Home Statsman The leading bowlers among Test captains The captain is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of the 10 others in the playing XI. Mohandas Menon 09 June, 2020 19:41 IST Former India all-rounder Kapil Dev has the best innings bowling figures (9/83) as captain. - THE HINDU ARCHIVES Mohandas Menon 09 June, 2020 19:41 IST The captain of a cricket team, at times also referred to as the skipper, is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of the 10 others in the playing XI. In cricket, the main role of the captain is to act as a sort of intermediary between the coaching staff and the rest of the team. He becomes part player, part selector or even part coach/mentor, and must be able to successfully balance the various pressures that come with the multiple responsibilities.As in any other sport, the captain is usually the person who is the most experienced in the squad. However, there have been several instances in Test cricket where the captain has been the least experienced member of the squad.READ| Navdeep Saini takes up tennis ball training at home The captain also needs to have good communication skills and is most likely to be a certainty in the playing XI, as he is responsible for the team selection. It is his task to go out for the toss before the start of a match and then take a call as to whether his side bats or fields first. During the match, the captain decides the team’s batting order, which bowler will open the bowling, who are his first and second bowling changes, and where each fielder will be positioned. While the captain has the final say, decisions taken on the field or in the dressing rooms are often collaborative. A captain’s knowledge of the complexities of cricket strategy and tactics, and shrewdness in the field may contribute significantly to the team’s success. Excelling as a cricket captain requires the incumbent to have a thorough understanding of how the game is played, the ability to strategise, and at the same time lead his teammates both on and off the field.Nowadays, with the coaching and support staff as part of the squad, the captain’s decision-making responsibilities are less of a burden. This allows him to fully concentrate on his skills, which are either batting or bowling and at times both. However, despite all that, the captain of a cricket team typically shoulders more responsibility for results than team captains in other sports.READ| The leading batsmen among Test captains The third part of this series looks at their bowling performances.Best innings bowling figures by captainsBowling figuresCaptainCountryOpponentVenueDateResult9/83+Kapil DevIndiaWest IndiesAhmedabadNovember 16, 1983Lost8/60+Imran KhanPakistanIndiaKarachiDecember 27, 1982Won8/63+Rangana HerathSri LankaZimbabweHarareNovember 10, 2016Won8/106Kapil DevIndiaAustraliaAdelaideDecember 14, 1985Drawn7/37Courtney WalshWest IndiesNew ZealandWellingtonFebruary 12, 1995Won+ Second inningsBest match bowling figures by captainsBowling figuresCaptainCountryOpponentVenueDateResult13/55Courtney WalshWest IndiesNew ZealandWellingtonFebruary 13, 1995Won13/135Waqar YounisPakistanZimbabweKarachi (Defence)December 6, 1993Won13/152Rangana HerathSri LankaZimbabweHarareNovember 10, 2016Won12/100Fazal MahmoodPakistanWest IndiesDaccaMarch 8, 1959Won11/79Imran KhanPakistanIndiaKarachiDecember 27, 1982WonNote: India’s Kapil Dev (10/135 vs West Indies at Ahmedabad on November 16, 1983) and Bishan Singh Bedi (10/194 vs Australia at Perth on December 21, 1977) are the only captains to lose a Test match after taking a 10-wicket match haul!Best innings bowling figures by captains – how the record changed handsBowling figuresCaptainCountryOpponentVenueDateResult4/70James LillywhiteEnglandAustraliaMelbourneApril 3, 1877Won5/19Aubrey SmithEnglandSouth AfricaPort ElizabethMarch 12, 1889Won6/155George GiffenAustraliaEnglandMelbourneJanuary 1, 1895Lost7/100Monty NobleAustraliaEnglandSydneyFebruary 27, 1904Lost7/80Gubby AllenEnglandIndiaThe OvalAugust 18, 1936Won7/44Ian JohnsonAustraliaWest IndiesGeorgetownApril 28, 1955Won8/60Imran KhanPakistanIndiaKarachiDecember 27, 1982Won9/83Kapil DevIndiaWest IndiesAhmedabadNovember 16, 1983LostNote: For Smith, it was in his only Test match of his career.Best match bowling figures by captains – how the record changed handsBowling figuresCaptainCountryOpponentVenueDateResult7/61Aubrey SmithEnglandSouth AfricaPort ElizabethMarch 13, 1889Won8/40George GiffenAustraliaEnglandSydneyFebruary 4, 1895Won11/90Arthur GilliganEnglandSouth AfricaBirminghamJune 17, 1924Won12/100Fazal MahmoodPakistanWest IndiesDaccaMarch 8, 1959Won13/135Waqar YounisPakistanZimbabweKarachi (Defence)December 6, 1993Won13/55Courtney WalshWest IndiesNew ZealandWellingtonFebruary 13, 1995WonNote: For Smith, it was in his only Test match of his career.Leading wicket-takers in Tests as captainWicketsCaptainCountryTests as captainAverageStrike ratePeriod187Imran KhanPakistan4820.2749.26July 29, 1982-January 7, 1992138Richie BenaudAustralia2825.7977.68December 5, 1958-December 11, 1963117Gary SobersWest Indies3934.0092.82March 3, 1965-Aprl 26, 1972116Daniel VettoriNew Zealand3233.3979.96November 8, 2007-January 19, 2011111Kapil DevIndia3426.3560.52February 23, 1983-March 17, 1987107Wasim AkramPakistan2523.3650.88April 16, 1993-November 28, 1999106Bishan Singh BediIndia2224.8268.67February 5, 1976-November 19, 1978103Shaun PollockSouth Africa2621.3756.63July 20, 2000-January 5, 2003 Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan in action. - THE HINDU ARCHIVES First to landmark Test wickets as captainWicketsCaptainCountryAchieved onOpponentVenue50Richie BenaudAustraliaDecember 12, 1959IndiaDelhi100Richie BenaudAustraliaFebruary 10, 1961West IndiesMelbourne150Imran KhanPakistanApril 14, 1988WellingtonPort of SpainNote: Imran Khan became the leading wicket-taker as a Test captain when he crossed Richie Benaud’s tally of 138 wickets at Georgetown on April 2, 1988.Most five-wicket hauls as captainFive-wicket haulsCaptainCountryTests as captainWicketsAveragePeriod12Imran KhanPakistan4818720.27July 29, 1982-January 7, 19929Richie BenaudAustralia2813825.79December 5, 1958-December 11, 19638Bishan Singh BediIndia2210624.82February 5, 1976-November 19, 19787Courtney WalshWest Indies228525.72April 16, 1994-December 9, 19976Daniel VettoriNew Zealand3211633.39November 8, 2007-January 19, 20116Jason HolderWest Indies329024.78October 14, 2015-November 29, 2019 Former West Indies speedster Courtney Walsh has seven five-wicket hauls in 22 Tests as captain. - THE HINDU ARCHIVES Most 10-wicket match hauls as captain10-wicket haulsCaptainCountryTests as captainWicketsAveragePeriod4Imran KhanPakistan4818720.27July 29, 1982-January 7, 19922Intikhab AlamPakistan175431.74October 24, 1969-March 6, 1975 Most wickets in a calendar year as captainWicketsCaptainCountryYearTestsAverageStrike rateFive-wicket hauls58Kapil DevIndia19831420.4546.41355Shaun PollockSouth Africa20011321.3856.84454Richie BenaudAustralia1959818.6558.96454Daniel VettoriNew Zealand20081426.1365.61548Bishan Singh BediIndia19761020.0067.88348Imran KhanPakistan1982814.7542.603 Most five-wicket hauls in a calendar year as captainFive-wicket haulsCaptainCountryYearTestsWicketsAverageStrike rate5Bishan Singh BediIndia19777+3822.9761.675Daniel VettoriNew Zealand2008145426.1365.614Gubby AllenEngland193653216.1630.474Fazal MahmoodPakistan195953217.0644.974Richie BenaudAustralia195985418.6558.964Shaun PollockSouth Africa2001135521.3856.844Jason HolderWest Indies201863312.3927.30+In the 1977-78 Melbourne Test, Bedi's first innings came in 1977 while the second came in 1978. The bowling figures above have been adjusted accordingly.Note: No captain has been able to claim more than one 10-wicket haul in a single calendar year!Best innings bowling figures in very first Test match as captainBowling figuresCaptainCountryOpponentVenueDateResult7/52Imran KhanPakistanEnglandBirminghamJuly 29, 1982Lost7/91Waqar YounisPakistanZimbabweKarachi (Defence)December 5, 1993Won6/7Arthur GilliganEnglandSouth AfricaBirminghamJune 16, 1924Won6/132Naimur RahmanBangladeshIndiaDhakaNovember 13, 2000Lost6/155George GiffenAustraliaEnglandMelbourneJanuary 1, 1895LostNotes:- Naimur Rahman was on Test debut and it was also Bangladesh’s inaugural Test match!- The only other captain on Test debut to take a five-wicket haul other than Naimur was England’s Aubrey Smith in his only Test match vs South Africa at Port Elizabeth on March 12, 1889.- George Giffen's six-wicket haul came in the second innings - he did not bowl in the first!Best match bowling figures in very first Test match as captainBowling figuresCaptainCountryOpponentVenueDateResult13/135Waqar YounisPakistanZimbabweKarachi (Defence)December 6, 1993Won11/90Arthur GilliganEnglandSouth AfricaBirminghamJune 17, 1924Won11/104Rashid KhanAfghanistanBangladeshChittagong (Divisional)September 9, 2019Won11/150Buster NupenSouth AfricaEnglandJohannesburg (Old)December 27, 1930Won10/78Gubby AllenEnglandIndiaLord’sJune 30, 1936WonNote: The best match bowling figures by a captain on Test debut is 7/61 by England’s Aubrey Smith in his only match vs South Africa at Port Elizabeth on March 13, 1889.Bowling hat-tricks by captainBowling figuresCaptainCountryOpponentVenueDateResult4/30Wasim AkramPakistanSri LankaLahoreMarch 6, 1999Drawn3/33Wasim AkramPakistanSri LankaDhakaMarch 14, 1999WonNote: These two hat-tricks came in successive Tests, just a week apart in the Asian Test Championship, of which the Dhaka Test was the final match.To be continued... 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