A hundred Tests and no wins against Australia

Can you remember when New Zealand beat Australia last in a Test? Allan Border was captain, Glenn McGrath hadn't made his debut, and Daniel Vettori was 14 years old. This week in Hamilton - Vettori's 100th Test - New Zealand were presented with an opportunity to put one across their trans-Tasman rivals. They didn't take it, slipping to defeat by 176 runs instead, and maintained the winless records of their players against Australia. In today's column, we've looked at cricketers who played the most Tests against a particular opponent without winning even one.

The Hamilton Test was Vettori's 18th against Australia - 17 for New Zealand and one for the World XI - across eight series and he's been involved in five draws, 13 defeats and no wins. Seven of those series were lost and the one that was drawn, in 2001, contained two matches in which New Zealand and Vettori came closest to beating Australia since 1993. They ended the Brisbane Test 10 runs short of the target, and were three wickets away from victory in Perth.

Before the ongoing barren period began, New Zealand wins against Australia weren't that uncommon - there were four between 1982 and '86 and another in '90. Vettori, therefore, has played the most matches for New Zealand against Australia without a win. Stephen Fleming, the only other New Zealand cricketer to play 100 Tests, played 14 Tests against Australia without victory.

Highest percentage of matches without a win against a team - Tests (qualification: 15 matches)

Player	Opposition	Span	Mat	Won	Draw	Tied	Lost	%
Mushtaq Mohammad (Pak)	v England	1961-1974	23	0	15	0	8	100.00
Intikhab Alam (Pak)	v England	1961-1974	20	0	14	0	6	100.00
JR Reid (NZ)	v England	1949-1965	19	0	5	0	14	100.00
DI Gower (Eng)	v West Indies	1980-1988	19	0	3	0	16	100.00
M Amarnath (India)	v Pakistan	1978-1987	18	0	12	0	6	100.00
DL Vettori (ICC/NZ)	v Australia	1997-2010	18	0	5	0	13	100.00
B Sutcliffe (NZ)	v England	1947-1965	16	0	8	0	8	100.00
PR Umrigar (India)	v West Indies	1948-1962	16	0	7	0	9	100.00
PR Downton (Eng)	v West Indies	1981-1988	16	0	3	0	13	100.00
Saeed Ahmed (Pak)	v England	1961-1971	15	0	7	0	8	100.00
Asif Iqbal (Pak)	v England	1967-1974	15	0	12	0	3	100.00
Majid Khan (Pak)	v England	1967-1982	15	0	12	0	3	100.00
P Willey (Eng)	v West Indies	1976-1986	15	0	6	0	9	100.00
RJ Shastri (India)	v Pakistan	1982-1989	15	0	14	0	1	100.00
RA Smith (Eng)	v Australia	1989-1993	15	0	4	0	11	100.00
DB Vengsarkar (India)	v West Indies	1976-1989	25	1	15	0	9	96.00
Wasim Bari (Pak)	v England	1967-1982	24	1	16	0	7	95.83
BE Congdon (NZ)	v England	1965-1978	22	1	8	0	13	95.45
IT Botham (Eng)	v West Indies	1980-1991	20	1	6	0	13	95.00
A Ranatunga (SL)	v India	1982-1999	20	1	12	0	7	95.00
RR Sarwan (WI)	v England	2000-2009	20	1	7	0	12	95.00
RJ Shastri (India)	v West Indies	1983-1989	19	1	9	0	9	94.73
PA de Silva (SL)	v India	1985-1999	19	1	11	0	7	94.73
KG Viljoen (SA)	v England	1930-1949	18	1	12	0	5	94.44
Hanif Mohammad (Pak)	v England	1954-1969	18	1	9	0	8	94.44

Pakistan beat England for the first time in the fourth Test between the two sides, but then went nearly three decades without a win. The careers of Mushtaq Mohammad and Intikhab Alam were during those years and they played 23 and 20 matches respectively against England between 1961 and 1974 without a win.

England didn't win the Ashes between 1987 and 2005 but several players experienced what it was like to win a Test against Australia, usually in dead rubbers. Not Robin Smith, though. He played 15 Ashes Tests between 1989 and 1993, of which England lost 11 and drew the others. His Ashes career ended with a pasting in 1993: Australia were 4-0 up after five Tests. England axed Smith, for the first time after 45 Tests, for the Oval dead rubber, and promptly won by 161 runs.

Pakistan have not beaten Australia in a Test since 1995. In fact they've lost their last 12 Tests to them. Mohammad Yousuf, one of Pakistan's batting mainstays during this period, ended his career on Monday, following a ban - a consequence of his conduct during a 3-0 drubbing in Australia. He played 11 Tests in all against them, of which Pakistan lost nine and drew two, and averaged only 29 with the bat. Another giant of the 1990s and 2000s who didn't win any of his 13 Tests against Australia was Shaun Pollock.

Highest percentage of matches lost against a team - Tests (qualification: 10 matches)

Player	Opposition	Span	Mat	Won	Draw	Tied	Lost	%
Mohammad Ashraful (Ban)	v Sri Lanka	2001-2009	11	0	0	0	11	100.00
Habibul Bashar (Ban)	v Sri Lanka	2001-2007	10	0	0	0	10	100.00
B Mitchell (SA)	v Australia	1931-1936	10	0	1	0	9	90.00
DI Gower (Eng)	v West Indies	1980-1988	19	0	3	0	16	84.21
GT Dowling (NZ)	v England	1963-1971	11	0	2	0	9	81.81
Mohammad Yousuf (Pak)	v Australia	1998-2010	11	0	2	0	9	81.81
CD Collymore (WI)	v England	2004-2007	11	0	2	0	9	81.81
PR Downton (Eng)	v West Indies	1981-1988	16	0	3	0	13	81.25
HH Gibbs (SA)	v Australia	1997-2006	15	1	2	0	12	80.00
AD Nourse (SA)	v Australia	1935-1950	10	0	2	0	8	80.00
Shoaib Akhtar (Pak)	v Australia	1998-2005	10	0	2	0	8	80.00
RR Sarwan (WI)	v Australia	2000-2009	14	1	2	0	11	78.57
AJ Lamb (Eng)	v West Indies	1984-1991	22	2	3	0	17	77.27
SM Pollock (SA)	v Australia	1997-2006	13	0	3	0	10	76.92
S Chanderpaul (WI)	v South Africa	1998-2008	17	2	2	0	13	76.47
CG Borde (India)	v West Indies	1958-1967	12	0	3	0	9	75.00
JR Reid (NZ)	v England	1949-1965	19	0	5	0	14	73.68
MV Boucher (ICC/SA)	v Australia	2001-2009	19	4	1	0	14	73.68
RA Smith (Eng)	v Australia	1989-1993	15	0	4	0	11	73.33
SL Campbell (WI)	v Australia	1995-2001	15	4	0	0	11	73.33
HW Taylor (SA)	v Australia	1912-1932	11	0	3	0	8	72.72
DR Pringle (Eng)	v West Indies	1984-1991	11	1	2	0	8	72.72
J Srinath (India)	v Australia	1991-2001	11	2	1	0	8	72.72
M Dillon (WI)	v South Africa	1998-2004	11	1	2	0	8	72.72
D Ganga (WI)	v South Africa	1998-2008	11	1	2	0	8	72.72

Only four players have played in 10 or more Tests against a particular opponent and won all of them. Three of those - Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan and Kumar Sangakkara - did it against relatively weaker Bangladesh. Roger Harper, however, played 10 Tests against England between 1984 and 1988 and West Indies won every one. They were massive victories as well, the smallest margins being eight wickets or 172 runs. Harper's contribution was a batting average of 34 and 22 wickets at 17.90 apiece.

Highest percentage of matches won against a team - Tests (qualification: 10 matches)

Player	Opposition	Span	Mat	Won	Draw	Tied	Lost	%
DPMD Jayawardene (SL)	v Bangladesh	2001-2009	11	11	0	0	0	100.00
M Muralitharan (SL)	v Bangladesh	2001-2009	11	11	0	0	0	100.00
KC Sangakkara (SL)	v Bangladesh	2001-2009	11	11	0	0	0	100.00
RA Harper (WI)	v England	1984-1988	10	10	0	0	0	100.00
RT Ponting (Aus)	v Pakistan	1998-2010	13	12	1	0	0	92.30
AC Gilchrist (Aus)	v West Indies	2000-2005	12	11	0	0	1	91.66
CV Grimmett (Aus)	v South Africa	1931-1936	10	9	1	0	0	90.00
SJ McCabe (Aus)	v South Africa	1931-1936	10	9	1	0	0	90.00
MP Vaughan (Eng)	v West Indies	2000-2007	15	13	2	0	0	86.66
RT Ponting (Aus)	v West Indies	1996-2009	21	18	2	0	1	85.71
B Lee (Aus)	v West Indies	2000-2008	12	10	1	0	1	83.33
AC Gilchrist (Aus)	v South Africa	2001-2006	12	10	1	0	1	83.33
WAS Oldfield (Aus)	v South Africa	1921-1936	11	9	2	0	0	81.81
FS Trueman (Eng)	v New Zealand	1958-1965	11	9	2	0	0	81.81
MJ Hoggard (Eng)	v West Indies	2000-2007	11	9	2	0	0	81.81
ME Trescothick (Eng)	v West Indies	2000-2004	11	9	2	0	0	81.81
JL Langer (Aus)	v South Africa	2001-2006	11	9	1	0	1	81.81
GA Lohmann (Eng)	v Australia	1886-1896	15	12	0	0	3	80.00
ML Hayden (Aus)	v West Indies	1996-2005	15	12	0	0	3	80.00
DR Jardine (Eng)	v Australia	1928-1933	10	8	0	0	2	80.00
MS Atapattu (SL)	v Zimbabwe	1998-2004	10	8	2	0	0	80.00
R Illingworth (Eng)	v New Zealand	1958-1973	13	10	3	0	0	76.92
WW Hall (WI)	v India	1958-1967	13	10	3	0	0	76.92
CC Hunte (WI)	v India	1958-1967	13	10	3	0	0	76.92
ST Jayasuriya (SL)	v Zimbabwe	1994-2004	13	10	3	0	0	76.92

The West Indian dominance over England during the 1970s and 80s was so overwhelming that Michael Holding and Joel Garner spent more than a decade playing Test cricket without ever losing to them. Holding's 21 matches is the most anyone has played against a country without a defeat.

Gordon Greenidge nearly shattered that mark. He had played 28 Tests against England, with West Indies winning 19, drawing nine and losing none. Then, at Sabina Park in 1990, Angus Fraser triggered a collapse from which West Indies did not recover. It was England's first victory against West Indies in 16 years and Greenidge's only defeat against them in 32 Tests.

Highest percentage of matches undefeated against a team - Tests (qualification: 15 matches)

Player	Opposition	Span	Mat	Won	Draw	Tied	Lost	%
MA Holding (WI)	v England	1976-1986	21	14	7	0	0	100.00
J Garner (WI)	v England	1980-1986	19	13	6	0	0	100.00
MC Cowdrey (Eng)	v New Zealand	1955-1971	18	12	6	0	0	100.00
MD Marshall (WI)	v India	1978-1989	17	8	9	0	0	100.00
HA Gomes (WI)	v England	1976-1986	16	12	4	0	0	100.00
WPUJC Vaas (SL)	v Zimbabwe	1994-2004	15	10	5	0	0	100.00
MP Vaughan (Eng)	v West Indies	2000-2007	15	13	2	0	0	100.00
CG Greenidge (WI)	v England	1976-1990	32	21	10	0	1	96.87
Saleem Malik (Pak)	v India	1982-1999	22	6	15	0	1	95.45
RT Ponting (Aus)	v West Indies	1996-2009	21	18	2	0	1	95.23
SK Warne (Aus)	v New Zealand	1993-2005	20	12	7	0	1	95.00
L Hutton (Eng)	v South Africa	1938-1951	19	9	9	0	1	94.73
PJL Dujon (WI)	v India	1983-1989	19	9	9	0	1	94.73
DL Haynes (WI)	v India	1983-1989	19	9	9	0	1	94.73
Saleem Malik (Pak)	v England	1984-1996	19	7	11	0	1	94.73
JM Taylor (Aus)	v England	1920-1926	18	12	5	0	1	94.44
RB Kanhai (WI)	v India	1958-1971	18	10	7	0	1	94.44
GS Sobers (WI)	v India	1958-1971	18	10	7	0	1	94.44
Asif Iqbal (Pak)	v New Zealand	1965-1979	17	5	11	0	1	94.11
HA Gomes (WI)	v India	1978-1983	17	5	11	0	1	94.11
M Azharuddin (India)	v Sri Lanka	1985-1999	17	5	11	0	1	94.11
AI Kallicharran (WI)	v England	1973-1980	16	5	10	0	1	93.75
Abdul Qadir (Pak)	v India	1979-1989	16	3	12	0	1	93.75
AL Logie (WI)	v India	1983-1989	16	8	7	0	1	93.75
SM Pollock (SA)	v West Indies	1998-2008	16	11	4	0	1	93.75