Not Australia, not England, not India, and not Pakistan — it is Spain who now hold the proudest bragging rights in international cricket. The Spanish national side have officially broken the 23-year-old record previously shared by Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh's dominant Australian team, becoming the side with the longest winning streak in the history of international cricket.

Spain are currently competing in the Men's T20 World Cup Sub Regional Europe Qualifiers in Southern Finland and have swept through the tournament undefeated, winning every match they have played so far. Their latest triumph came against Bulgaria on August 18, when they comfortably chased down a modest target of 60 runs in just 29 deliveries, sealing victory by nine wickets.

The moment the record fell

The historic landmark was reached on August 14, when Spain overturned Australia's previous mark by beating Finland in their opening match of the qualifiers. That win was their 21st in a row in international cricket, taking them one victory beyond the Australian record of 20 consecutive international wins.

Since that milestone, Spain have not paused for celebration — they have kept on winning. Beating the Isle of Man, Luxembourg and Bulgaria has stretched their astonishing run to 24 consecutive victories, a tally that places them alone at the summit of international cricket history.

The context behind Spain's stunning winning run

Spain's 24-match streak has been built across a series of competitive fixtures, including T20I series against the Isle of Man and Jersey, as well as two separate bilateral series against Croatia. The two Croatia series were divided by the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Sub Regional Europe Qualifier in 2024, where Spain finished as runners-up after one of their matches was abandoned.

How Australia set the previous record

Australia's former record of 20 consecutive international wins was assembled across both Tests and ODIs under the leadership of Waugh and Ponting. The historic run began on January 11, 2003, when Australia beat England in Hobart. It continued through until the third Test against the West Indies in Bridgetown in May 2003.

The Australian juggernaut was finally halted when Steve Waugh's side lost the fourth Test against the West Indies. During that memorable period, Australia went unbeaten in the 2003 ODI World Cup, triumphing in all their matches, and also swept a tri-series featuring England and Sri Lanka. They then turned to Test cricket and won three matches against the West Indies.

Ponting captained Australia through the ODI tri-series and the World Cup, while Waugh led the side in Tests. The 20-match winning streak comprised 17 ODIs and three Tests — a record that has now been consigned to the history books by a Spanish side playing on cricket's European frontier.