test Cricket is going to thrive for decades to come.

The game in the UK is very much a minority interest, largely excluded from schools and now invisible to anyone except sports-nut with a subscription to the most expensive Sky package.

I'd say victory Australia.. except for one thing: the Counties are THE finishing school for cricketers around the world: THAT, for me, makes the difference. England SUSTAINS Test cricket.

[james_warne]

I have to say australia for the same reasons everyone else has put