A test match is being played for a total duration of five days. And each day has three sessions, while a result can be changed with one bad session. Red-ball cricket is considered the hardest form of the game. That’s why a test series win is most celebrated as compared to ODIs and T20Is.
And when you can win series consecutively, that shows how strong the team is. And when it is about dominance, one name comes to mind, which is Australia. They have been the most successful in the history of the team. And now we’ll look at some instances when teams won back-to-back test matches
Most Consecutive Wins in Test Cricket
| Team | Wins | Against | First Win | Last Win |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 16 | West Indies (5), India (3), Pakistan (3), Bangladesh (3), Zimbabwe (1) | 14 Oct 1999 | 27 Feb 2001 |
| Australia | 16 | South Africa (5), England (5), India (2), Sri Lanka (2), Bangladesh (2) | 26 Dec 2005 | 2 Jan 2008 |
| West Indies | 11 | Australia (6), England (5) | 30 Mar 1984 | 7 Dec 1984 |
| Sri Lanka | 9 | West Indies (2), Zimbabwe (3), India (1), Pakistan (1), Bangladesh (1) | 29 Aug 2001 | 6 Mar 2002 |
| South Africa | 9 | Bangladesh (4), Pakistan (2), Sri Lanka (2), Australia (1) | 15 Mar 2002 | 1 May 2003 |
| Australia | 8 | England (8) | 17 Dec 1920 | 2 Jul 1921 |
| England | 8 | West Indies (4), New Zealand (3), South Africa (1) | 20 May 2004 | 17 Dec 2004 |
| England | 7 | Australia (7) | 21 Mar 1885 | 10 Feb 1888 |
| England | 7 | Australia (4), West Indies (3) | 23 Jun 1928 | 1 Feb 1929 |
| West Indies | 7 | England (5), New Zealand (2) | 26 Apr 1985 | 11 Apr 1986 |
5. South Africa – 9 Consecutive wins
Over the years, we have seen test series at home that mostly end in favour of the hosts. But if you can clean sweep the opposition, then that is sheer dominance. South won nine consecutive games between 2002 and 2003. They won four tests against Bangladesh, two against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and one against Australia. Out of these nine wins, six came with a margin of an inning or more.
4. Sri Lanka – 9 Consecutive wins
Sri Lanka is another team that has won the joint-third most test matches on the trot. Just like South Africa, they also won nine back-to-back games between 2001 and 2002. Out of these nine wins, eight came at home. In this period, they won three-match tests against the West Indies and Zimbabwe and one game each against India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Out of nine games, four were with a win margin of an inning.
3. West Indies – 11 Consecutive wins
Between the 1970s and 1985, the West Indies dominated the world of cricket. They won ODIs and Tests all across the world, wherever they played. In ODIs, they created their 12-match streak in this period. And in tests, they also created a streak of 11 consecutive wins in 1984. In this period, they defeated Australia in a three-match test series twice, at home and away. They also won against England in a five-match test series to make it 11 out of 11.
2. Australia – 16 Consecutive Test wins
Just like Australia’s ODI streak, it is just impossible to break the record of their most consecutive wins in the longest format of the game. Australia had two streaks of 16 test wins on the trot. The second one came in 2006-07. They won a five-match test series against South Africa and England, respectively. Then they also won two tests against India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. It was India that ended their streak with a win at Perth in the 2007–08 Border Gavaskar Trophy.
1. Australia – 16 Consecutive Test wins
Not just in ODIs, Australia was also the most dominant team in the longest format of the game in the early 2000s. They have won back-to-back series against almost every opponent they have faced. And even a draw against Australia was considered a huge thing for the other team. They set the record of 16 consecutive wins in Test, which still the highest. They won a one-off test against Zimbabwe and a three-match series against Pakistan, India, and New Zealand at home. Then, they won five tests on the trot against the West Indies.