5 records which prove Australia's unique love affair with firsts

The Australian cricket team have a great Test recordAustralia has certainly been the most successful team in the history of the game by far. With a staggering winning percentage of around 47 per cent in 783 Tests and 5 ODI World Cup titles in their kitty, the Aussies are perched right on top of the mountain called world cricket.During their 138-year long tenure in international cricket, they have been witness to a lot of firsts; some related to the sport in general and others related to performance. Among these firsts, there are a few that Australia have achieved themselves thereby enhancing their reputation in world cricket a few more notches.Here are 5 Australian records which prove their love affair with ‘firsts’:

#1 First team to complete a hat-trick of World Cups

The 2007 World Cup triumph was Australias third in a row

While no other team has won the World Cup more than twice, Australia have tasted glory 5 times at the marquee event of the sport. This includes a hattrick of World Cup triumphs between the years 1999 and 2007. This makes the Aussies the first and only team to achieve this feat in the cricketing world.

It all began with the 1999 ICC World Cup victory in England where they were by no means favourites for the title at the start of the tournament. The next two editions of the World Cup, played in South Africa and West Indies respectively, saw the Aussies trample their opposition on course to completing a coveted hattrick of victories at the quadrennial cricket carnival.

#2 First and only team to win 16 consecutive Tests

The Australian team celebrate their second instance of 16 consecutive wins

Another popular record for Australia is the fact that they are the first and only team in cricket history to win 16 consecutive Test matches. Moreover, they have achieved this feat twice under two different captains.

Between 1999 and 2001, it was the Australian team led by Steve Waugh which handed four whitewashes to Pakistan, India, New Zealand and the West Indies respecitvely on course to the record feat. It could have been even better for them had India not spoilt their party in the epic 2001 Kolkata Test.

The next phase of 16 back-to-back Test wins came between December 2005 and January 2008 under the captaincy of Ricky Ponting. The Aussies emulated their own feat when they beat India in the controversial 2008 Sydney Test. However, it was India once again who did not allow the streak to stretch beyond 16 as they won the next Test at Perth.

The only other team that has won more than 10 Tests on a trot was the West Indies in 1984, when they won 11 Tests in a row.

#3 Played the first match across all formats

Australia and New Zealand take a group photo before the 1st T20I ever

This is one record which proves that Australia are really up there at the top when it comes to ‘firsts’. They have played the first ever Test, the first ever ODI and the first ever T20I.

Both the first Test and the first ODI were against their bitter rivals since ages, England. The first T20I, however, saw the Aussies squaring off against next door neighbours New Zealand.

Although they have stamped their authority all over Tests and ODIs, the Australian team are still trying to come to terms with the shortest format of the game. This is orchestrated by the fact that they have not won a single World Twenty20 title thus far.

#4 First team to win a full Test series (3 Tests or more)

The Australian cricket team in 1882

The first ever full Test series was a four-match affair between arch-rivals Australia and England in 1882 before the Ashes days. Sydney and Melbourne were the two venues for the series and hosted 2 matches each.

While both the Tests at Melbourne ended in a stalemate, Australia registered victories in the two Sydney Tests and went on to clinch the first ever full series by a 2-0 margin. Another Australian victory in the one-off Test which followed their series win was termed as the ‘death of English cricket’ and became the trigger for the birth of the Ashes.

#5 Winning their first match and first day-night match in every format

Australia win the first ever day-night Test and with it another series

The cricketing world witnessed its first day-night Test, which was played between Australia and New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval, just recently and it was the Aussies who registered a famous win. This victory makes them the only team to achieve an incredible record of winning their first Test and day-night Test, first ODI and day-night ODI and first T20I and first day-night T20I.

The men from Down Under beat England in the very first Test they played, which, incidentally, was also the first Test ever. The first ODI ever was also played between Australia and England and yet again the Australians emerged victorious following it up with a win in the first ever day-night ODI against West Indies in the 1979 World Series Cup.

Talking about the first T20I, it was a day-night affair and the Aussies triumphed once again, this time against New Zealand. This is one record which shows just how much love Australia has for ‘firsts’.