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.
#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.