The top five dynamic duos in world sport

WE have waited a long 12 months for the Warriors redemption story in the NBA, but little did we know how dominant the Golden State run to the title would be.

Anyone who watches any basketball would realise Kevin Durant and Steph Curry would combine to become a formidable duo, but NBA commentator Jeff Van Gundy went as far to say that the pair could be one of “the best duos to play together, maybe ever”.

 

Do we disagree? It is hard to challenge the call – especially if the Warriors go through undefeated in the post-season – but it lead to us looking at the best pairings in world sport today.

There are some absolute superstar pairings here and we suspect all of these duos will go down in history as hall of fame candidates by the end of their careers.

AFL – Joel Selwood and Patrick Dangerfield

The pair that have been dubbed “Dangerwood” have redefined what it means to be reliant on star players, but while they are both out there, it does not matter.

Ever since the Cats recruited the best player in the competition back in 2015, the AFL has been enamoured with Dangerwood, and justifiably so. The pair can singlehandedly win a game off their own boot, or as a combination blow teams apart.

While the status of Geelong as an overall team is questionable, the influence of Selwood and Dangerfield is so great that they could very well drive their team to the grand final on their own.

 

NRL – Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk

Unfortunately for the Melbourne, and the impartial NRL fans, this pairing are in the twilight of their partnership, but it is impossible to deny just how dominant Cam Smith and Cooper Cronk have been over the last decade.

Even in the absence of superstar fullback Billy Slater, Smith and Cronk almost drove their side to the NRL title, highlighting just how brilliant their pairing is.

The long period of sustained success speaks for itself, and the Storm fans will sorely miss Cronk when he departs at the end of the 2017 season.

 

Horse Racing – Winx and Hugh Bowman

Could this be the foremost pairing in world sports?

Winx has won 17 consecutive races and Bowman has been in the saddle for 15 of them, including back-to-back Cox Plates and a brilliant autumn campaign in Sydney where no horse finished within two lengths of the Chris Waller-trained runner over four runs.

We may never see a more brilliant twosome in thoroughbred racing history, so punters and enthusiasts should make the most of it while they can.

 

Cricket – Mitchell Starc and Dave Warner

Although this pairing play vastly different roles for the Australian side, their influence is as equal as it is profound.

There is little question that Starc is the best one day bowler in the world, and he is the best strike bowler on earth today.

Dave Warner is the best striker of the ball in world cricket and has the ability to singlehandedly win a game for his side.

When both of these guys fire in the same match, Australia is unbeatable. One thing is for certain however, a match that contains both Warner and Starc is sure to contain fireworks.

Just quietly though, we prefer the boys playing in the canary yellow rather than in the IPL.

Football – Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo

Is there a greater coach/player pair right now in any sport quite like Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo?

Sometimes it takes an astute coach to tinker a line up and let their managerial skills come to the fore – and at other times it is better to just hand the keys to the best player and let him do his thing.

Ronaldo proved this year that he is the best player in the world after guiding Real Madrid to their first La Liga title in five years and a second Champions League triumph in as many years.

Zidane may not get the plaudits given he just let the best player in the world play his own game, but after a revolving door of managers in recent years we think he deserves a little more credit.