It is safe to say that Test Cricket is the most difficult format of this beautiful game of cricket. It tests a cricketer’s temperament, technique, thirst for winning and will to survive longer.
It is also important to understand that being captain of a Test team is much more difficult than being captain in the other two formats of the game. Test Cricket is played in sessions and the captain of a team is responsible for taking the right decisions at each session to stay on top of the game.
Over the years the game has seen some of Test Cricket’s finest captains. Interestingly, only cricket acumen or leadership skills aren’t the only two requirements for captains to successfully lead a Test team.
The captain must lead from the front by scoring runs consistently with the bat. Over the years we have seen legendary cricketers in Test Cricket. In this article, we take a look at the 5 cricketers with the highest average by a captain, having played a minimum of 100 innings as captain.
Highest average by a captain in Test Cricket (minimum 100 innings)
Graeme Smith: 47.83
Few cricketers have managed to leave as much of an impact as Graeme Smith in Test Cricket. Smith was asked to manage the South African team at a very young age and South Africa seized the opportunity with both hands.
He led the team by example and made them a force to be reckoned with. Graeme Smith went on to captain the team to the most games of any Test Cricket captain. He captained the South Africa Test team in 109 games, of which 53 games resulted in wins.
During his captaincy career, he scored 8,659 runs in 193 innings at an average of 47.83. His stellar average of 47.83 is fifth-best by a captain in Tests, having played a minimum of 100 innings.
Allan’s Border: 50.95
One of the greatest batsmen to ever play Test Cricket, Allan Border’s name in the list should surprise no one. He left the world impressed with his batting masterclass for several years. Border led the Australian Test team through 93 Tests and helped the team win 32 of them.
Allan Border retired from the game as the top Test scorer, a record that was later broken by Brian Lara in 2006. During his captaincy career, he batted in 154 innings and managed to score 6,623 runs at an average of 50.95. His batting average of 50.95 is fourth-best by a captain in Tests, having played a minimum of 100 innings.
Clive Lloyd: 51.30
The greatest West Indies captain in their cricketing history, Clive Lloyd finds his name at the third position in the list. Lloyd captained the fearsome West Indies team between 1974 and 1985. He led the team to win the first two editions of the ICC World Cup in 1975 and 1979.
It could have been winning hat-tricks had they not lost to India in the 1983 World Cup final. Lloyd also has an outstanding record in Test cricket. He led the team in 74 tests, winning 36 of them. During his captaincy career, he scored 5233 carries at an average of 51.30.
Ricky Ponting: 51.51
Considered the most successful Australian captain in cricketing history, Ricky Ponting finds his name in third place. The former Australian cricketer was an outstanding leader as well as a batsman.
His thirst for winning games was unmatched. He led a team described as invincible. Besides his leadership skills, he has scored numerous runs with the bat in all formats. He is currently Australia’s top scorer and second overall in Test cricket.
During his captaincy career, he scored 6,542 runs in 140 innings at an average of 51.51. His batting average of 51.51 is the second highest by a captain in Test cricket with a minimum of 100 innings.
Virat Kohli: 54.80
Virat Kohli stepped down as Test Cricket captain on Saturday and left the cricketing fraternity in shock. Despite losing the Test series in South Africa, the Indian Test team led by Virat Kohli had an outstanding overall record in Test cricket.
He is, in fact, India’s most successful Test captain in the history of Indian cricket. Under his leadership, India won 40 out of 68 Tests. He also scored a plethora of runs during the period. He batted in 113 innings during his captaincy career and scored 5864 runs at an average of 54.80 which is also the highest average of any captain in Test Cricket, who played a minimum of 100 sleeves.
*Statistics updated until 177/01/2022.
