Australia is regarded as one of the world's cricketing powerhouses, and its performance has always reflected this. They have produced some of the best cricketers in history, as well as some great captains. All of their captains have contributed to making Australia one of the world's most consistent and best teams.
In this article, we will look at the Australian players who have captained the most matches in the longest format of the game and their respective achievements.
1. Allan Border (93 Matches)
Allan Border is a former left-handed middle order batter from New South Wales. He was also a part-time left-arm orthodox bowler and a brilliant fielder. From 1984 to 1994, Allan was Australia’s Test captain in 93 matches. The team won 32, lost 22, drew 38, and tied one game under his captaincy reign.
2. Ricky Ponting (77 Matches)
Ricky Ponting, one of Australia’s best batters and a fantastic captain, is next to feature on the list. Ponting was the captain of the Test team from 2004 to 2010 and led the Australian team in 77 Test matches. The Australian team won 48, lost 16, and drew 13 games under his captaincy. By the time Ponting retired, he had a win percentage of 62.33 as a captain in Test matches, one of the best for any Australian captain.
3. Steve Waugh (57 Matches)
Steve Waugh was a right-handed middle-order batter and a part-time right-arm medium-bowler. In the post-Mark Taylor era, Steve established himself as a trustworthy and capable captain. He had all the qualities of a leader and hence got to captain the Australian Test team from 1999 to 2004 in 57 matches. The team won 41, lost nine, and drew seven Test matches under his captaincy, with a win percentage of 71.92, the highest for any Australian with a minimum of ten Test matches as captain.
4. Mark Taylor (50 Matches)
Mark Taylor, a left-handed opening batter from New South Wales, is next to feature on the list. Mark followed Allan Border as the captain of the Australian Test team from 1994 to 1999 and did pretty well. He captained the team in 50 Test matches, winning 26, losing 13, and drawing 11, with a win percentage of 52.
5. Greg Chappell (48 Matches)
Greg Chappell is a former right-handed top-order batter and a part-time right-arm medium bowler from South Australia. He was the captain of the Australian Test team from 1975 to 1983. Greg succeeded his brother Ian Chappell as Australia’s Test captain in 1975 and led the team in 48 matches. The team won 21, lost 13, and drew 14 games under his captaincy.
6. Michael Clarke (47 Matches)
Michael Clarke is a former right-handed middle-order batter and a part-time left-arm spinner. Clarke is regarded as one of Australia’s most prolific captains. He led the Australian Test team from 2011 to 2015 in 47 matches. The team won 24, lost 16, and drew seven games under his captaincy reign.
7. Bob Simpson (39 Matches)
Bob Simpson, a right-handed top-order batter and a right-arm leg break bowler from New South Wales, is next to feature on the list. Bob played Test cricket from 1957 to 1978 and also captained the team in 39 matches from 1964 to 1978. The team won 12, lost 12, and drew 15 matches under his captaincy.
8. Steve Smith (35 Matches)
Steve Smith, one of Australia’s and the world’s best batters at present, is next on the list. Smith took over as captain from Michael Clarke in 2015 and captained the team in 35 matches before being suspended in the sandpaper scandal in 2018.The team did pretty well under his leadership, winning 19, losing ten, and drawing six games for a win percentage of 54.28.
9. Ian Chappell (30 Matches)
Ian Chappell, a right-handed top-order batter and Greg Chappell’s brother, is next on the list. Ian took over the captaincy role from Bill Lawry in 1971 and captained the Australian Test team till 1975, in a total of 30 matches. The team won 15, lost five, and drew ten games under his captaincy, with a win percentage of 50.
10. Richie Benaud (28 Matches)
Richie Benaud, one of Australia’s best all-rounders in the 50s, is next to feature on the list. He played as a right-handed middle-order batter and a right-arm leg break bowler. Richie also got to captain Australia in Test matches from 1958 to 1963, in a total of 28 matches. The team won 12, lost four, drew 11, and tied one game under his captaincy.
