Longest undefeated streak in Test cricket

[szrana]

Currently, the longest unbeaten streak record in test cricket is held by the West Indies, who were unbeaten for 29 series from 1979 to 1995. Can any test side in the future surpass this streak or is it simply impossible ?

 

[Heisenberg111]

Don't think so, that Windies team was arguably the best test team of all time. Can't see anyone getting close to that record, let alone breaking it.

 

[jeetu]

List of teams with atleast 10 or more undefeated streak

[table=width: 500, class: grid, align: center]
[tr][td]Team [/td][td]Series [/td][td]First Series [/td][td]Last Series [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]West Indies [/td][td]29 [/td][td]The Wisden Trophy (West Indies in England), 1980 [/td][td]West Indies in New Zealand Test Series, 1994/95 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Australia [/td][td]16 [/td][td]The Ashes (Australia in England), 2001 [/td][td]Trans-Tasman Trophy (Australia in New Zealand), 2004/05 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]England [/td][td]14 [/td][td]England in New Zealand Test Series, 1950/51 [/td][td]New Zealand in England Test Series, 1958 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]South Africa [/td][td]14 [/td][td]Basil D'Oliveira Trophy (England in South Africa), 2009/10 [/td][td]India in South Africa Test Series, 2013/14 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Australia [/td][td]13 [/td][td]Australia in India Test Series, 1956/57 [/td][td]Pakistan in Australia Test Match, 1964/65 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Australia [/td][td]12 [/td][td]The Ashes (Australia in England), 1934 [/td][td]South Africa in Australia Test Series, 1952/53 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Australia [/td][td]11 [/td][td]The Ashes (Australia in England), 1972 [/td][td]Centenary Test (England in Australia), 1976/77 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]South Africa [/td][td]11 [/td][td]West Indies in South Africa Test Series, 1998/99 [/td][td]India in South Africa Test Series, 2001/02 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]India [/td][td]11 [/td][td]Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Australia in India), 2008/09 [/td][td]India in West Indies Test Series, 2011 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]England [/td][td]10 [/td][td]India in England Test Series, 1967 [/td][td]Pakistan in England Test Series, 1971 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Pakistan [/td][td]10 [/td][td]Sri Lanka in Pakistan Test Series, 1985/86 [/td][td]India in Pakistan Test Series, 1989/90 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]South Africa [/td][td]10 [/td][td]India in South Africa Test Series, 1992/93 [/td][td]England in South Africa Test Series, 1995/96 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]South Africa [/td][td]10 [/td][td]India in South Africa Test Series, 2006/07 [/td][td]South Africa in Australia Test Series, 2008/09 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]India [/td][td]10 [/td][td]India in Bangladesh Test Match, 2015 [/td][td]Sri Lanka in India Test Series, 2017/18 [/td][/tr]
[/table]
Note - One-off Tests are included as series, and tournaments with more than two teams are excluded.

 

[ManFan]

For consecutive Test matches, I believe AUS obtained it twice with sixteen straight wins. Both times they were stopped by India.

1) From that 99' golden summer until Chennai 01'.

2) From MCG 06' against SA until Perth 08'.

 

[Sarwar89]

If Neutral umpires were there then Pakistan could have easily won Test series in West indies in 1988.

There was not much cricket west indies played to be fair. Only 29 Test Series in 15 years. That is only 2 series per year.

This year alone Pakistan has played 5 Test Series. India 4 Test Series. England 5 Test series.

So 1980-1995 is a misleading number. They never played too many Test series. No neutral umpires and South Africa was not even there until 1992/93. And Sri lanka was trash, Zimbabwe was not a Test nation until 1992.

 

[Rahul1]

For consecutive Test matches, I believe AUS obtained it twice with sixteen straight wins. Both times they were stopped by India.

1) From that 99' golden summer until Chennai 01'.

2) From MCG 06' against SA until Perth 08'.

Kolkata.

 

[Justcrazy]

Its possible , but tough.

 

[Bilal7]

29 series in 16 years? That is less than two series in a whole year, with a few of these presumably being one-off tests. How many tests in total did the West Indies play during this time-period?

 

[Heisenberg111]

If Neutral umpires were there then Pakistan could have easily won Test series in West indies in 1988.

There was not much cricket west indies played to be fair. Only 29 Test Series in 15 years. That is only 2 series per year.

This year alone Pakistan has played 5 Test Series. India 4 Test Series. England 5 Test series.

So 1980-1995 is a misleading number. They never played too many Test series. No neutral umpires and South Africa was not even there until 1992/93. And Sri lanka was trash, Zimbabwe was not a Test nation until 1992.

South Africa were lucky to not have played against the Windies in the 80's, otherwise they would have been manhandled home and away, like Australia and England were used to.

 

[Heisenberg111]

List of teams with atleast 10 or more undefeated streak

[table=width: 500, class: grid, align: center]
[tr][td]Team [/td][td]Series [/td][td]First Series [/td][td]Last Series [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]West Indies [/td][td]29 [/td][td]The Wisden Trophy (West Indies in England), 1980 [/td][td]West Indies in New Zealand Test Series, 1994/95 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Australia [/td][td]16 [/td][td]The Ashes (Australia in England), 2001 [/td][td]Trans-Tasman Trophy (Australia in New Zealand), 2004/05 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]England [/td][td]14 [/td][td]England in New Zealand Test Series, 1950/51 [/td][td]New Zealand in England Test Series, 1958 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]South Africa [/td][td]14 [/td][td]Basil D'Oliveira Trophy (England in South Africa), 2009/10 [/td][td]India in South Africa Test Series, 2013/14 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Australia [/td][td]13 [/td][td]Australia in India Test Series, 1956/57 [/td][td]Pakistan in Australia Test Match, 1964/65 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Australia [/td][td]12 [/td][td]The Ashes (Australia in England), 1934 [/td][td]South Africa in Australia Test Series, 1952/53 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Australia [/td][td]11 [/td][td]The Ashes (Australia in England), 1972 [/td][td]Centenary Test (England in Australia), 1976/77 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]South Africa [/td][td]11 [/td][td]West Indies in South Africa Test Series, 1998/99 [/td][td]India in South Africa Test Series, 2001/02 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]India [/td][td]11 [/td][td]Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Australia in India), 2008/09 [/td][td]India in West Indies Test Series, 2011 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]England [/td][td]10 [/td][td]India in England Test Series, 1967 [/td][td]Pakistan in England Test Series, 1971 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Pakistan [/td][td]10 [/td][td]Sri Lanka in Pakistan Test Series, 1985/86 [/td][td]India in Pakistan Test Series, 1989/90 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]South Africa [/td][td]10 [/td][td]India in South Africa Test Series, 1992/93 [/td][td]England in South Africa Test Series, 1995/96 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]South Africa [/td][td]10 [/td][td]India in South Africa Test Series, 2006/07 [/td][td]South Africa in Australia Test Series, 2008/09 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]India [/td][td]10 [/td][td]India in Bangladesh Test Match, 2015 [/td][td]Sri Lanka in India Test Series, 2017/18 [/td][/tr]
[/table]
Note - One-off Tests are included as series, and tournaments with more than two teams are excluded.

Striking that Australia with one of the most dominant teams in history only managed 16 undefeated series, well short of Windies 29 series.