New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson recently resigned as the team’s Test captain, delegating the responsibility for the upcoming Pakistan tour to veteran pacer Tim Southee.
The 32-year-old led the team in 40 Test matches over a six-year period as Test leader. Under Williamson, New Zealand defeated India in the final of the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC).
Williamson has stated that he wants to continue playing in all three formats of the game and that he will continue to serve as the captain of the nation in the ODI and T20I formats. The seasoned Kiwi cricketer stated the following when announcing his decision to step down:
“Being able to lead the BLACKCAPS in Test cricket has been a truly remarkable honor. I consider Test cricket to be the highest level of the game, and I have enjoyed the challenges of leading the team in this format. At this point in my career, I believe it is the right time to make this choice because captaincy comes with an increased workload both on and off the field.”
Revisiting the Fab Four’s Test captaincy stints With Williamson’s resignation as New Zealand’s Test captain, none of the current Fab Four—Williamson, Virat Kohli, Joe Root, and Steve Smith—are currently in charge of their respective nations’ red-ball cricket teams.
As a result, we rank them all as captains of the Test team.
#1 Virat Kohli
Kohli was India’s most successful Test captain when he left his position as captain earlier this year. He led the team in 68 Tests, winning 40 and losing 17 of them.
The games Kohli led ended in draws in eleven of them. He had an impressive win percentage of 58.82 as captain of the Test team.
He had a great overall record as a batter, despite a slump toward the end of his tenure. In 68 tests, he scored 5864 points at an average of 54.80. Seven of his 27 hundred were double hundreds, setting a record for the most double tons by a captain of a Test team.
In 31 Tests, he averaged 67.60 with 10 hundred, but his record as Test leader on the road was just as impressive, with an average of 46.77 with 10 tons and a best of 200. Kohli’s record as captain in winning causes shows that he scored 3573 runs at an average of 57.62, breaking up to 11 hundred.
India won their first-ever Test series in Australia in 2018-19 under Kohli’s leadership. India won three Test matches in England under his leadership, but they did not win the series. On two separate tours, India also won two Test matches in South Africa.
In international cricket, people were divided about Kohli’s overly aggressive leadership style. However, his statistics demonstrate that he was a highly successful Test captain who frequently led from the front with the bat.
#2 Kane Williamson
Williamson, New Zealand’s most successful Test captain, has resigned. He won 22 of the 40 matches he drove in – a success level of 55.
Eight Tests finished in a draw, while the Kiwis lost 10 matches in the configuration during his rule. As captain, the right-handed batter averaged 57.43 runs per Test, scoring 3331 runs and 11 centuries.
However, when he was playing away from home, his leadership performance with the bat significantly decreased. He skippered 14 international Tests and scored 724 runs at a disappointing average of 31.47 with just one hundred.
Beyond the numbers, he led the team to victory in the WTC final against India in Southampton and was an extremely motivational Test leader. With the willow, he contributed significantly by scoring 49 and 52* in New Zealand’s eight-wicket victory.
#3 Steve Smith
Who knows? Smith might still have been Australia’s captain, at least in the Test format, had the ball-tampering scandal not occurred in 2018.
e has served as a stand-in skipper twice over the past few years, but Pat Cummins has performed admirably in the position and it does not appear that he will serve as the full-time leader once more.
In total, Smith has led Australia in 36 Tests, of which 20 were wins, 10 were losses, and six were draws.
As Test captain, the 33-year-old has an impressive win percentage of 55.55. The right-handed batter has a remarkable track record of winning games, with eight hundred and 2240 runs scored at an average of 77.24.
When comparing his home record to his away record, he averages 81.41 with 10 Test hundreds while playing in Australia, but a respectable 50.76 with 5 Test hundreds when playing away from home. Five of his 20 victories as captain occurred outside of his home country: one each in India, Bangladesh, South Africa, and New Zealand. Not at all bad.
Despite the fact that Smith lacked tactical genius as a leader, the sheer volume of runs he scored enabled him to carry the team.
#4 Joe Root
The fact that Joe Root is the captain of England’s most successful Test team is a bit of an irony. However, when we consider that he has also led the team in most games played in the format, the statistics become easier to comprehend.
Root served as England’s captain for 64 Test matches, winning 27 and losing 26. His win percentage was 42.18, and eleven of the matches that he led ended in a draw.
With an average of 46.56 from 33 Tests and a best of 228, Root’s performance was comparable to that at home.
The sorry tale of his lack of inspirational leadership is pretty much summed up by the fact that Root only won one of his last 17 Tests as captain.