ODI: A team’s supremacy can judge by their dominance over the opposition. It is normal for a team to sweep its opponents in a bilateral series. But winning consecutive matches is a clear example of real dominance. If we look at history, Australia has been a team that has played like an undefeatable side at its peak.
In both ODIs and Tests, they were the team to beat. And record suggests that there was no other team including the great West Indian side of 1980s like Australia at their peak. To discuss further, in this article we will cover the teams with most consecutive wins in the ODI cricket.
Most Consecutive Wins in ODI Cricket
| Team | Wins | Against (wins) | First Win | Last Win |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 21 | 2003 ODI World Cup, England (4), Sri Lanka (2) and West Indies (4) | 11 Jan 2003 | 24 May 2003 |
| South Africa | 12 | England (1), Zimbabwe (3), West Indies (5), New Zealand (3) | 13 Feb 2005 | 30 Oct 2005 |
| Pakistan | 12 | India (1), Zimbabwe (5), Bangladesh (6) | 25 Sep 2016 | 19 Feb 2017 |
| South Africa | 12 | Ireland (1), Australia (5), Sri Lanka (5), New Zealand (1) | 25 Sep 2016 | 19 Feb 2017 |
| West Indies | 11 | England (1), Australia (4), Sri Lanka (6) | 4 Jun 1984 | 2 Feb 1985 |
| Australia | 11 | ODI World Cup 2007 | 14 Mar 2007 | 28 Apr 2007 |
| West Indies | 10 | India (5) and Pakistan (5) | 5 Jan 1988 | 30 Mar 1988 |
| Australia | 10 | Pakistan (2), India (2), New Zealand (4), Bangladesh (1), Sri Lanka (1) | 23 Feb 1990 | 2 May 1990 |
| Pakistan | 10 | New Zealand (4), West Indies (3), India (1), Australia (1), Sri Lanka (1) | 27 Apr 1990 | 13 Nov 1990 |
| South Africa | 10 | England (5) and five wins in 1996 ODI World Cup | 13 Jan 1996 | 5 Mar 1996 |
5. West Indies – 11 consecutive wins
West Indies were the most dominant team in early 1970s and 1980s. They won the first ODI World Cups in 1975 and 1979 and also reached the final of the 1983 World Cup. That was the time; they were just too good for the other teams. During that time, they made this record. In fact, this record has remained the best for almost two decades. They won 11 consecutive ODIs between June 1985 and February 1985. In this period, they won five games against Sri Lanka and Australia and one against England.
4. South Africa – 12 consecutive wins
South Africa has been one of the top sides across all three formats. They have always made life difficult for the opposition, whether in the past or in the present. Especially at home, they are very hard to beat. Thus, they had a record of 12 consecutive wins from September 2006 to February 2017. During this time, they swept Australia and Sri Lanka in a five-match ODI series at home, and they won one game each against New Zealand and Ireland.
3. Pakistan – 12 consecutive wins
Next on the list is Pakistan, which is as strong as anyone at home. Especially at home, their record is really good in white-ball cricket. And in the late 2000s, when there was regular cricket in Pakistan, they had some really big names. They won 12 consecutive ODIs between November 2007 and June 2008. They defeated Zimbabwe and Bangladesh 5-0 each at home and won one game against India and Bangladesh away.
2. South Africa – 12 consecutive wins
There is no other team like South Africa that has won 12 consecutive ODIs twice in history. This streak started with a win over England on 13 February 2005 and ended on a win against New Zealand on 30 October 2005. They won a five-match ODI series away against the West Indies and two three-match ODI series at home against Zimbabwe and New Zealand. South Africa’s record of 12 consecutive ODI wins twice is also a record.
1. Australia – 21 consecutive ODI wins
There is no team in the world that can match the dominance that Australia had in their time. They were just undefeatable both at home and away. The likes of Andrew Symonds, Mathew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Michael Clarke, Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, and skipper Ricky Ponting made an incredible side, which went on to win 21 consecutive ODIs in total, which is a record. During this time, they also won the 2003 ODI World Cup and were undefeated in the whole tournament. Apart from the World Cup, they won the VB Tri Series at home with England and Sri Lanka and a four-match series against the West Indies.