Every year or two, we see teams competing in multi-nation cricket tournaments. And no doubt, these events dish out some memorable performances.
But it’s the bilateral series that keeps cricket fans like you busy throughout the year, isn’t it? Among them, the bilateral Test series contested between the ICC’s full members hold a lot of prestige.
You must have bragged about how your favourite team won a hard-fought Test match or series. As you know, teams fight hard in cricket’s toughest format to earn a victory, while winning a whole series becomes a matter of pride.
But to hold all bilateral Test trophies against all teams simultaneously is an even more remarkable feat. Just imagine your national cricket team has done this. Feels surreal, right?
On that note, here are the teams to hold all bilateral Test trophies against all teams at the same time. (Note: The article excludes Afghanistan and Ireland, while the most recent series wins are considered before a team completed the trophy set.)
1. Australia
On October 29, 2004, Australia created a record by becoming the first team to hold all bilateral Test trophies at the same time. And they have repeated the feat two more times.
| No. / Span | 2004-2005 | 2006-2008 | 2025-Present |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NZ (3-0, 2000)* / (0-0, 2001) | ZIM (2-0, 2003) | ZIM (2-0, 2003) |
| 2 | SA (2-1, 2002)* | SL (1-0, 2004) | BAN (2-0, 2006)* / (1-1, 2017)* |
| 3 | PAK (3-0, 2002)* | IND (2-1, 2004)* | SL (2-0, 2019) / (1-1, 2022)* |
| 4 | ENG (4-1, 2003) | PAK (3-0, 2005) | SA (2-0, 2023) |
| 5 | WI (3-1, 2003)* | NZ (2-0, 2005)* | ENG (4-0, 2022) / (2-2, 2023)* |
| 6 | BAN (2-0, 2003) | WI (3-0, 2005) | PAK (3-0, 2024) |
| 7 | ZIM (2-0, 2003) | SA (3-0, 2006)* | WI (2-0, 2022) / (1-1, 2024) |
| 8 | SL (1-0, 2004) | BAN (2-0, 2006)* | NZ (2-0, 2024)* |
| 9 | IND (2-1, 2004)* | ENG (5-0, 2006) | IND (3-1, 2025) |
(Note: The span mentions the period for which the team held all trophies. The asterisk mark (*) indicates the away series.)
29 Oct 2004 – 12 Sep 2005
Australia’s first streak lasted for 318 days after they completed the set by beating India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) on October 29, 2004. Before that, they had won the other eight series.
It started with a series win over New Zealand in April 2000 before Australia defeated South Africa and Pakistan in 2002. The next year was remarkable for the Aussies, as they clinched four trophies against England, West Indies, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe.
In July 2004, Australia blanked Sri Lanka at home before conquering on Indian soil to secure the unique feat. They held all trophies until September 12, 2005, after which they lost the Ashes in England.
18 Dec 2006 – 10 Nov 2008
Australia’s second streak lasted for almost two years as they regained the Ashes at home in December 2006. But before that, they had to work a lot to win back a few series while they established a stronghold on others.
Australia still held the trophies against Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, and India secured in the previous streak. The Kangaroos defeated Pakistan, New Zealand, and West Indies in 2005.
The next year, the Aussies had successful tours of South Africa and Bangladesh before they returned home to flatten England by 5-0 to complete the set again.
5 Jan 2025 – Present
After over a decade, Australia managed to defeat India in the BGT on January 5, 2025, to complete the trophy set for the third time. Their last series win over India had come in 2014/15, after which they lost to India four times – twice at home.
The Australian team’s quest started in February 2019 with a series win against Sri Lanka and retaining the trophy in July 2022. Before that, they already held the trophies against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh (retained the trophy vs. BAN in 2017 after drawing the series 1-1).
At the start of 2022, the Aussies won the Ashes against England and wrapped up the year with a series win against West Indies. Australia retained the trophies against both teams in July 2023 and January 2024, respectively.
In 2023, Australia hammered South Africa at home before bagging series wins against Pakistan and New Zealand in early 2024. Beating India was the last frontier for the Australian men, which they overcame in January 2025 with a 3-1 series victory.
Also Read | Top Ten Ashes Tests of All Time
2. South Africa
South Africa became the second team to repeat Australia’s feat in 2012. They continued their streak for more than a year, as it started on December 3, 2012, and ended on March 5, 2014.
| No. / Span | 2012-2014 |
|---|---|
| 1 | ZIM (2-0, 2005) |
| 2 | IND (2-1, 2007) / (1-1, 2008)* / (1-1, 2010)* / (1-1, 2010) |
| 3 | PAK (1-0, 2–7)* / (0-0, 2010)* |
| 4 | BAN (2-0, 2008) |
| 5 | WI (2-1, 2010) |
| 6 | SL (2-1, 2012) |
| 7 | NZ (1-0, 2012)* |
| 8 | ENG (2-0, 2012)* |
| 9 | AUS (1-0, 2012)* |
(Note: The span mentions the period for which the team held all trophies. The asterisk mark (*) indicates the away series.)
The Proteas run started with a series win against their African side, Zimbabwe, in March 2005. In 2007, they defeated two Asian giants, India and Pakistan, while they retained the trophy against India three more times (2007/08, 2009/10, and 2010/11) and once against Pakistan in 2010 after that.
In the meantime, South Africa won a series each against Bangladesh and West Indies in November 2008 and June 2010, respectively. The year 2012 saw them complete the set as they clinched four series against Sri Lanka, New Zealand, England, and Australia.
As South Africa cleaned up England by 2-0 in August 2012, they claimed the top spot in the ICC Test team rankings, which they held for 21 months.
3. India
India are the other team to achieve the set of all bilateral Test trophies multiple times. The Men in Blue logged the feat twice between Mar 2017 and January 2022.
| No. / Span | 2017-2018 | 2021-2022 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ZIM (2-0, 2005)* | ZIM (2-0, 2005)* |
| 2 | PAK (1-0, 2007) | PAK (1-0, 2007) |
| 3 | SL (2-1, 2015)* | SL (1-0, 2017) |
| 4 | SA (3-0, 2015) | WI (2-0, 2019)* |
| 5 | WI (2-0, 2016) | SA (3-0, 2019) |
| 6 | NZ (3-0, 2016) | BAN (2-0, 2019) |
| 7 | ENG (4-0, 2016) | AUS (2-1, 2021)* |
| 8 | BAN (1-0, 2017) | ENG (3-1, 2021) |
| 9 | AUS (2-1, 2017) | NZ (1-0, 2021) |
(Note: The span mentions the period for which the team held all trophies. The asterisk mark (*) indicates the away series.)
28 Mar 2017 – 17 Jan 2018
India’s series hunt dates back to September 2005, when they defeated Zimbabwe by 2-0. Two years later, the Indian team played their last Test series against Pakistan, which they won by 1-0.
From then to 2015, they lost and won many series but couldn’t get hold of all of them at once. But then, with a series win against Sri Lanka in September 2015, India started dreaming about pulling off the feat.
By the end of the year, the Men in Blue blanked South Africa. In 2016, they defeated West Indies, New Zealand, and England before winning a one-off Test against Bangladesh in February 2017.
A month later, they reclaimed the BGT from Australia to hold all bilateral Test series simultaneously for the first time. Their reign ended after 295 days on January 12, 2018, after they lost the trophy against South Africa.
6 Dec 2021 – 14 Jan 2022
India regained control over all trophies once again on December 6, 2021, although for 39 days. As India hadn’t played against Zimbabwe and Pakistan since their last meeting in 2005 and 2007, respectively, they were still the series holders against them.
During their previous streak, the Men in Blue beat Sri Lanka again in December 2017, this time at home. Fast forward to September 2019, and India went on to win against West Indies, South Africa, and Bangladesh within three months.
After the cricketing action resumed in 2020/21 following the Covid-19 outbreak, India roared hard. They secured their consecutive series win in Australia in early 2021 before defeating England and New Zealand at home.
As India overcame New Zealand by 1-0 in December 2021, they completed the set once more, only to be broken again by South Africa in January 2022.
During the above period, India didn’t lose any Test series played at home, with the streak lasting for 12 years from 2012 to 2024.
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