16 And Counting - Australia Women's Cricket Team Come Closer To Breaking Own ODI World Record

The Australian women's cricket team are the gold standard of dominance in the modern era. They have won the most World T20s as well as the most World Cups. They have set the benchmark for the most consecutive wins in ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals. However, during the first ODI against the Sri Lanka Women's Team at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane, Australia registered a win which got them closer to their own world record of most consecutive wins in ODIs. Australia won the first match by 157 runs against Sri Lanka and this was their 16th consecutive win in ODIs, equaling their previous mark and coming close to their own world record. 

Australia chose to bat and they were jolted early when Alyssa Healy, who scored the fastest T20I century by an Australian player, fell to 8. Rachel Haynes and Meg Lanning, the skipper, revived the innings and shared a magnificent 126-run stand for the second wicket. Haynes reached her fifty and Lanning also notched up her half century but both fell in quick succession. Ellyse Perry was run-out for 19 and it needed a superb knock of 66 from Beth Mooney and partnerships with the lower order to help Australia reach 281/8. 

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Sri Lanka, in their chase, never got going with the Australian bowlers chipping away at regular intervals. Tayla Vlaeminck, Jess Jonassen and Ashleigh Gardner took two wickets apiece. Shashikala Siriwardene, the skipper, was the only one to offer some resistance with a knock of 30 but she lacked support and Sri Lanka were bowled out for 124 to lose by a big margin.

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The current streak of the Australian women's team stretches back to the Indian series in 2017 when they won the series 3-0. They continued to whitewash opponents, defeating Pakistan, New Zealand and also whitewashing England in the Women's Ashes. After beating West Indies 3-0, they have continued their winning run against Sri Lanka.

Australia and India are the only teams to have won 16 consecutive women's ODIs in history. Australia first won 16 consecutive games on the trot during the 1999/00 season. After winning against New Zealand in Wellington, Australia won four consecutive games against England Women before winning four more against New Zealand. With wins over Sri Lanka, Ireland, India, England, South Africa and Netherlands at Christchurch and Lincoln respectively, Australia won 16 games.

India women's streak began in 2016 with a win against Australia in Hobart. They swept aside Sri Lanka and West Indies 3-0 before registering wins against Sri Lanka, Ireland, South Africa (twice), Bangladesh, Ireland and Pakistan in the ICC Championships. They rounded off the streak with three wins against South Africa and Ireland in the tri-series in Potchefstroom.

However, the world record belongs to Australia women who won 17 consecutive ODIs from 1997 to 1998. They started off their streak with victory against South Africa, Pakistan, Denmark, England, Netherlands, India and New Zealand. Following the dominant performance, Australia whitewashed England 5-0 and Ireland 3-0 before beating South Africa twice. 

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