Cricketers Who Played First Test Match As Captain [FULL LIST]

As rare as it may sound, cricketers have played their first Test match as captain in the past. Unsurprisingly, it all started with Australia’s Dave Gregory and England’s James Lillywhite (Jnr) in the inaugural Test way back in 1877.

From then on, such instances were repeated frequently until the start of this century. However, the topic has come back into cricketing consciousness since the announcement of South Africa’s 14-member squad for an upcoming tour of New Zealand. Batter Neil Brand, who will lead a squad comprising a total of seven uncapped players including himself, is all in readiness of joining an elite list.

Brand, a campaigner of 51 first-class matches, will become the 35th player (ninth South African) to captain a team on Test debut. Fresh off beating West Indies A 2-1 in a three-match series, Brand’s leadership skills with South Africa A played a role in the selectors bestowing him with a significant promotion. In addition to his six centuries and 20 half-centuries at an average of 39.27 as a left-handed batter, the left-arm spinner in him also dismissed 72 batters across 81 attempts.

His comparatively short-lived career, however, might still not be enough to lead a national side away from home. Many, including the legendary Steve Waugh, are questioning the whole idea of preferring a T20 league over a Test series on the part of CSA (Cricket South Africa).

When cricket was at its nascent stage in several countries, teams had no option than to appoint entirely inexperienced players as captains. Lord Harris, who rebuilt Kent and became an able administrator later on, also led a team to the USA and Canada. He is often regarded as the “single most influential man to have been involved in cricket”.

Some of the below mentioned names eventually pursued other interests besides cricket. While South Africa’s Owen Dunell was an association footballer and Alfred Richards played Rugby at the highest level, England’s Charles Aubrey Smith became a stage and film actor and Johnny Douglas won a Gold Medal in Boxing.

Interestingly, England’s Frank Mann and George Mann are the only father-son duo to have both captained their nation in their respective first Test match.

In 1995, 10 months after his ODI debut, New Zealand’s Lee Germon was the last player to don the captain’s hat on Test debut when it wasn’t his country’s first-ever Test. Germon’s appointment was somewhat reasonable considering how he was the most successful captain of Canterbury, his first-class team.

That being said, with the sport becoming more global and popular than ever in the recent years, it’s almost impossible to achieve such a feat, making Brand’s accomplishment even more special.

Cricketers Who Played First Test Match As Captain [FULL LIST]

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• Neil Brand
• New Zealand
• South Africa
• South Africa tour of New Zealand