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.

Former India all-rounder Kapil Dev has the best innings bowling figures (9/83) as captain.

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.

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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.

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The third part of this series looks at their bowling performances.

Best innings bowling figures by captains

Bowling figures	Captain	Country	Opponent	Venue	Date	Result
9/83+	Kapil Dev	India	West Indies	Ahmedabad	November 16, 1983	Lost
8/60+	Imran Khan	Pakistan	India	Karachi	December 27, 1982	Won
8/63+	Rangana Herath	Sri Lanka	Zimbabwe	Harare	November 10, 2016	Won
8/106	Kapil Dev	India	Australia	Adelaide	December 14, 1985	Drawn
7/37	Courtney Walsh	West Indies	New Zealand	Wellington	February 12, 1995	Won

+ Second innings

Best match bowling figures by captains

Bowling figures	Captain	Country	Opponent	Venue	Date	Result
13/55	Courtney Walsh	West Indies	New Zealand	Wellington	February 13, 1995	Won
13/135	Waqar Younis	Pakistan	Zimbabwe	Karachi (Defence)	December 6, 1993	Won
13/152	Rangana Herath	Sri Lanka	Zimbabwe	Harare	November 10, 2016	Won
12/100	Fazal Mahmood	Pakistan	West Indies	Dacca	March 8, 1959	Won
11/79	Imran Khan	Pakistan	India	Karachi	December 27, 1982	Won

Note: 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 hands

Bowling figures	Captain	Country	Opponent	Venue	Date	Result
4/70	James Lillywhite	England	Australia	Melbourne	April 3, 1877	Won
5/19	Aubrey Smith	England	South Africa	Port Elizabeth	March 12, 1889	Won
6/155	George Giffen	Australia	England	Melbourne	January 1, 1895	Lost
7/100	Monty Noble	Australia	England	Sydney	February 27, 1904	Lost
7/80	Gubby Allen	England	India	The Oval	August 18, 1936	Won
7/44	Ian Johnson	Australia	West Indies	Georgetown	April 28, 1955	Won
8/60	Imran Khan	Pakistan	India	Karachi	December 27, 1982	Won
9/83	Kapil Dev	India	West Indies	Ahmedabad	November 16, 1983	Lost

Note: For Smith, it was in his only Test match of his career.

Best match bowling figures by captains – how the record changed hands

Bowling figures	Captain	Country	Opponent	Venue	Date	Result
7/61	Aubrey Smith	England	South Africa	Port Elizabeth	March 13, 1889	Won
8/40	George Giffen	Australia	England	Sydney	February 4, 1895	Won
11/90	Arthur Gilligan	England	South Africa	Birmingham	June 17, 1924	Won
12/100	Fazal Mahmood	Pakistan	West Indies	Dacca	March 8, 1959	Won
13/135	Waqar Younis	Pakistan	Zimbabwe	Karachi (Defence)	December 6, 1993	Won
13/55	Courtney Walsh	West Indies	New Zealand	Wellington	February 13, 1995	Won

Note: For Smith, it was in his only Test match of his career.

Leading wicket-takers in Tests as captain

Wickets	Captain	Country	Tests as captain	Average	Strike rate	Period
187	Imran Khan	Pakistan	48	20.27	49.26	July 29, 1982-January 7, 1992
138	Richie Benaud	Australia	28	25.79	77.68	December 5, 1958-December 11, 1963
117	Gary Sobers	West Indies	39	34.00	92.82	March 3, 1965-Aprl 26, 1972
116	Daniel Vettori	New Zealand	32	33.39	79.96	November 8, 2007-January 19, 2011
111	Kapil Dev	India	34	26.35	60.52	February 23, 1983-March 17, 1987
107	Wasim Akram	Pakistan	25	23.36	50.88	April 16, 1993-November 28, 1999
106	Bishan Singh Bedi	India	22	24.82	68.67	February 5, 1976-November 19, 1978
103	Shaun Pollock	South Africa	26	21.37	56.63	July 20, 2000-January 5, 2003

Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan in action.

 

First to landmark Test wickets as captain

Wickets	Captain	Country	Achieved on	Opponent	Venue
50	Richie Benaud	Australia	December 12, 1959	India	Delhi
100	Richie Benaud	Australia	February 10, 1961	West Indies	Melbourne
150	Imran Khan	Pakistan	April 14, 1988	Wellington	Port of Spain

Note: 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 captain

Five-wicket hauls	Captain	Country	Tests as captain	Wickets	Average	Period
12	Imran Khan	Pakistan	48	187	20.27	July 29, 1982-January 7, 1992
9	Richie Benaud	Australia	28	138	25.79	December 5, 1958-December 11, 1963
8	Bishan Singh Bedi	India	22	106	24.82	February 5, 1976-November 19, 1978
7	Courtney Walsh	West Indies	22	85	25.72	April 16, 1994-December 9, 1997
6	Daniel Vettori	New Zealand	32	116	33.39	November 8, 2007-January 19, 2011
6	Jason Holder	West Indies	32	90	24.78	October 14, 2015-November 29, 2019

 

Former West Indies speedster Courtney Walsh has seven five-wicket hauls in 22 Tests as captain.

 

Most 10-wicket match hauls as captain

10-wicket hauls	Captain	Country	Tests as captain	Wickets	Average	Period
4	Imran Khan	Pakistan	48	187	20.27	July 29, 1982-January 7, 1992
2	Intikhab Alam	Pakistan	17	54	31.74	October 24, 1969-March 6, 1975

 

Most wickets in a calendar year as captain

Wickets	Captain	Country	Year	Tests	Average	Strike rate	Five-wicket hauls
58	Kapil Dev	India	1983	14	20.45	46.41	3
55	Shaun Pollock	South Africa	2001	13	21.38	56.84	4
54	Richie Benaud	Australia	1959	8	18.65	58.96	4
54	Daniel Vettori	New Zealand	2008	14	26.13	65.61	5
48	Bishan Singh Bedi	India	1976	10	20.00	67.88	3
48	Imran Khan	Pakistan	1982	8	14.75	42.60	3

 

Most five-wicket hauls in a calendar year as captain

Five-wicket hauls	Captain	Country	Year	Tests	Wickets	Average	Strike rate
5	Bishan Singh Bedi	India	1977	7+	38	22.97	61.67
5	Daniel Vettori	New Zealand	2008	14	54	26.13	65.61
4	Gubby Allen	England	1936	5	32	16.16	30.47
4	Fazal Mahmood	Pakistan	1959	5	32	17.06	44.97
4	Richie Benaud	Australia	1959	8	54	18.65	58.96
4	Shaun Pollock	South Africa	2001	13	55	21.38	56.84
4	Jason Holder	West Indies	2018	6	33	12.39	27.30

+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 captain

Bowling figures	Captain	Country	Opponent	Venue	Date	Result
7/52	Imran Khan	Pakistan	England	Birmingham	July 29, 1982	Lost
7/91	Waqar Younis	Pakistan	Zimbabwe	Karachi (Defence)	December 5, 1993	Won
6/7	Arthur Gilligan	England	South Africa	Birmingham	June 16, 1924	Won
6/132	Naimur Rahman	Bangladesh	India	Dhaka	November 13, 2000	Lost
6/155	George Giffen	Australia	England	Melbourne	January 1, 1895	Lost

Notes:

- 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 captain

Bowling figures	Captain	Country	Opponent	Venue	Date	Result
13/135	Waqar Younis	Pakistan	Zimbabwe	Karachi (Defence)	December 6, 1993	Won
11/90	Arthur Gilligan	England	South Africa	Birmingham	June 17, 1924	Won
11/104	Rashid Khan	Afghanistan	Bangladesh	Chittagong (Divisional)	September 9, 2019	Won
11/150	Buster Nupen	South Africa	England	Johannesburg (Old)	December 27, 1930	Won
10/78	Gubby Allen	England	India	Lord’s	June 30, 1936	Won

Note: 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 captain

Bowling figures	Captain	Country	Opponent	Venue	Date	Result
4/30	Wasim Akram	Pakistan	Sri Lanka	Lahore	March 6, 1999	Drawn
3/33	Wasim Akram	Pakistan	Sri Lanka	Dhaka	March 14, 1999	Won

Note: 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...