In the last 12 months, the Australian cricket team has won only four of 12 Tests – one against South Africa, one against India and two Tests against Sri Lanka.
But between the 14th of October 1999 in Harare, and the first of March 2001 in Mumbai, the Steve Waugh-led Australians won 16 successive Tests, a world record, most of them by massive margins.
Waugh was captain for 15 of them, with Adam Gilchrist stepping up for one with Waugh unavailable.
The usual suspects kept performing – like the Waugh twins, Gilchrist, Michael Slater, Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting with the bat, as did Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Damian Fleming and Shane Warne with the ball.
Even Scott Muller, of “can’t bowl, can’t throw” infamy, performed in one of his two-Test career.
So let’s relive those golden days:
Zimbabwe at Harare, Australia by 10 wickets
Zimbabwe 194 and 232, Australia 422 and 0-5.
October 14-17, 1999.
Three points – Steve Waugh 151*.
Two points – Mark Waugh 90.
One point – Glenn McGrath 3-44 and 3-46.
Others – Damian Fleming 65, Shane Warne 3-69 and 3-68, Colin Miller 3-66.
Pakistan at the Gabba, Australia by 10 wickets
Pakistan 367 and 281, Australia 575 and 0-24.
November 5-9, 1999.
Three points – Michael Slater 169.
Two points – Fleming 4-65 and 5-59.
One point – Mark Waugh 100.
Others – Warne 86 and 2-80, Greg Blewett 89, Gilchrist 81, McGrath 2-116 and 2-63, Scott Muller 2-72.
Pakistan at Hobart, Australia by four wickets
Pakistan 222 and 392, Australia 246 and 6-369.
November 18-22, 1999.
Three points – Justin Langer 59 and 127.
Two points – Gilchrist 149*.
One point – Warne 3-45 and 5-110.
Others – Slater 97, Miller 3-68.
Pakistan at the WACA, Australia by an innings and 120
Pakistan 155 and 276, Australia 451.
November 26-28, 1999.
Three points – Ponting 197.
Two points – Langer 144.
One point – Michael Kasprowicz 4-53 and 3-79.
Others – McGrath 3-44 and 4-49, Fleming 3-48 and 2-86.
India at Adelaide, Australia by 285 runs
Australia 441 and 8 (dec) 239, India 285 and 110.
December 10-14, 1999.
Three points – Steve Waugh 150.
Two points – Warne 86, 4-92 and 2-21.
One point – Ponting 125.
Others – Blewett 88, Fleming 3-70 and 5-30, McGrath 2-49 and 3-35.
Steve Waugh. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
India at MCG, Australia by 180
Australia 405 and 5 (dec) 208, India 238 and 195.
December 26-30, 1999.
Three points – Gilchrist 78 and 55.
Two points – Slater 91.
One point – Lee 5-47 and 2-31.
Others – Ponting 67, Mark Waugh 51* and 2-12, McGrath 3-39.
India at SCG, Australia by an innings and 141
India 150 and 261, Australia 5 (dec) 552.
January 2-4, 2000.
Three points – Glenn McGrath 5-48 and 5-55.
Two points – Langer 223.
One point – Ponting 141*.
Others – Lee 4-39 and 2-67.
New Zealand at Eden Park, Australia by 62
Australia 214 and 229, New Zealand 163 and 218.
March 11-15, 2000.
Three points – Langer 46 and 47.
Two points – Mark Waugh 72*.
One point – Miller 5-55.
Others – Gilchrist 59, Warne 3-68 and 2-80, McGrath 4-33.
New Zealand at Wellington, Australia by six wickets
New Zealand 298 and 294, Australia 419 and 4-177.
March 24-27, 2000.
Three points – Slater 143.
Two points – Steve Waugh 151*.
One point – Lee 3-49 and 3-87.
Others – Damian Martyn 78, Warne 4-68.
New Zealand at Hamilton, Australia by six wickets
New Zealand 232 and 229, Australia 252 and 4-212,
March 31-April 3, 2000.
Three points – Gilchrist 75 and 10 dismissals.
Two points – Langer 122*.
One point – Lee 5-77 and 3-46.
Others – Martyn 89*, McGrath 4-58 and 2-50.
West Indies at the Gabba, Australia by an innings and 126
West indies 82 and 124, Australia 332.
November 23-25, 2000.
Three points – McGrath 6-17 and 4-10.
Two points – Lee 62* and 3-40.
One point – Slater 54.
West Indies at the WACA, Australia by an innings and 27
West Indies 196 and 173, Australia 8 (dec) 396.
December 1-3, 2000.
Three points – Mark Waugh 119.
Two points – Hayden 69.
One point – Lee 5-61.
Others – Gilchrist 50, McGrath 3-48, Gillespie 3-46.
West Indies at Adelaide, Australia by five wickets
West Indies 391 and 141, Australia 403 and 5-130.
December 15-19, 2000.
Three points – Colin Miller 5-81 and 5-32.
Two points – Ponting 92.
One point – Slater 83.
Others – Hayden 58, McGrath 3-27.
West Indies at MCG, Australia by 352
Australia 364 and 5 (dec) 262, West Indies 165 and 109.
December 26-29, 2000.
Three points – Steve Waugh 121*.
Two points – Gillespie 3-48 and 6-40.
One point – Langer 80.
Others – Mark Waugh 78*, Andy Bichel 5-60, Miller 3-40.
Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden formed a great opening partnership. (Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images)
West Indies at SCG, Australia by 10 wickets
West Indies 272 and 352, Australia 452 and 4-174.
January 2-6, 2001.
Three points – Skater 96.
Two points – Steve Waugh 103.
One point – Stuart MacGill 7-104.
Others – Gilchrist 87, Ponting 51, Miller 2-73 and 4-102.
India at Mumbai, Australia by 10 wickets
India 176 and 219, Australia 349 and 0-47.
February 27-March 1, 2001.
Three points – Gilchrist 122.
Two points – Hayden 119.
One point – McGrath 3-19 and 2-25.
Others – Warne 4-47, Mark Waugh 3-40, Gillespie 3-45.
A golden era alright, matched seven years later by Ricky Ponting’s team.
Gee
Roar Rookie
And I can remember newspapers writing about how Australia was killing off test cricket with their dominance, oh the good old days :)
James
Guest
Wise old Elf what are you jibbering on about? It didn’t take Waugh a decade to score his first test century. He debuted on Boxing Day 1985 and scored his first test ton in the first Ashes test of 1989. The West Indies in 1989 were still the best team in the world, England were a rabble I’ll give you that. Pakistan was not in civil war (they won the World Cup in 92) As for your statement about South Africa being in disarray following Cronje he hadn’t even played for SA when Waugh got his first ton. He also batted 3 in the 88-89 test series against the West Indies where he made two scores in the 90’s and was moved down the order because of a bloke named Dean Jones. You don’t have to be a Waugh admirer but get your facts right.
Neel
Roar Guru
That era from 1995 to early 2008 was one amazing era for Australian cricket. The depth that Australia had was amazing. Guys like Stuart Law, Brad Hodge, Martin Love and Darren Lehmann couldn’t seal a place in the main 11. There was a Fox sports article posted 3 years ago that talks about the unlucky players. In that period of dominance the Aussies won a Test series in every country. They whitewashed Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka at a time when Sri Lanka were really good at home. Other teams couldn’t beat the Lankans in Sri Lanka and then that Aussie team whitewashes the Sri Lankan’s in Sri Lanka. That too when they were trailing after the 1st innings in each Test match. The thing I noticed with that era is that the domestic structure was really solid. There are videos on YouTube showing domestic battles between Warnie vs Punter, Warnie vs Clarke, Pidge vs Haydos, Pidge vs Punter, Binga vs Dizzy, Langer vs Dizzy, etc. It was always competitive and the Aussie national team players would play domestic cricket when they weren’t on national duty. I remember the domestic circuit being so strong that the NSW Blues, who were literally like the main Aussie 11, beat the Poms convincingly in a tour match in the 02-03 summer. They were great times. As an opposing team fan, I hated the Aussie team because they were just so damn good. Now, I appreciate that team. I was really lucky as a kid to watch such a great team.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Great article. Having met them both and getting a sense of their values it’s hard to take Warne’s side. I’m also sick of the way he carries on about Mark Waugh as his favourite player while sitting next to Gilchrist the greatest keeper-batsman of all time with a much better batting record than MW, as did Steve.
Charlie
Roar Rookie
"If he was not selfish, then why didn’t he bat at first drop " Was Allan Border selfish, or less of a leader, because he didn't bat at 3? What about Virat Kohli, is he selfish? What about Tendulkar, or Kallis, or Clive Lloyd? Did Mike Hussey "hide down the order"? It's a convenient (yet stupid) argument to define someone as selfish based on where they bat. Some players are more suited to different positions, otherwise we'd pick the six No. 3s from the state teams and that would be the Australian top 6. "A joke he averaged 50." How is it a joke he averaged over 50? Is it a joke he scored nearly 11,000 runs? Or that valued his wicket enough to not get out? Pretty sure we'd be happy with a no. 5 that averaged over 50 over a long period at the moment. "You need to be a leader by doing a bit more than wearing the cap to bed at night." How about leading a team to a world record number of consecutive wins. Many players played their best cricket under his leadership. The decision to drop Warne in the West Indies should be viewed as outstanding leadership, leading to a series levelling (and therefore Trophy retaining) win. I have no problem if you aren't a fan of Waugh, but to make a character assumption of him being selfish or not a good leader because he didn't bat at 3 is misguided at best.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Did you know that Allan Border did not bat at first drop, did you know that Viv Richards did not bat at first drop. Did you know that Clive Lloyd didn't bat at first drop. Neither does Smith or did Martin Crowe or Kohli or many others.
Wise Old Elf
Guest
If he was not selfish, then why didn't he bat at first drop and take on the bowlers when they were still fresh and the ball was ducking about? He waited until the likes of Dean Jones, Boony or one of the others took the sting out of the attack. A joke he averaged 50. It took him a decade to make his first hundred, by then Pakistan was in civil war, England a basket case and the Windies a complete rabble. South Africa was in chaos following the Cronje saga also. India was a C grade team alongside Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in that period. You need to be a leader by doing a bit more than wearing the cap to bed at night. How about putting your backside in the firing line for the team and not hiding down the order?
Ed Jonauskis
Guest
Didn’t Mark Taylor drop a catch off Bich early in his first spell in test cricket.? You can wonder what might have been. Still Bichel basically won us a World Cup a few years later.
Homers Son
Guest
Didn’t one of his junior coaches comment that he was as useful as a broomstick, or something along those lines.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Bichel and Kasprowicz also played in an era when pitches were far better for bowling overall than they are these days, when there's roads galore.
Peter Warrington
Guest
Not "no", but "ooooor".... getting picked for a test here and there when someone is injured is not conducive to your career stats. and with guys like McGrath and warne adept at hoovering up the tail, you don't get as many cheap wickets as you might expect. I reckon? when Kaspa got an extended run between 2003-5, he averaged in the 20s (or under) 5 series in a row, home and away. he lost it just as quick, his average ballooning out in his last year. that happens. he wasn't the best but as a 6th choice seamer, he was pretty good. on his day, eg the shield final in 97, he could be lethal. Bichel was more of the same. Stop start and 12th man for ages. But a good filler.
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
I didn't realise Flem took 3 Michelle's. He also averaged 19 with the bat.
terrykidd
Roar Pro
Well I reckon you need to be a pretty handy player and pretty bloody good captain to lead a team to 16 test wins on the trot. I remember it said of Steve Waugh, when he was dropped from the test side and playing Shield for NSW, that another NSW player said that Waugh was tactically brilliant. As for Shane Warne's comment ..... I wonder how many of his test wickets was partially due to Steve Waugh's tactical decisions and field placings?
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Warne’s continued sniping of Steve Waugh is embarrassing, it’s one of the reasons I wrote this: https://www.theroar.com.au/2016/04/07/shane-warne-is-my-idol-no-longer/
terrykidd
Roar Pro
Amazing how often Glenn McGrath's name pops up in those match stats ..... I loved watching him bowl.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Kasprowicz and Bichel averaged 33 and 32 with the ball respectively in Tests despite operating in the comfy slipstream of some incredible bowlers. I think Australia have just as good pace depth now as they did in that golden era - it was the batting depth of that era which was insane.
Brian
Guest
Australia was definately the best but fom memory if there had been DRS they wouldn't have won that Hobart game against Pakistan, indeed I just googled it and turns out Langer has admitted he nicked the ball. It makes sense the Ponting era until the Ashes loss did feel more dominant.
Tony H
Roar Pro
Well said all round.
Paul
Roar Guru
WOE, I too watched a lot of cricket during the eighties, and I don't think I ever felt Australia was humiliated by the West Indies. Yes, they beat us on many occasions but we always managed to make most games competitive and sometimes took Tests off them. Remember too, this was a period where Australian cricket, especially it's batting, was rebuilding and Waugh was seen NOT as a batsman, but as a batting all rounder. If you look at his career from his first Test in '85 through to the end of the England tour of '89 which is around 27 Tests or more than 60 innings, he did not bowl in 7 of those. He also bowled some lengthy spells, many over 20 overs. This also explains why he batted lower in the order. Waugh would be the first to admit his technique was far from perfect but it was clearly best suited lower in the order and that's where he played. I went out to the Gabba and watched him in 1988 against the West Indies, who I think you'll agree had the best attack in world cricket at the time. Please note, I'd seen Lille & Thompson live at the SCG in '75 and I'm here to tell you, the WI quicks were up there for pace - yet Waugh made 90 against them. He was so much in control, it was a real anti climax when he got out and the look of relief on the West Indian players was obvious. It was equally clear to me , this guy was something special with the bat. Yes, cricket changed in the 90's but instead of getting weaker, it got stronger, especially in the bowling stakes. Look at the great Pakistan quicks, the great Indian spinners ( and Kapil Dev). the quicks out of South Africa and the West Indies - there was probably not another time when so many Test teams had world quality bowlers - yet Waugh made runs. I'm happy you and Shane Warne can agree on a view, but I cannot. There is something mean spirited about a player who cannot give credit where it's due. Shane Warne was a great bowler but that's about it. Steve Waugh was a great batsman, captain and inspiration to millions in India. I know who I'd rather have a beer with and it's not SKW.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I think Steve Waugh is one of Australia's most important cricketers. In much the same way Tiger O'Reilly, Keith Miller, Ian Chappell, Dennis Lillee, Allan Border and Shane Warne were. People who took the fight up to the other team. Not an exhaustive list and open to conjecture.