5 all-time oldest captains in Test cricket

Test cricket has a rich history of 141 years. Over 2300 Tests have been played in various parts of the world by 12 Test playing nations. From DW Gregory captaining Australia in the first match ever in 1877 to Asghar Stanikzai captaining Afghanistan in their inaugural Test in 2018, these countries have seen a total of 330 different captains.

These players have captained their countries under various circumstances, at different stages of their careers, at different ages; and their names have been written in the history of Test cricket.

Here, we have a look at the top 5 oldest players to have captained their countries in Test cricket:

1) W. G. Grace (England)

Known as the 'Father of Cricket', W. G. Grace played 22 Tests for England from 1880-1899. He was one of the players from the oldest generation to play cricket. No one alive today has seen him play live, but his legacy remains. He scored 1098 runs in 36 innings at an average of 32.29. He has two centuries and five half-centuries to his name. He was the first cricketer to score over 50,000 runs in First Class cricket.

He captained England in 13 Tests. His age during his last Test as captain was 50 years and 320 days. The match was played from 1 June 1899 to 3 June 1899 at Nottingham against Australia. It was also his last Test. The match ended in a draw.