Three teams to have won six or more consecutive games in a single edition of men's T20 World Cup ft. South Africa
South Africa became the first team in the history of the T20I World Cup to win seven matches in a single edition of the competition. The Proteas became the second team to qualify for the semi-final after beating co-hosts West Indies in a virtual quarter-final.
Despite not being able to put together their best performance, South Africa managed to scrape through and win the most important moments in the game. They have won seven consecutive games en route to the semi-final.
South Africa have never managed to win a World Cup and winning all seven matches so far will surely give them confidence in their bid to win their first world title. This is just the third instance of a team winning six or more consecutive games in a single edition of the T20 World Cup.
The ninth edition of the T20 World Cup has posed a different challenge to the batters which has brought the bowlers into the equation. Having said that, let us have a look at the three teams who have won six or more consecutive matches in a single edition of the T20 World Cup:
# 1. Sri Lanka in the 2009 T20 World Cup
Sri Lanka couldn't lift the T20 World Cup in 2009 but their dominant run en route to the final was quite exceptional. Every member of the squad chipped in with valuable contributions but went on to lose the final against Pakistan. However in the process of qualifying for the final, they became the first team to win six consecutive matches in the competition.
Sri Lanka were pooled with West Indies and Australia in Group C. They qualified for the super eights as group champions, having beaten West Indies and Australia by convincing margins. They started their campaign with a six-wicket victory against Australia before brushing past West Indies by 15 runs.
They were then pooled in Group F along with Pakistan, New Zealand and Ireland. Sri Lanka sailed through to the semi final as the top ranked side with three wins in as many games. The Lankans defeated Pakistan by 19 runs before edging past Ireland by nine runs. They finished the super eights with a resounding 48 run win against New Zealand.
The eventual runners-up blew West Indies away in the first semi final. On the back of a superb 96 from Tillekeratne Dilshan, Sri Lanka posted a competitive score of 159 before bowling out West Indies for just 101 in the 18th over. They went onto lose the final against Pakistan.
# 2. Australia in the 2010 T20 World Cup
Yet again, despite winning six consecutive games in the tournament the team in question went on to lose the final against their arch-rivals England. Australia became the second team to win six consecutive matches in the T20 World Cup but couldn't quite end up delivering the killer punch.
Australia defeated Bangladesh and Pakistan in the group stage to go through to the super eights. They defeated Pakistan by 34 runs before easing past Bangladesh by 27 runs. Australia thrashed Sri Lanka, India and West Indies in the super eights. They never looked like they were being put under the pump and were the team to beat.
The Aussies looked dead and buried during their semi-final clash against Pakistan when Mike Hussey smashed an incredible half-century and took Australia over the finish line. With 48 runs required off the last three overs, Hussey went berserk and smashed an unbeaten 60 off 24 deliveries to take his side home with a delivery to spare. Australia eventually lost the final against England.
# 3. South Africa in the 2024 T20 World Cup
The Proteas started off their campaign in the ongoing World Cup with a comfortable win against Sri Lanka. On a dodgy New York wicket where run-scoring looked very difficult, South Africa managed to scrape through in almost all their matches.
After winning against Sri Lanka, they were run close by the Netherlands but managed to get just over the line on the back of a superb knock from David Miller. They just about managed to get over the line against Bangladesh and Nepal in last-ball thrillers during the group stage to finish as the top-ranked side from their group.
In a relatively tough group, the Proteas managed to sail through to the semi final with three consecutive wins against USA, England and West Indies. They were challenged in almost all their games but still managed to come out victorious, which should keep them in good stead ahead of the knockout phase.