5 longest losing streaks in all T20s

Middlesex finally registered a win in the 2023 T20 Blast, chasing down a record target of 253 against Surrey at the Kennington Oval in London on Thursday (June 22).

Bowling first after winning the toss in the South Group clash, Middlesex allowed Surrey to score 252-7 as Will Jacks hammered 96 off 45 and Laurie Evans 85 off 37.

Middlesex, though, chased down the target in 19.2 overs, with seven wickets in hand, as Stephen Eskinazi smashed 73 off 39 and Max Holden scored an unbeaten 68 off 35. Ryan Higgins chipped in with 48 off 24. Middlesex’s win was the highest successful chase in T20 Blast history and the second-highest chase in T20 history.

With the triumph, Middlesex also registered their first win in the 2023 T20 Blast in their 11th attempt. The result ended the county’s 14-match losing streak, which goes back to last season.

With Middlesex finally breaking their losing run, we take a look at the five longest losing streaks in all T20s.

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#5 Sydney Thunder (19)

Big Bash League - Hurricanes vs Thunder (Pic: Getty Images)

Big Bash League (BBL) franchise Sydney Thunder lost 19 T20 games in a row. Their losing streak began with a six-run loss to Melbourne Renegades in Sydney on December 30, 2011.

Melbourne Renegades batted first and posted 140-8. In the chase, Chris Gayle hammered 75 off 54, but Shahid Afridi claimed 3-21 to restrict Sydney Thunder to 134-7.

The losing run continued till January 11, 2014 when Hobart Hurricanes hammered Sydney Thunder by 73 runs in Hobart.

The Hurricanes batted first and posted 167-5 as Ben Dunk smashed 96 off 54. Ben Laughlin (3/8) and Cameron Boyce (3025) then starred with the ball as Sydney Thunder were bundled out for 94.

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#4 Jammu & Kashmir (22)

Indian domestic side Jammu & Kashmir have lost 22 consecutive T20 games. Their losing streak began on October 22, 2009 with an 18-run loss to Punjab in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Batting first after winning the toss, Punjab were bowled out for 114-9. Reetinder Sodhi and Manpreet Gony, though, claimed three wickets each as J&K were bundled out for 96 in 19 overs.

Jammu & Kashmir’s losing streak in T20s extended till April 4, 2014 when they were beaten by Himachal Pradesh by 17 runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Himachal Pradesh batted first and were held to 127-8 in Mohali. However, Akshay Chauhan’s spell of 4-16 saw J&K folding up for 110 in 19.3 overs.

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#3 Mizoram (23)

Bengal batter Abhimanyu Easwaran (Pic: Getty Images)

Another Indian domestic team, Mizoram, also features in the list. They have lost 23 T20 games in a row.

Mizoram’s losing run began on February 21, 2009, when they went down to Bengal in Cuttack in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Bengal batted first and notched up 221-4 as Abhimanyu Easwaran smashed an unbeaten 107 off 56. Prayas Ray Barman (4-14) and Pradipta Pramanik (3-13) then starred with the ball as Mizoram were bundled out for 62 in 13 overs.

Mizoram’s losing streak extended till November 08, 2021, when they were hammered by ten wickets by Sikkim in Mulapadu. Bowling first, Sikkim restricted Mizoram to 109-5 and then chased the target in 17.4 overs as Codanda Ajit Karthik scored 61* and Liyan Khan 48*.

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#2 Arunachal Pradesh (25*)

Arunachal Pradesh are on a 25-match losing streak in T20s, which is yet to be snapped.

Their losing run began on March 2, 2019 when they went down to Assam by nine wickets in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy game in Cuttack. Batting first, Arunachal were bowled out for 102 in 18 overs as Mukhtar Hussain claimed 4-8. Assam gunned down the target in merely 6.4 overs as their top three went berserk.

In their most recent T20 encounter, on October 22, 2022, they registered their 25th loss in the row in the format. Batting first, Maharashtra posted a competitive 162-5 in Mullanpur as Kaushal Tambe smashed 62* off 29. Arunachal Pradesh struggled in the chase and were restricted to 99-9.

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#1 Quetta Bears (27)

‘Rawalpindi Express’ Shoaib Akhtar (Pic: Getty Images)

The record for the longest losing streak in T20 cricket is held by Quetta Bears (27). Their unwanted record spree began on April 25, 2005 with a 96-run defeat at the hands of Rawalpindi Rams in the ABN-AMRO Twenty-20 Cup.

Batting first, Rawalpindi put up 197-8 with good contributions all-round. Shoaib Akhtar (5-23) then ran through the Quetta Bears batting lineup as the chasing side were bowled out for 101.

Quetta Bears’ shocking losing streak extended till December 6, 2012 when they suffered a five-wicket defeat to Islamabad Leopards in a Faysal Bank T-20 Cup match in Lahore.

Sent into bat by Islamabad Leopards, Quetta Bears struggled and were held to 111-7. Their bowlers fought hard, but the Leopards got home in 18.3 overs.