Five batsmen with most fifties in consecutive Test matches
Time and again AB de Villiers showed his potential across all three formats for South Africa especially in the first half of the 2010s. His numbers in Test cricket too were quite brilliant which saw him recording a huge streak with the bat. De Villiers, between 2012 and 2014, recorded at least one 50+ score in 12 consecutive Test matches. In this process, he bettered the existing record held by three players in 11 successive Tests.
AB de Villiers still holds the record for scoring fifties in most consecutive matches in Test cricket although jointly along with Joe Root. The England captain also recorded fifty-plus scores in 12 consecutive Test matches between 2016 and 2017. Root looked all set to take down the record of De Villiers but he didn’t get to bat in the second essay of the game which could have been 13th in his streak.
Back in the 1970s, Sir Viv Richards set the record by scoring fifties in 11 consecutive Test matches. The record stood unmatched until 2008 before the Indians dominated the list. In 2008, Gautam Gambhir began his 11-match streak of fifty-plus scores that halted at the start of 2010. Gambhir’s opening partner Virender Sehwag had a similar streak which coincided with that of his domestic teammate.
Sehwag had at least one fifty-plus score in 11 consecutive Tests between 2009 and 2010. The streaks of Gambhir and Sehwag were the reason behind India’s rise to No.1 ranking around the same period. India managed to lose just one home Test match and a grand total of three Tests during their streaks. Gambhir went a step further and aggregated 100+ runs in seven consecutive Test matches.
Aubrey Faulkner is the only other player to aggregate 100+ runs in as many as seven successive Tests. While Ab de Villiers’ streak was intact, Bangladesh’s Mominul Haque began a streak of his own. Mominul hit fifties in 11 consecutive Test matches between 2013 and 2015. Interestingly, the Southpaw made his Test debut in 2013 only.
(Stats as on September 29, 2020)
