2 Australia under Steve Waugh Like Lloyd, Steve Waugh reinvented the way that Test cricket was played. Building on the work of Mark Taylor, and blessed with two champion bowlers in their pomp in Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, Waugh saw no reason why Australia could not win every Test match they played and came closer to achieving this aim than anyone ever did (in 57 Tests under him between 1999 and 2004, Australia won 41, lost nine and drew seven). Breaking the will of the opposition was absolutely central to his plan and brutal, intimidatory batting, from Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist especially, was one means of doing this. The Australian batting line-up was arguably as strong as Lloyd’s, with Ricky Ponting, Mark and Steve Waugh in the middle order. Waugh’s solitary blemish was failing to win a Test series in India, something which has since been achieved by an Australian side living off Waugh’s legacy but now seemingly in decline

3 Australia under Don Bradman Bradman was as cold and ruthless a leader as Waugh: winning was the only thing that mattered and nothing diverted him from that path, and his record was not much inferior (15 wins and three defeats in 24 Tests). He had some outstanding players under him — batsmen Stan McCabe, Bill Brown, Arthur Morris and Neil Harvey, and bowlers Bill O'Reilly, Ray Lindwall, Keith Miller and Bill Johnston — but it was Bradman himself, with his batting average of more than 100 as captain, who made the difference. England, Australia’s only rivals during Bradman’s reign from 1936 to 1948, possessed some great cricketers of their own but in four series they lost 3-2, 3-0 and 4-0 and drew 1-1. The 1948 vintage that went unbeaten through a long tour of Britain, and dismissed England for 52 at The Oval, was unquestionably the best

4 South Africa under Ali Bacher In the late 1960s, South African cricket was blessed with some extraordinary talent and, had the country not been riven by apartheid and eventually banned from international competition, the strength of a fully multi-racial team could have achieved great things. As it was, a team drawn only from the privileged white population was still the best there was, certainly better than Ray Illingworth’s England, whom South Africa were scheduled to meet in 1970, only for the tour to be cancelled following political protests. Under Ali Bacher, in his only series in charge, they had just whitewashed Australia 4-0, with a side containing all-time greats in Barry Richards, Graeme Pollock and Mike Procter, and the very fine Peter Pollock, Denis Lindsay and Eddie Barlow. But the future never happened

5 West Indies under Viv Richards For a long time, West Indies under Viv Richards, who took over in 1985, looked very much like West Indies under Clive Lloyd. The same formula still applied: pace, pace and more pace. In his first series, England were vanquished 5-0 and in all he suffered only eight defeats (as against 27 wins) in 50 Tests. As old fast bowlers retired, new ones were found to replace them, notably Courtney Walsh, then Curtly Ambrose. But, as the years passed, weaknesses emerged, and opponents got better at coping with the short stuff. The batting was less productive, and shortcomings against spin bowling were exposed. Though West Indies remained unbeaten in series until 1995, fewer were won under Richards than under Lloyd. The beginning of the end was in sight

6 Australia under Mark Taylor Tactically, Taylor was one of the great captains. Before him came Allan Border, whose hard-nosed bloodymindedness dragged Australian cricket out of the gutter, and after him Steve Waugh, who benefited from what Taylor had done. Taylor was a natural at the job and, although his record is dwarfed by what Waugh later achieved, his side showed that through positive cricket they were capable of winning many more games than they lost. They were prepared to occasionally lose in pursuit of victory, too. Under Taylor, who won 26 and lost 13 of his 50 Tests, several players blossomed into greatness — notably Steve and Mark Waugh, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath

7 England under Peter May England’s golden age was the 1950s when, first under Len Hutton, then Peter May, they beat Australia three times in succession. If Hutton turned them into winners, May did all in his power to capitalise on his extraordinary resources after taking over in 1955. May, Colin Cowdrey and Tom Graveney were the engine-room of the batting, Trevor Bailey the allrounder, and the bowling had Fred Trueman, Brian Statham, Jim Laker and Tony Lock. May’s 20 Test victories as captain has not been surpassed

8 Australia under Warwick Armstrong While English cricket was in disarray after the first world war, Australia alighted on a blend of youth and experience that would have given many stronger sides a serious beating. When England toured Australia in 1920-21, they lost all five Tests and lost the first three of a return series at home a few months later. Nobody has captained more Tests without defeat than the autocratic Warwick Armstrong, who won eight of his 10 Tests in charge.

9 England under Michael Vaughan It is hard to measure the standing of teams still engaged in playing, but England under Michael Vaughan have touched rare heights. Before this summer, Australia had not lost a five-match series since 1993 and statistically Vaughan’s record as England captain eclipses those of Peter May and Mike Brearley, having won 20 and lost only five of his 31 Tests (Brearley won 18 and lost 4 of his 31 as captain). The key to England has been an exceptional pace attack

10 Pakistan under Imran Khan Historically, Pakistan cricket has been nothing if not mercurial, but for a few years under Imran Khan they came together to play brilliant cricket and prove themselves a match for anyone. In three series between 1986 and 1991, they held Viv Richards’s West Indies to 1-1 draws and in 1992 they won the World Cup, beating England in the final in Melbourne. Supported by a young Wasim Akram, and the best leg-spinner in the world in Abdul Qadir, Imran spearheaded a formidable bowling attack, while Javed Miandad and Salim Malik formed the fulcrum of the batting