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Australia has never been whitewashed in a five-Test series and only once in a four-Test series in 136 years of Test cricket.
Trailing 0-3 in the current series against India, a loss in the fourth and final Test starting on Friday in Delhi will signal their second 0-4 whitewash.
Their only such whitewash was in the series against South Africa in South Africa in 1970.
Led by Bill Lawry, it was a strong team which included Ian Chappell, Doug Walters, Keith Stackpole, Ian Redpath, Graham McKenzie, Ashley Mallett, John Gleeson and Brian Taber.
A month earlier Lawry’s men had defeated India 3-1 in India in 1969.
There are interesting parallels between the Australia–South Africa series in 1970 and the Australia-India series 43 years later in 2013.
In 1970 Australia had lost to South Africa by 170 runs in Cape Town, by an innings and 129 runs in Durban, by 307 runs in Johannesburg and by 323 runs in Port Elizabeth.
In 2013 Australia lost to India by eight wickets in Chennai, by an innings and 135 runs in Hyderabad and by six wickets in Mohali.
But in South Africa, the hosts had an advantage as they had won the toss in all those four Tests. No such excuse in India as Australia won the toss in all three Tests so far.
With nothing to lose, will the tourists hit back in Delhi? It seems unlikely as skipper Michael Clarke’s fitness is in doubt and among their best performer Mitchell Starc (99 and 35 in Mohali) is back home for ankle surgery.
Is there a jinx for the Aussies – injury, bad form, bad decisions bugging them? Should witch-doctors be added to their support staff? My team in batting order for the Delhi Test:
David Warner, Ed Cowans, Phil Hughes, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke or Usman Khawaja, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon. 12th man: Steve Smith.
Coming back to my whitewash research:
There have been only 14 instances of a team whitewashing opponents in a four or five-Test series. Australia leads with whitewashing an opponent six times, followed by England and the West Indies three times each and South Africa twice.
India has been whitewashed five times in a four or five-Test series, England four times, the West Indies three times, and Australia and South Africa once each.
Of the 14 whitewash victories, 13 were on home soil and only once when away. This exception was when the West Indies thrashed England 5-0 in England in 1984.