Captaining an England Test side is the most prestigious job that any English cricketer could imagine. A country that founded the game and playing it for more than 100 years. More than 700 male cricketers have played for England in the longest format since the game’s inception, and 81 of them have led the side, with the latest being Ben Stokes.
Joe Root, who has been leading the side since 2017, currently holds the record for the England captain with the most matches and wins as captain. Root, the 80th English Test captain, has announced that he will be exiting the captaincy and continuing as a player.
This article will list the top ten England captains who have led the side to the most victories.
England Captains with Most Test Wins
| Captain | Matches | Won | Lost | Draw | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Root | 64 | 27 | 26 | 11 | 42.19 |
| Michael Vaughan | 51 | 26 | 11 | 14 | 50.98 |
| Andrew Strauss | 50 | 24 | 11 | 15 | 48.00 |
| Alastair Cook | 59 | 24 | 22 | 13 | 40.68 |
| Peter May | 41 | 20 | 10 | 11 | 48.78 |
| Ben Stokes | 30 | 18 | 11 | 1 | 60.00 |
| Mike Brearley | 31 | 18 | 4 | 9 | 58.06 |
| Nasser Hussain | 45 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 37.78 |
| Michael Atherton | 54 | 13 | 21 | 20 | 24.07 |
| Ray Illingworth | 31 | 12 | 5 | 14 | 38.70 |
Stats Insights
Even though Joe Root tops this table, he, with only 2 wins in the historical Ashes Test series, finds no place in the top ten captains with the most Ashes wins.
Graham Gooch is the other captain whose name is not on this list and won 10 games for England as captain. He has led the side 31 times and won 10.
Among everyone who has more than 10 Test victories as England captain, Mike Brearley (58.06) and Michael Vaughan (50.98) are the only two to win more than 50% of their matches as captain.
Michael Atherton has the most drawn Tests during his captaincy stint for England – 20
