Most consecutive wins in ODI cricket

Winning streaks are a great sign of domination. It is a numerical representation of a team’s consistency on the field, which, more often than none, translates into long-lasting legacies.

In cricket, Australia has been a force to be reckoned with for a long time, especially in the One Day International (ODI) format. Particularly under Ricky Ponting’s captaincy, the Australians saw a golden run that is, till date, unchallenged.

Here are the teams that have managed to string together the most wins in ODI cricket.

Australia - 21 wins

Between January 2003 and May 2003, Australia managed a 21-match winning streak in 50-over cricket, the most consecutive wins in ODI cricket ever recorded. A seven-run win against England in Hobart kicked off the unprecedented streak.

This was the seventh match of the VB Series played between England, Sri Lanka and Australia. From this game onwards, Australia won every match they played in the series, making it a six-match streak.

They extended into their great run in the 2003 ICC World Cup, beating Pakistan, India, Netherlands, Zimbabwe, Namibia, England, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. The indomitable Aussies then went on to defeat India in the final to lift the coveted silverware.

Australia’s streak ended during their tour of the West Indies. After losing the first four of the seven games in the series, the Windies bounced back with three consecutive wins, putting an end to Australia’s golden run.

Australia’s 21-match winning streak is the longest one in ODI history by a distance. The next-best mark is 12 consecutive wins, achieved twice by South Africa and once by Pakistan.

South Africa - 12 wins

The Proteas had their best streak in One Day International cricket from February 2005 to October 2005 under Graeme Smith’s captaincy.

It began with a three-wicket win against England at the Centurion in February 2005. It continued through the Zimbabwe tour of South Africa, which the hosts won 3-0, and the South Africa tour of West Indies, which the visitors won 5-0.

It extended into New Zealand’s tour of South Africa later that year, with the Proteas winning the five-match series 4-0. The fourth game ended with a no-result, finally putting an end to South Africa’s winning streak.

Pakistan - 12 wins

Pakistan are tied in the second position with 12 back-to-back wins in ODIs, which came between November 2007 and June 2008. It started with a 31-run win against arch-rivals India in Jaipur under Shoaib Malik’s captaincy.

Pakistan’s run continued through two big bilateral series that they hosted - a five-match series against Zimbabwe between January and February 2008, and a five-match series against Bangladesh.

Pakistan won 5-0 against Zimbabwe and 5-0 against Bangladesh, displaying nothing but utter domination on their home soil.

When Pakistan toured Bangladesh later that year, they won the first game, extending their streak to 12 matches. However, Bangladesh got the better of them in the next, cutting the streak short.

South Africa - 12 wins

South Africa equalled their own record of 12 consecutive wins between September 2016 and February 2017, a period where AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis both captained the South African national team.

It all started with a massive 206-run win against Ireland, followed by a 5-0 whitewash of Australia when they visited South Africa. Soon, Sri Lanka, who also visited the Proteas, were subjected to a similar treatment and a 5-0 series defeat.

It was only when South Africa visited New Zealand that they tasted their first defeat in a while - in the second ODI of the series, after stringing together 12 wins.

The Indian men’s cricket team’s longest winning streak in the fifty-over format is nine matches and it has been achieved twice. The first came between November 2008 and February 2009, and the second between July and September of 2017.