Five instances when Australia won an ODI series 5-0
With the re-emergence of Steve Smith and David Warner on the international cricketing scene, one can only fathom the strength of the Australian team combination going into the World Cup. In the last couple of months, fans and experts alike have witnessed the transition of a side, coming out of near anonymity, to become firm favorites at the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup.
The generation of Aussie players representing the national side, before the current squad made a name for themselves at the international level, bestowed upon the young players a legacy of greatness. Though the neo-Australian squad took a significant amount of time and matches to identify themselves strongly with the Aussie lineage of competitive cricket, now is a great time to show the world what they have learned from their sporting idols.
Taking a cue from their three victories on the trot against a dominant Indian ODI squad in a series-winning effort, the Aussie side won the ODI series against Pakistan in the most emphatic fashion, clean sweeping the Pakistanis 5-0.
Let us take a look at all the instances when Australia managed a perfect score in a completed 5 match ODI series.
#1 New Zealand vs Australia, 2005
The trans-Tasman rivals locked horns in a 5 match ODI series preceding the 3 match Test series. In the one-off T20I, prior to the ODI fixtures, the Australians had walked all over the NZ bowling, winning the match comfortably by 44 runs.
In the first ODI though, NZ looked a lot comfortable having restricted the Aussies to a below par 236/7 in their allotted 50 overs. NZ were nicely poised in their run chase at 218/7, needing 19 from the last 15 deliveries. The fall of 3 quick wickets saw NZ being bundled out for 226, losing the match by 10 runs.
The commendable collective team efforts in the first match are the closest NZ got to regaining lost pride in the series. In the next 4 ODIs, the New Zealanders were taken to the cleaners with utmost nonchalance. Australia won the second ODI by 106 runs, the third by 86 runs, the fourth by 7 wickets, and to top it all the fifth ODI by 122 runs.