All about Test cricket captains — Part IV
The captain of a cricket team, at times also referred to as the skipper, is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of the 10 others in the playing XI. In cricket, the main role of the captain is to act as a sort of intermediary between the coaching sta and the rest of the team. He becomes part player, part selector or even part coach/mentor, and must be able to successfully balance the various pressures that come with the multiple responsibilities.
As in any other sport, the captain is usually the person who is the most experienced in the squad. However, there have been several instances in Test cricket where the captain has been the least experienced member of the squad.
The captain also needs to have good communication skills and is most likely to be a certainty in the playing XI, as he is responsible for the team selection. It is his task to go out for the toss before the start of a match and then take a call as to whether his side bats or elds rst. During the match, the captain decides the team’s batting order, which bowler will open the bowling, who are his rst and second bowling changes, and where each elder will be positioned. While the captain has the nal say, decisions taken on the eld or in the dressing rooms are often collaborative. A captain’s knowledge of the complexities of cricket strategy and tactics, and shrewdness in the eld may contribute signicantly to the team’s success. Excelling as a cricket captain requires the incumbent to have a thorough understanding of how the game is played, the ability to strategise, and at the same time lead his teammates both on and o the eld.
Nowadays, with the coaching and support sta as part of the squad, the captain’s decisionmaking responsibilities are less of a burden. This allows him to fully concentrate on his skills, which are either batting or bowling and at times both. However, despite all that, the captain of a cricket team typically shoulders more responsibility for results than team captains in other sports.
In the fourth and nal part of this statistical analysis on Test captains, we take a look at the youngest and oldest captains and also who are the best allrounders in Test cricket while leading a side.