It was the series against Australia in 75 and WI in 76 that got me into cricket. It's easy to forget that although 76 was the longest, driest summer ever, 75 was also pretty good. I hadn't taken any interest in cricket prior to these series.
If anything the Windies got better for the next few years. Holding, Garner, Marshall and Roberts were all brilliant bowlers, they also had some decent back up bowlers, although they didn't have a spinner in the class or Warne, but then no one did. Holding was actually poetry in motion. So four world class bowlers plus world class batsmen in Richards and Greenidge, also Clive Loyd who was coming to the end. Then there was also Desmond Haynes who replaced Fredericks as Greenidge's opening partner and I thought was better. Whilst I also thought Kallicharan was brilliant.
They of course also had several more world class players to come in Lara, Ambrose and Walsh, whilst Ritchie Richardson was also excellent.
However, I think the great Aussie team of the late 90's early 00's might have edged them as they had almost a whole team of world class players coming together at the same time
The Waugh twins, Ponting, Hayden, Gilchrist, Warne and Mgrath were all undoubtedly world class. That's seven for a start. Then there were others such as Langer and Brett Lee who weren't far short.
The advantage of having virtually a whole team of world class players rather than relying on a couple is that there is almost always someone to turn it on in every match
I don't think the Windies were used to being behind so they may have folded. I believe they were actually thrashed in a test by Australia in the mid 70's, and that was a weaker Aussie side than the later one.
Overlooked of course are the great South African team of the late 60's who thrashed a strong Australian team in 1970. What players they had who either didn't play many tests or missed out completely: Graham Pollock, who I never saw, Barry Richards who opened the batting for Hampshire with Gordon Greenidge (what an opening partnership), Mike Proctor fabulous all rounder for Gloucesteshire, Clive Rice ditto Notts, Eddie Barlow who came to Derbyshire although I thought he seemed to be well past his best. Then brilliant later players like the great batsman Peter Kirsten who also played for Derbyshire and did play some tests at the very end of his career and the fast bowler Garth Le Roux.
