A great year for Test cricket

A series of 22 successive Tests that produced conclusive results ended in Bulawayo when Zimbabwe played out a draw in the second match of their Test series against the Windies. The result ended a run that began on March 25, when India beat Australia by eight wickets in Dharamsala and continued till the first Test of the Zimbabwe-West Indies series, a match the Windies won by 117 runs.

The second match of the series was very special for Zimbabwe as they were able to draw a game after 12 years. What makes the feat all the more impressive is the fact that they did so despite trailing in the first innings.

If West Indies had won in Bulawayo, the record for most successive wins in Test cricket would have been broken. This record was created due to a sequence of results between December 1884 and March 1892, also spanning 22 matches.

The next-highest draw-less streak also occurred last year, between November 12, 2016, and March 7, 2017, when 20 consecutive Tests produced decisive results.

33 out of 37 Tests this year had a winner. This was the highest number registered in a calendar year that featured a minimum of 10 Tests.

Over the last seven years, 83% of Test matches played have produced a winner which is a healthy number and a positive outlook for the future of Test cricket.