5 players with most centuries as Test captain

A captain in cricket is one of the most important players on the field. He needs to get the team selection right, take instant decisions on the field, and boost the team’s morale (when they are going through a tough phase).

In cricket, we often hear the phrase ‘leading from the front’. Every captain loves to set an example by delivering impactful performances. In the current generation, we have witnessed two wonderful players do just that – Virat Kohli and Steve Smith. Irrespective of the format they set higher standards for themselves every single time they walk out to bat.

But before these two arrived on the scene, there were many captains in the past who led their sides successfully, both with the bat and through their captaincy. Here we look at 5 players with most centuries as Test captain.

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#5 Sir Don Bradman – 14 hundreds

There are numbers that are associated with certain players and 99.94 is one such number. Needing just four runs to achieve a career average of 100, Sir Don Bradman got out for a duck and ended with a staggering Test average of 99.94. In his 52-Test career, Bradman amassed 6996 runs and scored 29 centuries.

His numbers as captain are incredible. In 38 innings as captain (24 Tests), the Australian legend averaged 101.52 with 14 tons, including four double tons. However, he couldn’t get substantial scores in his first few innings as captain (he also registered two ducks in his first three innings as captain). But it was only a matter of time before he started notching up big scores.

In 24 Tests, he scored 3147 runs as skipper and even today his average is the best among all captains.

Note – Brian Lara, Clive Lloyd, Mahela Jayawardene and Michael Clarke have also scored 14 hundreds as captain.

#4 Allan Border – 15 hundreds

Allan Border led Australia's resurgence

Allan Border may not have been the most successful captain, but he was one of the main reasons why Australia transformed into world-beaters. When he took over as captain in 1984/85, Australia were struggling. But the way Border led the Aussies through a tough phase was simply inspirational.

One more important aspect of his captaincy was that he didn’t let the pressure of leading the side affect his batting. He led Australia in 93 Test matches (second most in the history of the game) and scored more than half of his Test runs as captain (6623 out of 11174 runs). He also hit 15 out of his 27 Test tons as captain. Hence, the added responsibility never bothered Border and he was brilliant throughout his career.

#3 Steve Waugh – 15 hundreds

Steve Waugh was arguably Australia's greatest captain

Steve Waugh is undoubtedly one of the most successful captains of all time in Test cricket. He had a staggering win percentage of almost 72 (41 wins in 57 Tests). Under his captaincy, Australia won 16 consecutive Test matches, including four consecutive whitewashes.

With the team flourishing under his captaincy, Waugh also did very well with the bat. He often bailed the team out of trouble, especially in his initial games as captain. In the 57 games he led the side, he amassed 3714 runs at a brilliant average of 52.31. He also scored 15 hundreds as captain which puts him at #3 on this list.

#2 Ricky Ponting – 19 hundreds

Ricky Ponting's leadership was inspirational

Ricky Ponting is not only the most successful captain (in terms of number of wins) ever, but also one of the best thinkers and readers of the game. He captained Australia in 324 games and led them to victory in 220 of them.

Ponting played 168 Test matches – the second most by any player - with 77 coming as captain. Like most of his previous skippers, Ponting was aggressive with the bat and on the field. With the bat, captaincy pressure didn’t affect his natural style of play. The Tasmanian batsman scored 6542 runs in 140 innings as captain, including 19 centuries. His 35 fifties are also the second-highest for a captain in Test cricket.

#1 Graeme Smith – 25 hundreds

Graeme Smith was South Africa's greatest ever skipper

Before Graeme Smith took over as South Africa’s captain, the Proteas had endured a tough four-five years in international cricket as a result of the match-fixing saga and 2003 World Cup debacle.

But a 22-year-old Smith’s ascendency to the captain’s post saw a brilliant turnaround in the side's fortunes. He quickly transformed the South African side into one of the best. They not only won comfortably at home but also secured victories away from home on a regular basis. Under his captaincy, South Africa remained unbeaten away from home for nine consecutive years. He led South Africa in a record 109 Test matches (most by any captain in the world) and won 53 of them.

People mainy remember Smith’s contribution as a captain, but many of them forget that he was one of South Africa’s best opening batsmen. In 109 Tests, Smith amassed 8659 runs as captain (the most by any captain) at an average of 47.84. He also scored 25 centuries (out of his 27 career tons) as skipper.