SYDNEY. Dec 31: (Reuters): Australia put in an early bld for Hie title ol "team of the centurv with an amazing sequence of wins in Ihe vear 2000 confirming their place as the world's best cricket-playing nation.

Steve Waugh's men won each of their eight Tests in Ihe opening year ol the 21 si cen-'ftiry lo set a world record of 14 consecutive victories after win-nlng their last six Tests In

The Australian limited-overs team. World (up champions In 1999. also continued on their merry way. setting a world record of | I matches without defeat in the one-day game lo complete ,i unique double that will surely take some beating.

With none of their opponents able to seriously challenge them. Australia's players had lo go back In time to discover new challenges

By setting new standards in bolli the Test and one-dav arenas. Waughs men earned Ilie right lo be considered among the best teams i although no-one. Including the .iptatti is quite prepared to dec Lire them the greatest ever

I won t say were the best cricket side ever and I’d never say that. Bui we'd compete against any team that s played before us." Waugh said.

The Attssies began the year with an Innings victory over Sachin Tendulkar s Indians in Sydney to complete a 3-0 series whitewash alter doing the same to Pakistan over Hie previous two months.

They lost their opening match of the domestic triangular one-day tournament with Pakistan and India but won their next nine in a row to claim Ihe series, then went on to break England’s 1991-92 world record of 1'2 one-day matches without defeat during the tour of New Zealand.

Australia won four of their first five matches in the six-game series, with the other washed out. before their run ended on 14 when the underrated Kiwis won the final match after a brilliant display by Chris Cairns, now recognised as the best all-rounder in the sport.

Australia’s disappointment over Hie ending of their one-day streak was short-lived as the two teams turned their attention to the three-match Test

Tiie tourists triumphed in a see-saw first Test in Auckland by 62 runs, then won ihc second and third Tests by six wickets to complete their first : clean-sweep in New Zealand and move lo within one win bl West Indies world recdrd of 11 consecutive Test wins, set during the early 1980s

Wilh Sydney hosting the Olympic s. Australia's players were given the winter off although most went to England to pick up some extra cash playing county cricket.

Their only international commitments were a three-match one-day series in South Africa, which ihe Proteas won 2-1. a return series played indoors m Australia which ended in a tie. and the ICC knockout in Kenya, where Australia suffered a surprise quarter-final exit.

Australia returned to the Test arena in November, taking on West Indies in Brisbane in the first of five Tests.

The once-mighty West Indians arrived with an appalling record in matches away from home but confidently predicted they would end Australia’s winning run and protect the world record set by their predeces-

But despite boasting a team that included master batsman Brian Lara and world record wicket-taker Courtney Walsh. Australia won (he match by an innings inside three days to equal their record.

They claimed it outright with another innings victory in the second Test in Perth, then stretched it to 14 by winning in Adelaide and Melbourne to finish the year with a perfect record of eight wins from eight Test matches.

Australia’s players also achieved a host of individual records and milestones during Hie year 2000. Leg spinner Shane Warne, one of Wisden's five players of the 20th century'. passed Dennis Lillee s Australian record of 355 Test wickets during the tour of New Zealand.

Paceman Glenn McGrath finished the year in hot pursuit of Warne, passing the 300-wickel milestone with a hattrick in the second Test against West indies.

Wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist also set an Australian record of 10 dismissals in the third Test against New Zealand while Steve Waughs unbeaten century in the Melbourne Test took him past Vivian Richards and into fifth place on the list of all-time run scorers.

Reluctant to compare his side to great teams from other eras. Waugh said history would be the ultimate judge of Just how good the Australians of 2000 were.

"In time it will be recognised for what we've done. In 20 years people will probably say yeah, that was a pretty good side." Waugh said.

At the moment I think people are taking it a little bit lor granted, saying the other sides aren t good and that there is bribery' and match-fixing. But the bottom line Is we’ve played great cricket ... we play aggressively and we play to win."