Well as an Aussie fan it's hard because since 1988 when I first started watching there's been so many awesome players, but I settled on this XI:
1 Justin Langer
2 Matthew Hayden
3 Ricky Ponting
4 Damien Martyn
5 Steve Waugh
6 Michael Clarke
7 Adam Gilchrist (wk)
8 Shane Warne
9 Jason Gillespie
10 Stuart Clark
11 Glenn McGrath
And because I feel so bad about leaving some legends out...a second XI:
1 Simon Katich
2 Mark Taylor
3 David Boon
4 Mark Waugh
5 Michael Hussey
6 Allan Border
7 Ian Healy (wk)
8 Brett Lee
9 Craig McDermott
10 Stuart MacGill
11 Bruce Reid/Merv Hughes
I'd actually have Mark Taylor ahead of Langer, which when I first thought about it I thought it was odd, because i'm a big Langer fan, but Taylor played some of the best innings of the 90's against truly awesome bowling lineups-
-170 vs SA 1993 at the MCG, Donald was on fire that series, Taylor played him like a medium pacer, match was a draw but the pitch was juicy and conditions very wet and dodgy, he looked so good, pulling and driving with mastery.
144 vs WI 1991, yes it was at antigua but the pitch wasnt the batting paradise it later was that decade. Obviously the bowling attack was brilliant- Marshall, Ambrose, Walsh etc, the whole series he had been threatening to make a big one, as an opener he really blunted the WI attack from ball one in most tests that series, looked a class above even the WI batters. This innings his backfoot drives were even better than his great displays in the 1989 Ashes, Marshall in particular he played easily.
169* carrying his bat vs SA in 1998, what a great innings, in my opinion his greatest test knock. My how well he punished the Sa attack including Pollock who was at his peak then, and was in the middle of a 7 fer that innings. People tend to forget just how attacking Taylor could play, he wasnt adventurous but could slap a bad ball as well as anyone, particularly savage on the pull and hook shots, not so string down the ground, typical lefty in that he loved square of the wicket and cover drives, which he played many that innings,
102* in the 4th innings 1998 vs India at Bangalore, one of his underrated test knocks, Australia had been severely thrashed in the opening two tests, Kumble and Sachin, even Sidhu just caned us. Taylor's strokeplay under pressure of chasing over 200 to win in the 4th innings on a spinning pitch was really bloody good, the ball sped away his whole innings, just like it did for Sachin during his 177 on day 1. The Indian crowd was dead silent every time he slapped the ball away.
123 vs England at Manchester, 1993 Ashes, day 1 cloudy and swinging day he was really good after a crap home summer vs WI and a poor tour to NZ. Hayden in particular breathing right down his throat after a bumper 2nd FC season, but his technique was rock solid all day and held the whole innings together. Lots of cracking big swinging deiveries from Caddick and Defreitas, those two mightve been pie throwers overseas mostly but in home conditions served up for them on a plate they were a handful.
123 vs Pakistan, Hobart vs Wasim, Waquar, Mushtaq etc, no doubt at all that the Pak bowlers were at their peak in that era, Taylor was in his best form of his life in those few years, he really played Wasim Akram easily, and was ruthless on Waqar's short balls and kept out his big in duckers. Same match Waqar broke Warne's foot with one. One of Taylor's forgotten gems. His backfoot play was awesome, his trademark effortless drives were fully on display.
One of our best openers who always seemed to be facing harsh conditions on day 1 as an opener, like Punter he was a bat first man, fully knowing it was his own average that was likely to suffer.
