Ponting outpoints Waugh in record winning streaks

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Never say draw

A comparison of the Test-winning streaks of Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting

Peter English
January 11, 2008

World leaders: Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh have taken Test success to new levels © Getty Images



Meanwhile, back at the cricket. Ricky Ponting won his 16th Test in row on Sunday to level the mark achieved by Steve Waugh's outstanding sides between 1999 and 2001. The Sydney success, which was sealed with three wickets in a stunning Michael Clarke over when a draw seemed the only result, continued the trend of a team that is proud of its ability to win from anywhere.

Forgetting the problems with officials and behaviour, it was an extraordinary result that justified Ponting's leap of faith in leaving the declaration until 15 minutes before lunch on the final day. Even Waugh's team, the first to view a draw like a loss, and one which had a more highly-qualified bowling attack, would not have believed ten wickets would come so quickly.

Arguments have raged over dozens of issues since Clarke's unthinkable strikes in the SCG shadows, but it's time to start another. Is Ponting's streak better than Waugh's? Statistically it looks as though Ponting's outfit will always be numerically greater because India need something even more almighty than Australia's performance in Sydney to survive in Perth.

The record of Ponting's side is more significant as it had to deal with aging warriors, a large transition and five Tests against an England side that had previously beaten them. However, Waugh's men deserve special status as history-ruining trailblazers.

In Waugh, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, the group of 1999-2001 had three greats operating near their peaks, while Ponting, Mark Waugh, Adam Gilchrist, Jason Gillespie and Justin Langer added to the class. Brett Lee was at his most enthusiastic during seven games and Matthew Hayden was starting to rumble when the run ended.

Since 2001, Ponting has developed into one of the greatest batsmen of all time while Michael Hussey has sustained an average in the 80s, something only Don Bradman has bettered. Hayden, Gilchrist, Langer and Martyn stepped into mature age during the era from Boxing Day 2005, but their experience was essential in regular situations of domination and occasional ones of extreme stress. After Warne and McGrath retired, the bowling lost star quality but not its effectiveness.

There are many similarities between the streaks, but the modern collection has a stronger batting line-up and its predecessors were superior with the ball.

Each team played 11 Tests at home and five away.

Waugh won six games in three days, three in four and seven in five; Ponting was successful 12 times on the fifth and twice each on the third and fourth.

Each captain had two wins by 250 runs or more, but Waugh had four by an innings and three by ten wickets compared to Ponting's three and one respectively.

Both batting line-ups scored more than 400 in an innings nine times, but Waugh's men passed 500 only twice, while Ponting's order achieved it on six dates.


The opposition was dismissed for less than 200 on 14 occasions between 1999 and 2001; over the last two years it has happened 11 times

Thirty centuries have been scored by Australians since Boxing Day 2005, 11 more bat raises than in the previous squad

Ponting (1709), Hussey (1678) and Hayden (1447) are the top scorers of the current crop; the highest in the earlier run was Langer with 1174

There were 14 five-wicket hauls in Waugh's days and seven in Ponting's

Lee leads the contemporary wicket takers with 75 at 26 ahead of Stuart Clark (62) and Warne (57), while the old school was headmastered by McGrath (76 at 18.46) ahead of Warne (46) and Lee (42), who had significantly better overall averages than their modern counterparts
No situation has proved too hard for Ponting's men over the past two years © Getty Images



Most importantly for Ponting, his team believes no situation is lost. Ponting's first serious trouble occurred in Durban in 2006 when the South Africa tail was proving hard to remove, but even a lack of light could not turn off that success. A week later they edged towards safety through Damien Martyn's hundred before Lee and Michael Kasprowicz eked the winning runs with only a concussed Langer left in the dressing room.

The new-found steel was again on show that April when they hopped to Bangladesh and found themselves behind by 158 on first innings in Fatullah. However, they climbed back for a three-wicket win before the most dramatic of turnarounds in Adelaide later that year. Australia not only needed to dismiss England on the final day - they started at 1 for 59 - but had to chase as well. England toppled for 129 after tea and Australia sprinted to 168 for a victory. That is the only one Ponting puts above the Sydney heist, which came with seven balls remaining.

The highlight of Waugh's streak came in the third match when they were 5 for 126, chasing 369 against Pakistan at Hobart, and Langer (127) and Gilchrist (149 not out) were the heroes. At the time it was a phenomenal crusade, but under Ponting's command it is expected. Attitudes have changed a lot over the past decade.

Waugh's side smashed seemingly out-of-reach boundaries - West Indies had held the record with 11 straight - but Ponting has followed the dictum that defeat is never an option. Australia have had Bradman's Invincibles and Waugh's Untouchables, and all this team needs is a name. Anyone for Ponting's Perfect Prefects?

Peter English is the Australasia editor of Cricinfo