Australia’s awesome foursome, which consists of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon, is on the verge of making history by becoming the most successful quartet of wicket-takers in Test cricket. However, they may not be considered the greatest due to several factors. The foursome currently has 390 wickets to their name in Tests in which all four have played. According to ABC Radio’s statistician Ric Finlay, they are just 26 wickets short of breaking the record set by England’s James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Ben Stokes, and Moeen Ali, who collectively took 416 wickets.
Although the Australian quartet commands universal respect, they do not necessarily strike fear into the opposition batters. It is difficult to compare Test cricket across different eras due to the varying number of games, the rise in professionalism and athleticism, and the increasing participation of different countries.
When comparing bowling attacks, the West Indies had what was generally considered to be the greatest bowling attack in history from the late 1970s to the 1990s. They had a range of fearsome fast bowlers who established the gold standard for bowling attacks. On the other hand, the Australian quartet of Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood, and Lyon are fortunate to have their careers running parallel and their sustained success has limited opportunities for other bowlers.
The current Australian bowling brigade has outperformed their predecessors from a generation ago. However, it is noted that they have been fortunate to have their careers run parallel and have limited opportunities for other bowlers. This has led to a generation of bowlers not getting much of a look-in, not only in the Test team but also in the ODI and T20 sides. The selectors may need to give other bowling prospects a chance to prove themselves at the Test level, but it is uncertain whether there will be a quartet as prolific as the current bowling attack in the future.
In conclusion, while Australia’s awesome foursome is on the cusp of making history, they may not be regarded as the greatest quartet of all time due to various circumstances. Despite their outstanding performance, the quartet’s success raises questions about opportunities for other budding bowlers in the Australian cricket team.