A winning streak is a strong indicator of dominance. It is a numerical depiction of a team's field consistency, which virtually always results in enduring legacies.
Australia has traditionally been a formidable power in cricket, particularly in the One Day International (ODI) format. Especially with Ricky Ponting leading the side, the Aussies experienced an unrivalled golden run.
These are the ODI cricket teams who have managed to win the most games consecutively.
| 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 |
| Sri Lanka | 13* | Afghanistan (2), ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier (8), Asia Cup (3) | 4 Jun 2023 | 9 Sep 2023 |
| 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 |
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In 50-over cricket, Australia won 21 straight matches between January and May 2003—the longest winning streak in ODI history. The extraordinary run began in Hobart with a seven-run victory over England.
This was England, Sri Lanka, and Australia's sixth encounter in the VB Series. Australia won every game they played in the series after this one, for a run of six wins.
They continued their incredible run in the ICC World Cup 2003, winning against England, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, the Netherlands, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and New Zealand. After that, the unflappable Australians defeated India in the championship game to take home the much-coveted silverware.
During their West Indies trip, Australia's run of success came to an end. Australia's golden streak came to an end when the Windies won three straight games in the series after losing the opening four of the seven games.
Australia's winning run of 21 matches is by far the longest in the history of the ODIs. The next-best record, held by Pakistan once and again by South Africa, is 12 straight victories.
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From June to September of this year, Sri Lanka had an amazing 13-match winning run in One-Day Internationals (ODIs). The only side to break their winning streak was India in the Super Four round of the Asia Cup.
During that run, Sri Lanka defeated Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh in addition to going undefeated in the CWC Qualifier competition.
Sri Lanka will depend mostly on their batting lineup to carry the strain during the World Cup due to the absence of important bowlers.
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Under Graeme Smith's leadership, the Proteas enjoyed their greatest run of One Day International cricket from February to October 2005.
In February 2005, it started with a three-wicket victory over England at the Centurion. The South Africa tour of the West Indies, which the visitors won 5-0, and the Zimbabwe tour of South Africa, which the hosts won 3-0, both followed.
Later that year, it continued into New Zealand's visit to South Africa, when the Proteas won the five-match series 4-0. South Africa's winning run came to an end in the fourth game when there was no outcome.
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With twelve consecutive victories in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) between November 2007 and June 2008, Pakistan is tied for second place. Under Shoaib Malik's leadership, it began with a 31-run victory in Jaipur over India, the team's bitter rivals.
Two significant bilateral series that Pakistan hosted, a five-match series against Zimbabwe in January and February 2008, and a five-match series against Bangladesh, helped to extend their winning streak.
Pakistan showed complete dominance at home, winning 5-0 against Bangladesh and 5-0 against Zimbabwe.
Later that year, Pakistan won the opening match of their tour to Bangladesh, extending their winning run to 12 games. But in the following match, Bangladesh defeated them, ending the run.
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Between September 2016 and February 2017, when both AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis captained the South African national side, the country equalled their record of 12 straight victories.
It all began with a crushing victory of 206 runs against Ireland, which was followed by a 5-0 thumping of Australia on their tour to South Africa. Soon after, Sri Lanka, who had also been to the Proteas, suffered the same fate and lost the series 5-0.
After winning 12 straight ODIs, South Africa didn't experience their first setback in a long time until they travelled to New Zealand and played in the second match of the series.
In the fifty-over format, the Indian men's cricket team has won nine games in a row, a feat they have accomplished twice. November 2008 to February 2009 was the first, and July to September 2017 was the second.
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The most dominant team in the early 1970s and 1980s was the West Indies. They made it to the 1983 World Cup final and won the first two ODI World Cups in 1975 and 1979. They were simply too good for the other teams then.
That's when they recorded this record. Indeed, for over twenty years, this record has remained the finest. In the 11 ODIs, they won in a row between June 1985 and February 1985. They won one match against England and five against Australia and Sri Lanka during this time.
Also Read: The longest winning streak in a single edition of the ODI World Cup
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