5 longest unbeaten streaks by home teams at a particular venue

Great cricket teams are famous for winning anywhere in the world but at the same time, those teams almost always have a mythical fortress of sorts where it is incredibly difficult to beat them and over the years, certain teams went through some stunning unbeaten streaks at particular venues.

The reasons behind a venue becoming a fortress could be manifold. First of all, there is the pitch, which might explicitly favour the traditional strengths of the home side and in addition to that, the crowds and the overhead conditions might also be in favour of the team.

Over the course of international cricket, plenty of long unbeaten streaks have been accomplished at certain venues but the truly remarkable ones have stretched over decades and have gone down in history as the graveyard of opposition teams.

Here is a look at 5 of the longest unbeaten streaks (by number of Tests) at a particular venue in Test cricket.

5 West Indies at Sabina Park, Kingston 1958-1989

The West Indies were one of the most dominant sides in Test cricket history from the mid-1970s through to the early 1990s, but one venue where they were unbeatable for 31 years was at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica.

Right from the time that the West Indies beat Pakistan by an innings and 174 runs at Sabina Park back in February 1958, they went through 19 Test matches and 31 years without defeat at the venue.

Out of those games, they won 11 of them and drew the rest. Some of West Indies' biggest victories have been accomplished at the venue, including three back to back 10 wicket victories against Australia, New Zealand and England back in 1984, 1985 and 1986 respectively.

The glorious streak came to an end in February 1990, when they unexpectedly lost to England by 9 wickets at Sabina Park. Few years down the line, the decline of West Indies cricket would also commence.

4 England at Old Trafford, Manchester from 1905-1954

Old Trafford

England's domination of visiting teams at Old Trafford is one of the most famous unbeaten streaks and considering the fact that it spanned over a period of 49 years makes it a truly superb achievement.

The number of Test matches that were played was only 25 but then again one has to account for the two World Wars that were fought during that period. Out of those 25 Tests, England won 8 of them and almost all of them were big wins. 4 were innings victories, while two others were won by margins 202 runs and 9 wickets.

Even though the streak came to an end in 1955, when South Africa handed England their first defeat at the venue in 50 years, Old Trafford remained one of the team's happy hunting grounds. They won the next two Tests at Old Trafford by an innings.

3 West Indies at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown from 1948-1993

A Test match in progress at Kensington Oval

The Kensington Oval at Bridgetown, Barbados was another West Indian fortress that seemed impregnable for around 45 years. During which the home team bulldozed opponents with remarkable ease and the West Indies' army of fast bowlers feasted on one of the quickest pitches on offer in the Caribbean. Out of the 27 Test matches played at the venue between 1948 and 1993, West Indies won 16 of them while 11 were drawn. The last draw in this time span came in 1977 and since then the West Indies won 12 Test matches on the trot at the Kensington Oval against a range of opponents. Most of the wins at the venue were big victories and for a long time, the results of the game seemed to be a foregone conclusion. However, it all changed when England beat the West Indies in 1994 by 208 runs and a year later Australia beat them by 10 wickets. The fortress had been breached.

2 Australia at The Gabba, Brisbane from 1988-2017

The Gabba, Brisbane

It is one of the greatest modern streaks in cricket history and the unique thing about Australia's unbeaten streak at the Gabba is that it is still in progress.

Australia have been the most dominant team in Test cricket over the past three decades and even though they have tailed off a bit in the recent years, their record at the Gabba remains as awe-inspiring as ever. After being steamrolled by the West Indies in 1988, Australia embarked on this historic streak with a draw against Sri Lanka.

However, there were not many draws to be had for visiting teams as the hosts won 21 out of the 28 Tests played at the Gabba. The lightning-quick pitch at Brisbane is probably the reason why Australia have been so dominant and over the years, plenty of teams have been blown away.

A series in Australia usually kicks off at the Gabba and over the years, the test match at this venue has often worked as the catalyst for many dominant series wins.

1 Pakistan at National Cricket Stadium, Karachi from 1955-2000

National Cricket Stadium, Karachi

Pakistan is one of the world's great cricketing nations and for 45 years, the National Stadium at Karachi served as their fortress against visiting sides.

They played their first Test at the venue against arch-rivals India in February of 1955. The first game ended in a draw but over the next 45 years, they would play 33 more games at the venue and out of those Pakistan won 18 of those.

During that streak, the team recorded many famous victories against India, Australia and also the mighty West Indies when they were at the peak of their powers in 1990. However, the magnificent streak came to an end in 2000, when England chased down a target in fading light and condemned Pakistan to a 6 wicket defeat.