| Captain | Captaincy record M|W|L|D(T) |
Win % |
| D Gregory 1877-79 |
3|2|1|0 | 66.66% |
| W Murdoch 1880-90 |
16|5|7|4 | 31.25% |
| T Horan 1885 |
2|0|2|0 | 0.00% |
| H Massie 1885 |
1|1|0|0 | 100.00% |
| J Blackham 1885-94 |
8|3|3|2 | 37.50% |
| H Scott 1886 |
2|0|2|0 | 0.00% |
| P McDonnell 1887-88 |
6|1|5|0 | 16.66% |
| G Giffen 1894-95 |
4|2|2|0 | 50.00% |
| G Trott 1896-98 |
8|5|3|0 | 62.50% |
| J Darling 1899-1905 |
21|7|4|10 | 33.33% |
| H Trumble 1902 |
2|2|0|0 | 100.00% |
| M Noble 1903-09 |
15|8|5|2 | 53.33% |
| C Hill 1910-12 |
10|5|5|0 | 50.00% |
| S Gregory 1912 |
6|2|1|3 | 33.33% |
| W Armstrong 1920-21 |
10|8|0|2 | 80.00% |
| H Collins 1921-26 |
11|5|2|4 | 45.45% |
| W Bardsley 1926 |
2|0|0|2 | 0.00% |
| J Ryder 1928-29 |
5|1|4|0 | 20.00% |
| W Woodfull 1930-34 |
25|14|7|4 | 56.00% |
| V Richardson 1935-36 |
5|4|0|1 | 80.00% |
| D Bradman 1936-48 |
24|15|3|6 | 62.50% |
| W Brown 1946 |
1|1|0|0 | 100.00% |
| A Hassett 1949-53 |
24|14|4|6 | 58.33% |
| A Morris 1951-54 |
2|0|2|0 | 0.00% |
| I Johnson 1954-56 |
17|7|5|5 | 41.17% |
| R Lindwall 1956 |
1|0|0|1 | 0.00% |
| I Craig 1957-58 |
5|3|0|2 | 60.00% |
| R Benaud 1958-63 |
28|12|4|11(1) | 42.85% |
| R Harvey 1961 |
1|1|0|0 | 100.00% |
| R Simpson 1964-78 |
39|12|12|15 | 30.76% |
| B Booth 1965-66 |
2|0|1|1 | 0.00% |
| W Lawry 1968-71 |
25|9|8|8 | 36.00% |
| B Jarman 1968 |
1|0|0|1 | 0.00% |
| I Chappell 1971-75 |
30|15|5|10 | 50.00% |
| G Chappell 1975-83 |
48|21|13|14 | 43.75% |
| G Yallop 1978-79 |
7|1|6|0 | 14.28% |
| K Hughes 1979-84 |
28|4|13|11 | 14.28% |
| A Border 1984-94 |
93|32|22|38(1) | 34.40% |
| M Taylor 1994-99 |
50|26|13|11 | 52.00% |
| S Waugh 1999-04 |
57|41|9|7 | 71.92% |
| A Gilchrist 2000-04 |
6|4|1|1 | 66.66% |
| R Ponting 2004-10 |
77|48|16|13 | 62.33% |
| M Clarke 2011-15 |
47|24|16|7 | 51.06% |
| S Watson 2013 |
1|0|1|0 | 0.00% |
| S Smith 2014-18 |
34|18|10|6 | 52.94% |
| T Paine 2018 |
1|0|1|0 | 0.00% |
Glossary: M-Tests as captain, W-Won, L-Lost, T-Tie, D-Draw
About Australian Test captains
Much of Australia’s success as a cricketing nation has to be attributed to their production line of talented cricketers, who are also the reason for the level of captaincy success achieved by Ricky Ponting and some of his predecessors (Steve Waugh, Chappell brothers, among others).
Steve Waugh and Ponting, in particular, led Australia during their golden era (1999-2007) and are no wonder among the most successful Australian Test captains with winning percentages of 71.92 and 62.33 respectively.
Don Bradman, who led Australia from 1936 to 1948, holds the second-highest win percentage of 62.50 for an Australian captain, though he led his country in a considerably less number of Test matches (24) compared to Waugh (57) and Ponting (77). Allan Border holds the distinction for the most Tests as Australian captain (93).
Another of the conspicuous aspects of the Australian captains is that they have also been great batsmen, and the supposed baggage of captaincy hasn’t affected their batting. Ponting, again, is a prime example of a captain who boasts a magnificent Test batting record.
This Tasmanian right-hander amassed 6542 runs in his 77 Tests as captain. He made 19 centuries and 35 half-centuries and finished his career as the second-highest run scorer in Test cricket. Steve Waugh, along with Ponting, is one of the 13 batsmen who has made more than 10000 runs in the longest format of the sport.
The Australian Test side of last five years have not been as great as they were under Waugh or Ponting’s captaincy, but Michael Clarke and Steve Smith have been able successors.
Smith is another Australian captain who has been a prolific batsman around whom the Australian batting line-up has revolved in the last two years. His one-year suspension for his role in the ball-tampering scandal leaves a huge hole in the Australian batting line-up and has led to Tim Paine becoming Australia’s 46th Test captain.