Where is the aura of invincibility?

Since the late 70s to India's ascent to the No.1 spot in Test cricket, the world used to wait to see what excitement West Indies and Australia would dish out next rather than the match results. West Indies from the late 70s to mid 90s and Australia from the mid 90s to the better part of the last decade exhibited skills which gave the impression that these two teams had arrived from a different planet.

Both teams had some unique qualities which left the opposition hopeless and made them engage in silent prayers to save them from brutality. Their manner of display was so superb that opponents were made to look like school boys and after each match they used to put a psychological scar in their opponents' mind from which they hardly recovered.

Both West Indies and Australia triggered an aura of invincibility which used to script results before a ball being bowled. Their juggernaut rolled on powerfully and served as a good frame of reference for an assessment of collective and individual proficiency in sports. It's not only their extraordinary talented players but it had been the never-give-away-a-inch attitude which pictured their fearsome image.

Since the downfall of these two cricketing magnificos, the world seems to have lost that aura. Good teams are emerging every year and hitting the top spots in the ICC rankings, but in the course of time they burn out of fuel. 

India and England were full of promises but at present they are simply shadows of their past successes. Despite having all the ingredients to launch an aura of invincibility of their own, both India and England have stumbled dramatically.

South Africa has toppled England and reached the top of the Test rankings again. They also are very good in the limited-overs version. They have the batsmen, bowlers and fielders to be like West Indies and Australia. The optimists are hopeful of a South African era of domination but whether they will be able to do it or not remains a moot question. In the crunch moments the South Africans choke, a habit which was a rarity amongst West Indies and Australia. True champions always do the unthinkable when there is usually no hope at all, they never choke - they never gave away an inch.

For the time being, there isn't any invincible side around the cricketing world. There are promising contenders but in the long run they fade away pathetically. A battle between the two evenly matched sides does gift a competitive contest; but without a side, full of supermen, cricket loses its Herculean flavor - a flavor badly missed by the fans.

Note: This article was also published in cricket next.com  Where is the aura of invincibility?

Thank You

Faisal Caesar