5 great Australian captains who never won an Ashes series in England
The Ashes is one of the most decorated trophies in world cricket. It is also regarded as the historically richest and most important Test series in the cricketing calendar. And winning an Ashes series is one of the key highlights for any captain.
Right from Dave Gregory (Australia’s first ever captain) to Bill Lawry (Australia’s first ODI captain), Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting and now Steve Smith, Australia have always had excellent captains who have led from the front.
But there have been a few great leaders who’ve not been able to win an Ashes series in England. So, let’s have a look at 5 such Australian skippers who failed to make a mark in England as captains.
#5 Richie Benaud
Richie Benaud, who was also known as the 'Voice of Cricket' for his outstanding commentary, was one of the most influential cricketers of his time. Australia were in the middle of a mini-slump after Sir Don Bradman’s retirement and it was Benaud who pulled them out of that slump and helped them to become the top team once again.
As captain, Benaud had a very good record. Under his captaincy, Australia won 12 and lost only 4 Tests out of the 28 games he was captain. If there was one regret the legendary commentator had, it would certainly be not winning a Test series in England.
He first captained Australia in the 1958/59 Ashes at home where he led the hosts to a 4-0 victory, regaining the urn for the first time since 1950/51. But the following Ashes series were not great for him both as a player and captain.
In the 1961 Ashes in England, Australia drew 1-1 in the 4-match series. After losing the second Test, Australia came back to win the third Test but failed to win the series in the fourth and final Test even after having England on the back foot right from the start of the Test match. This was the only series in England where Benaud was captain.
Benaud retired in 1964 after which he took up commentary and later died in April 2015 after battling skin cancer.