4 players who averaged the highest for their sides in four or more consecutive Test series

#4 Brian Lara

Brian Lara was often the lone consistent scorer for the West Indies

Brian Lara's name on this list should not come as a surprise. For a considerable amount of his career, he batted in a team which was not as good. He often scored the big runs with very little support from others barring Shivnarine Chanderpaul. His golden streak started in the 2002-03 season.

Against Australia (2002-03): Australia won the series 3-1 but this series entered the history books when West Indies chased down 418 to win the final Test. Lara scored 533 runs in the series at an average of 67. No other West Indian batsman could even score 300 runs in the series.

Against Sri Lanka (2002-03): This was a two-Test series and resulted in a rare series win for the West Indies. Lara scored 299 runs at an average of 150 in the two Tests.

Against Zimbabwe (2003-04): Another two-Test series and another victory for the West Indies, this time away from home. Lara scored over 200 runs and his average of 56 topped the chart.

Against South Africa (2003-04): One of the many disappointing South Africa tours for the West Indies in that decade. This time they were defeated in all Test matches but even the 3-0 margin was not convincing enough. Lara, though, in some knocks during that tour, was at his very best. He finished with 531 runs at 66, easily topping the averages.

Against England (2003-04): Once again the West Indies were beaten by a 0-3 margin and Lara had a disappointing first three Tests, just scoring 100 runs. In the fourth Test at Antigua, he scored 400*, thus regaining the record for most runs in a Test innings. He ended up with 500 runs at an average of 83.

If the next couple of series go well for Joe Root, he may well surpass all these great names by topping his team's batting average in six consecutive series.