Top 10 longest streaks as the No 1 Test team

In a series of surprise of events recently, Pakistan became the number one side in the ICC Test rankings for the first time in the history of the game. Take no credit away from Pakistan, as they have been doing exceedingly well in the format and had drawn level with England in a recently concluded series. However, it was the washed out game between India and West Indies that saw India slip down the rankings and Pakistan emerge as the top-ranked team. With India lined up for a heavy Test schedule in the next 18 months, it will be interesting to see if Pakistan hold on to their numero uno spot or whether the Virat Kohli-led side dethrones Pakistan from the top spot and regain the number one ranking. Getting to the top spot is an uphill task for sure, but holding the top most position is an ever tougher nut to crack. How long will Pakistan hold on to the spot? Well, for now, here are the top 10 longest streaks as the number 1 Test team since the beginning of official ICC Test rankings in 2003: 10. India – 5 days Marlon Samuels (R) of West Indies bowled by Ishant Sharma. (Photo by RANDY BROOKS/AFP/Getty Images) India had the shortest stay at the top of the Test rankings in 2016. India rose to the top of the rankings by a virtuoso of Australia losing 3-0 against the Sri Lankans. Australia slipped down in the rankings as India rose up. However, in their bid to stay at the top of the points table, India needed to win by a margin of 3 Tests against West Indies. India were unfortunate to have won the series 2-0 as they final Test was washed out. The draw in the final Test of the series meant that the third party, i.e. Pakistan, reaped entire benefits. But again, taking no credit away from the Misbah Ul Haq-led Pakistan, India lost their top spot. Pakistan had levelled 2-2 against England in the Test series and hence were just one point behind India in the rankings before the final India-West Indies Test. The draw saw India lose out 2 points and hence Pakistan scraped through to the top spot. 9. India – 1 month (Photo Source: BCCI) India rose to the top of the ICC Test rankings in January 2016 after they beat South Africa 2-0. Playing in the home conditions, India were a tough team to beat and a side that looked absolutely dominating against the visiting Proteas. The series marked the first home series win for the newly appointed Test skipper Virat Kohli. However, the stay at the top didn’t last long and it was only after a month that Australia got back to the top spot in the rankings. India did not have any other Test series to play after hosting the South Africans. They had a hectic limited overs schedule lined up in front of them, including a tour to Australia to play ODIs and T20s. On the other hand, it was Australia’s dominion against New Zealand that saw them win by 2-0 and dethrone India just before the annual cut off dates and subsequently bag the ICC Test Championships. 8. Australia – 3 months Michael Clarke. (© Getty Images) Australia regained the top spot after over 3 years in the history of Test cricket when they beat the then number one side South Africa 2-1 in early 2014. They took the top rank position in May 2014 but couldn’t hold on to the position for long as they lost it to South Africa after reigning for just 3 months. Australia had a phenomenal season prior to that, having won the Ashes by whitewashing England. It was for the first time, in 2013-14, that Australia took all 100 wickets in the Ashes to show their ultimate domination. They did not have any match during their reign at the top spot and this could be one of the potential reasons why they got dethroned from the coveted top rank. Australia was under the leadership of Michael Clarke in that period. Australia were thoroughly brutal during their tour to South Africa in March 2014. David Warner’s heroics saw them beat South Africa 2-1 in the series. 7. South Africa – 3 months South African cricketer Graeme Craig Smith (captain). (Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP/Getty Images) South Africa had a brief stay at the top of the ICC rankings in 2009 when they replaced the then reigning table-toppers Australia. South Africa moved to the top of the Test rankings for the first time in the history in August 2009 and stayed there till November 2009. Australia slipped to the number 2 spot for the first time in the history since the inception of the ICC ranking systems. South Africa played under the leadership of Graeme Smith in that period of their top spot dominion. They did not have any Tests to play in that phase and hence it was India that dethroned the Proteas from the top spot in November 2009. India defeated Sri Lanka 3-1 and subsequently rose to the top of the rankings as South Africa slipped down. 6. Australia – 6 months Australian cricket team. (Photo by ISHARA S.KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images) Australia had long been wanting to be at the top of the Test rankings. The moment arrived when the handsomely beat New Zealand in New Zealand conditions 2-0 to reclaim the top spot in the ICC rankings. The win came under the newly appointed Test skipper Steve Smith. Australia’s win came just at the right moment, days before the annual cut-off date of the ICC to declare the winners of the ICC Test championships. Australia dethroned India from the top of the rankings to sit comfortably at the top spot. Their next assignment was their tour to Sri Lanka in August 2016 where they suffered a humiliating whitewash at the hands of the hosts. Their defeat in the series with a cumulative effort of India winning against the West Indies saw them slip down the rankings. India were the new number one team then. 5. England – 12 months England captain Alastair Cook. (Photo credit PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images) When the England team thoroughly outplayed the visiting Indian team in 2011-12, the then ranked number one side in Tests, they rose to the top of the ICC Test rankings. Prior to the commencement of the series, England needed to win the series by a margin of 2 Tests to dethrone India from the top spot. The English team, under the leadership of Alastair Cook, did exceedingly well to win the first 3 Tests of the series to claim the number one rankings in the table. England eventually whitewashed India 4-0 to announce their arrival at the top. They remained at the top spot from August 2011 to August 2012. During their stay as the number one side, they lost 6 out of the 13 Tests they played and won just 5. They were replaced by South Africa as the top side in August 2012. 4. South Africa – 18 months Hashim Amla of South Africa. (Photo credit should read KARIM SAHIB/AFP/Getty Images) After losing their top spot to Australia in May 2014 following a 2-1 defeat at home, South Africa came back strong to reclaim their top spot. South Africa played under their new skipper Hashim Amla during their tour to Sri Lanka in July 2014. After having won convincingly in the first Test, the Proteas held their nerve to secure a draw in the second and the final Test. The draw meant South Africa reclaimed the top spot and this was South Africa’s first Test win under the new skipper Amla. Their reign at the top lasted for 18 months, spanning from July 2014 to January 2016. Their dismal show during their tour to India in 2015-16 saw them slip down to 2nd position in the rankings. They were whitewashed by the Indian team led by Virat Kohli. During their stint at the number one spot, South Africa played 16 matches. They won 5 and lost 5, while the number of draws was 6. Since then, the Proteas team hasn’t been able to get back to the top spot in the rankings. 3. South Africa – 21 months Graeme Smith captained 100+ Tests. (Photo Source: PA Photos) South Africa rose to the top spot in the ICC Test ranking for the 2nd time in the history of the game after a formidable season of 2012. Under the leadership of Graeme Smith, South Africa registered impressive series wins over England, New Zealand and Australia. Smith was the key architect for them in that season with 825 runs under his belt at an average close to 50. South Africa sat comfortably at the top spot for 21 months spanning from November 2009 to May 2014. They were joint leaders during the phase of 2011 to 2012 along with England. They dethroned India from the top spot. Their good performances, accompanied by India’s poor show in their tour of England, saw them rise to the top spot in the rankings. South Africa played 31 matches in this phase of dominion of 21 months and won 15 of them. They drew 10 games and lost only 6 with an impressive win/loss ratio of 2.5. They lost their position at the top for a brief while to Australia but regained the top spot in July 2014. 2. India – 21 months MS Dhoni. (© Getty Images) India took the top spot from South Africa in the Test rankings in November 2009. When Sri Lanka toured India for a 5-match Test series in 2009 for the Jaypee Cup, India under the leadership of MS Dhoni emerged on top with a 3-0 series victory. The victory gave India the number one ranking in Test cricket for the first time. India retained the top spot for a period of 21 months that spanned from November 2009 to August 2011. They lost their top spot to England after a miserable outing during their tour to England when they failed to win a single Test. During their reign at the top, India played 25 Tests, winning 11 of them. They drew 7 games and lost 7 in that period with a win/loss ratio close to 1.5. India were a strong to beat in home conditions during the period, however, couldn’t click in the overseas tours barring a series win in New Zealand. 1. Australia – 74 months SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: Australian captain Steve Waugh. (Photo by WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images) Australia was a dominating force in Test cricket when the ICC ranking system was introduced for the first time in the year 2003. Australia took the throne in June 2003 and remained as the top most team for a record 74 months – a feat unmatched and far from any other team’s streak at the top. It was in August 2009, when South Africa dethroned the Aussies and ended their streak. Australia was led by Steve Waugh till the Indian tour down under in early 2003. Post his retirement, it was Ricky Ponting’s leadership that saw Australia rise as the Test superpower. The era saw some of the greatest of the gameplay for Australia. Shane Warner, Glenn McGrath, Damien Martyn, Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist and the list goes on. During the phase between June 2003 and August 2009, Australia played in 73 Tests and won 47 out of them. They drew 14 matches and lost just 12, with a win/loss ratio of 3.916. Their most embarrassing defeats in this tenure came against England in Ashes 2005 and against India in Border-Gavaskar series in 2008. All stats updated till 24th August 2016. Also read: Top 10 Current batsmen with most hundreds in ODIs

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Top 10 longest streaks as the No 1 Test team

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