Test Cricket is the oldest format of cricket. It has been played for nearly 150 years. There have been some great batters and bowlers who have made a name for themselves and have become all time greats. There have also been a lot of captains that have led their team so well that they will be in this list. Choosing the Top 10 Greatest Test Captains from 150 years is difficult.
Let’s look at the Top 10 Greatest Test Captains of all time
1) Ricky Ponting – Australia
Ricky Ponting is the greatest Test Captain of all time. He was also the greatest ODI Captain of all time. He was an exceptional leader and he had the best team. The likes of Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Brett Lee were all match winners. He captained Australia in 77 Test Matches. He won 48 of these Matches as captain with a win % of 62.30. He lost 16 Test Matches and had a loss % of 20.77. He drew only 13 Test Matches as Australia test captain. Ricky Ponting wanted to win at any cost and sometimes he got criticized for the same. Along with the leadership, he is also one of the best test batsmen of all time.
2) Virat Kohli – India
At number 2 is the greatest Indian test captain of all time and the man who changed Indian Test Cricket for the better. He made the Indian team unbeatable at home and away from India, they won one series after another. His focus on fast bowlers such as Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma was something that helped India overseas. He captained India in 68 Test Matches. He won 40 of these Matches and had a win % of 58.82. He lost 17 Matches as Indian captain and had a loss % of 25. Virat Kohli could have captained more but he quit.
3) Graeme Smith – South Africa
The only captain in the history of Test Cricket to have captained for over 100 Test Matches. Graeme Smith of South Africa was the one who led the revolution of South Africa test Cricket. He had greats such as Faf Du Plessis, AB De Villiers, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Hashim Amla, Makhaya Ntini. South Africa has become the best touring team in the world under his leadership. He led South Africa in 109 Test Matches. He won 53 Test Matches and had a win % of 48.62. Graeme Smith lost 29 Matches as captain and had a loss % of 26.60.
4) Clive Lloyd – West Indies
Clive Lloyd led the greatest West Indies team of all time. They were not only good in ODI Cricket but in Test Cricket there was no stopping them. The likes of Viv Richards, Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall, Colin Croft, Gary Sobers were the ones who gave him all these wins. Clive Lloyd led the West Indies in 74 Matches. He won 36 Test Matches and he had a win % of 48.64. He lost 12 Matches and his loss % was 16.21. 26 Test Matches were drawn under his leadership.
5) Steve Waugh – Australia
Steve Waugh is without a doubt one of the greatest captains in the history of Test Match Cricket. He was the captain under whom Australia were starting to become the most dominant team in Test Cricket. They won 16 Test Matches in a row. Steve Waugh was captain of Australia for 57 Matches. He won a staggering 41 of these Test Matches. He had a win% of 71.92. He only lost 9 Test Matches as Australia captain and had a loss % of 15.78. Only 7 of his Test Matches were drawn. Steve Waugh’s best test innings is when he scored 200 vs West Indies at Kingston in 1995.
6) Hansie Cronje – South Africa
Hansie Cronje is a cricketer who disgraced the game with his actions. Cronje was involved in match fixing and that is something he has had to live with. However his captaincy record in Test Cricket is something that cannot be denied. He has been one of the most successful Test Cricket Captains ever. He has led South Africa in 53 Test Matches and he won 27 of those Matches. He had a win % of 50.94. He lost 11 Test Matches and had a loss % of 20.95.
7) Michael Vaughan – England
At number 7 is probably the best England test captain Michael Vaughan. Ben Stokes has also done well but Michael Vaughan was a special captain. The 2005 Ashes series was a landmark for him. He led England in 51 Test Matches. He won 26 of these Matches and he had a win % of 50.98. He lost 11 Test Matches and he had a loss % of 21.56. England drew 15 Test Matches under his leadership. Michael Vaughan has since become a commentator.
8) Viv Richards – West Indies
The second captain from the West Indies to make this list. Viv Richards was one of the all time best batters but he has also been a very good captain in Test Cricket. He led the West Indies in 50 Test Matches. He won 27 of these Matches. He won 54% of Matches. He lost only 8 Matches and his loss % was 16. He drew 15 Test Matches which is almost double the number of Test Matches that he lost. Everyone in the team looked to Viv Richards for inspiration.
9) Misbah Ul Haq – Pakistan
Pakistan has seen a lot of very good Test captains but the one that stands out is Misbah Ul Haq. He was the captain who has won the most number of Test Matches as Pakistan captain. He was captain of Pakistan in 56 Test Matches. He won 26 of these Matches. His win % was 46.42. He lost 19 Test Matches and he lost 33.92% of his Matches. Pakistan drew 11 Test Matches under Misbah Ul Haq.
10) Kane Williamson – New Zealand
The first winning Captain of the World Test Championship. Most of the captains above in the list were unfortunate that this tournament was not there when they were captain. Kane Williamson has led New Zealand during their best time. He had Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner. He led New Zealand in 40 Test Matches. He won 22 Test Matches and he won 55% of his Matches. He lost 10 Test Matches and he had a loss % of 25. Kane Williamson is the best all format cricketer for New Zealand.
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