Last Updated on 3 months by Charbel Coorey
After beating Zimbabwe by an innings and 236 runs in Bulawayo, South Africa became the third nation to in history to win 10 or more consecutive Tests. It has been an excellent run dating back to last year, just a few months after the cricket world reacted to the Proteas sending a significantly understrength team to New Zealand as that series coincided with the 2024 SA20.
In this article, we will look at the teams South Africa joined in this elite list of 10+ consecutive wins in Tests.
Which team has the most consecutive wins in Tests?
16: Australia 1999-2001
The Australia team under Steve Waugh won 16 consecutive Tests between October 1999 and March 2001. The streak began with a ten-wicket win over Zimbabwe in Harare.
Along the way, Australia beat both Pakistan and India 3-0 at home in the summer of 1999/00. They also beat New Zealand 3-0 away in March 2000, followed by thrashing West Indies 5-0 at home in 2000/01.
The 16th win came against India at the Wankhede. Australia won that match easily by 10 wickets. They were then on track to win the second Test at Eden Gardens comfortably, before an all-time VVS Laxman-Rahul Dravid partnership led India to one of the best victories in history.
16: Australia 2005-2008
Australia won 16 Tests again, this time under Ricky Ponting between December 2005 and January 2008. The run began by beating South Africa by 184 runs in the 2005 Boxing Day Test, with Mike Hussey’s memorable 122 the standout performance as he and Glenn McGrath put on 107 runs for the tenth wicket. The latter contributed 11.
Australia went on to beat South Africa 3-0 in that series, which included Ponting hitting two centuries in his 100th Test. Two months later, the Australians beat the Proteas 3-0 away, before prevailing 2-0 in Bangladesh just a few weeks after finishing their tour of South Africa. Jason Gillespie hit his famous double century in the second Test at Chattogram. Later that year, Australia swept England 5-0 to reclaim the Ashes.
In November 2007, Australia kept the run going with a 2-0 series win at home to Sri Lanka. The run continued in the first two Tests against India in 2007/08, with the 16th victory coming in very controversial circumstances in Sydney. India were buoyed by this, ending Australia’s streak at 16 once again by achieving an outstanding victory in Perth.
11: West Indies 1984
The great West Indies team won 11 consecutive Tests in 1984. The run started by thrashing Australia by ten wickets in Barbados in March. Clive Lloyd’s team then went on to win the next two Tests to seal that series 3-0.
West Indies thrashed England 5-0 away from home just a few months later, before winning the first three Tests of their 1984/85 tour of Australia. The run came to an end in the Melbourne Test where Australia held on for a draw with just two wickets to spare.
10*: South Africa 2024-2025
After a rain-affected draw in their series opener in West Indies, South Africa began their 10-match winning streak by beating Kraig Brathwaite’s team by 40 runs in the second match.
Then, in a series where Bangladesh were a chance given they were playing at home, Proteas swept the hosts aside with ease. Following that tour, the Proteas beat Sri Lanka and Pakistan across four Tests at home to seal qualification to the 2025 World Test Championship (WTC) Final.
June 2025 will go down as one of the great months in South African cricket. Temba Bavuma’s team overcame the odds by knocking off defending champions Australia at Lord’s. Bavuma himself was outstanding, battling injury to put on a matchwinning partnership with the magnificent Aiden Markram.
It was a victory Allan Donald deemed as one that “shuts the door that’s over 30-odd years old.”
The Proteas then notched up their next two wins by thrashing Zimbabwe 2-0. Lhuan dre-Pretorius made headlines for his debut hundred, before Wiaan Mulder drew widespread reaction for his decision to declare when batting on 367* in the second Test.
South Africa’s next Test assignment is two matches away to India in November 2025.
