10 youngest captains in Test cricket history

When Cricket Australia appointed Steven Smith to take over the Australian team’s Test captaincy in Michael Clarke’s absence last December, it surprised many, including the player himself, as the Aussie Test side included many players who had a lot more experience than the 25-year-old Smith.There are many contemporary players, apart from Smith, who have captained their national Test sides in their mid-twenties – the likes of Virat Kohli, Angelo Matthews, Mushfiqur Rahim and Alastair Cook. But cricket history has seen younger players taking on the mantle of Test captaincy.We look at the ten youngest captains in Test cricket in this piece. 

#10 Monty Bowden (23 years 144 days)

Captaincy debut: England vs South Africa at Cape Town on 25 March 1889 (won by an innings and 202 runs)

Captaincy record: P1 W1 L0 D0

Bowden was appointed England captain Charles Aubrey Smith’s deputy for the country’s first ever tour to South Africa for a two-match Test series. He took over the captaincy in the second Test, with Smith missing out due to illness.

Johnny Briggs’ match haul of 15-28 ensured a thrashing for the hosts and Bowden’s Test captaincy career started off in the best possible manner. However, Bowden never captained England again. After the Test series, Bowden stayed on in South Africa and represented Transvaal in domestic cricket. His cricket career was cut short tragically when he died in Rhodesia due to an illness in 1892.

Bowden still holds the record of being the youngest England Test captain.