Test Captains: Most Wickets against a Single Opponent

Captains with Most Test Wickets against an Opponent

Key Insights

Richie Benaud has taken the most wickets against an opponent as a captain in Test cricket. The former Australian captain racked up 63 wickets in 28 innings against England.

Imran Khan is the only other captain with 60 or more Test wickets against a team. He picked up 61 scalps against arch-rival India across 24 innings.

30 wickets each by Benaud against England and Imran against India ended up in Test wins, the joint-most for a captain against an opponent.

Imran, Pat Cummins, and Garry Sobers are the three skippers with 30-plus wickets against multiple Test opponents. Imran and Cummins have done it against three teams, the joint-most, while Sobers did so against two.

Interestingly, Imran grabbed 4 five-wicket hauls each against three of those opponents, the most for a skipper. Benaud (vs England), Cummins (vs Pakistan), and Intikhab Alam (vs New Zealand) are the other skippers with 4 five-fors each against a Test team.

Intikhab and Imran are the two Test skippers to take 2 ten-wicket hauls against a single opponent. The former Pakistani captains achieved the feat against New Zealand and India, respectively.

West Indies’ Courtney Walsh, the leading wicket-taker for West Indies in Tests, has the best bowling average as a captain against a Test team (minimum 20 wickets). He picked up 24 wickets in eight innings at an average of 14 against New Zealand.

Likewise, England’s Gubby Allen has the best strike rate (minimum 20 wickets). He took 20 wickets in six innings at a strike rate of 30 against India.

Imran’s all of 42 wickets against England came in England, the most for a captain at an opposition’s home.

Bishan Singh Bedi has taken the most wickets as a captain against a team in a Test series. The former Indian skipper pocketed 31 scalps in 10 innings on the 1977/78 Australia tour.

Read: Pat Cummins Captaincy Record – All Formats