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.

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#1 New Zealand vs Australia, 2005

Chappell-Hadlee Trophy - New Zealand v Australia

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.

#2 West Indies vs Australia, 2008

West Indies features twice on this list.

The five-match ODI series was contested between the two sides as part of Australia's tour of West Indies in 2008. Australia had already won the 3 match Test series 2-0 and were now eyeing a victory in the ODI series. Australia completely dominated the Caribbean side, winning the first three matches by 84 runs, 63 runs, and 7 wickets respectively.

In the fourth ODI, the home side put up a spirited performance and came tantalizingly close to winning the match. Chasing 283, WI required 12 runs from the last 12 balls. An economical penultimate over from Nathan Bracken, conceding only 4 runs, meant that Windies required 8 from the final over. Shane Watson kept his cool and conceded only 6 singles in his last over, handing a memorable victory to the Aussies by a solitary run.

The fifth ODI reiterated the fact that the world's most dominant side could not be kept quiet for very long. A thumping 169 run victory sealed the cup for the Aussies.

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#3 Australia vs Pakistan, 2010

The 5-0 series loss coincided with a very tumultuous phase in Pakistan Cricket.

If there ever was one tour between these two sides where one team comprehensively obliterated the other, this may just be it. Australia won the three-match test series 3-0, the 5 match ODI series 5-0, and the sole T20I.

The Pakistan team did put up some performances worth mentioning, but couldn't consolidate the efforts into a win. Australia won the closely fought first ODI by 5 wickets, the forgettable second match by 140 runs, the series sealer third by 40 runs, the ridiculously one-sided fourth by 135 runs, and the nail-biting fifth match by 2 wickets and 4 balls to spare.

#4 Australia vs West Indies, 2013

Australia showed signs of brilliance from the first match itself.

An intriguing feature of the West Indian team contingent to their Australian ODI tour in 2013 was the inclusion of some of the most popular T20 heroes in the squad. Names like Keiron Pollard, Sunil Narine, and Andre Russell were included in the 15 man squad.

In the first ODI, the new look WI side could not adapt to the playing conditions and were skittled out for just 70 runs. In reply, Australia comfortably won the match by 9 wickets.

Not to be bogged down by their ordinary efforts in the first ODI, the WI team played highly competitive cricket in the remainder of the series, only to lose all the 4 encounters on the trot.

Australia won the second ODI by 54 runs, the third by 39 runs, the fourth by 5 wickets, and the final ODI by 17 runs.

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#5 Pakistan vs Australia, 2019

This series victory may just be the much-needed boost for the Aussies.

Possibly the most unexpected series clean sweep on this list. Unexpected, because of the sheer surprise package that the Australian team turned out to be. A new crop of players like Jhye Richardson, Jason Beherendorff, and Adam Zampa helped the Australian team in putting up some clinical and memorable performances in the recently concluded ODI series.

For the first time since the infamous ‘sandpaper gate' scandal, did the Australian side look as though it had finally broken through the psychological fetters, impeding their growth

Aaron Finch's back to back ODI centuries in the first 2 ODIs saw Australia winning both the matches by 8 wickets. His 90 in the third ODI, was the deciding factor between the two sides, as Australia won by 80 runs.

Abid Ali's century on ODI debut almost took his side to victory in the fourth ODI. Some good death bowling from the visitors managed to derail the Pakistani chase, and eventually culminated in a 6 run victory.

A high scoring fifth ODI saw the Pakistan batsmen scoring a mammoth 307/7 in their quota of 50 overs, but could not avert a loss against the Australian side by 20 runs.