Surprising: Spain break India's record in T20I cricket

What probably is a milestone in the cricket world, Spain’s cricket team now holds a record that eluded the cricketing powerhouses of India and Afghanistan for all this while. This weekend, particularly known for football, Spain set a new world record for winning 14 T20Is on the trot—bettering the previously held streaks of 12 continuous matches of both India and Afghanistan. This spectacular show came in the Europe T20 World Cup Sub Regional Qualifier C being held in Guernsey.

Spain break India’s record – win 14 back-to-back T20I matches

This incredible run began on 25 February 2023. The latest win along the way includes a one-run triumph over the Czech Republic on August 22 and the earliest being a seven-wicket thumping of Greece on August 25 which ensured they broke the record. Spain now stay ahead of Malaysia and Bermuda who had at some point shared the world record for the most successive T20I wins—13.

India and Afghanistan share the record for the most successive T20I wins amongst major cricketing nations but Spain’s continued dominance in the format placed them one above. While India’s current streak now stands at 12 games, this streak came between November 2021 and February 2022. Afghanistan’s streak came between February 2018 and September 2019.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Spain head coach Corey Rutgers said,

“A proud record to be notified about today, we obviously don’t play for records but this does feel special for the group. It has been a transformative few years in Spain, and a lot of credit goes to players who sacrifice a lot of their time to play for Espana, the management and my coaching staff. Couldn’t be prouder of all involved.”

Spain’s last defeat in T20 cricket occurred nearly 20 months ago against Italy. Since then, they have recorded 15 victories in series against the Isle of Man, Jersey, and Croatia, along with three consecutive wins in the ongoing T20 qualifier.

Their impressive run was only briefly halted by a no result due to rain in the second fixture against the Isle of Man last year. That series was particularly memorable for Spain’s record-breaking 10-wicket win in the fourth match, where they bowled the Manx out for just 10 runs and chased the target in just two legal deliveries.

Despite their remarkable winning streak, Spain’s chances of advancing to the European Regional Final next year appear slim. A rain-enforced abandonment in their match against Denmark earlier this week has put their progression in jeopardy. Spain now need Cyprus to pull off an unlikely upset against Denmark in the final group match tomorrow. If Denmark win, they will advance to the final due to their superior net run rate, leaving Spain to compete for the bronze medal against either Finland or potentially Guernsey.

It depicts an emerging view of competition in world cricket and how new cricketing countries could brand themselves on a global scale, things Spain are really low in profile on, contrary to the sheer command of India in it.