Top 10 Highest individual scores by captains in Tests

Top 10 Highest individual scores by captains in Tests: Captaincy is not an opportunity, it’s a responsibility. It’s given to only those who are trusted and have the zeal to lead the team on which the expectations of millions of fans rests. But, captaincy comes naturally to some players who lead by setting examples for the rest of the teams to follow. And, when this happens, the team, on its own, starts achieving enormous heights of success. So, here we look at Top 10 Highest individual scores by captains in Tests: 10. Peter May (England) – 285*: (source) Peter May is regarded as the one of the best batsmen of the post-war era. May enjoyed captaincy and was a very efficient leader. During his playing days, he captained both his county side Sussex and England. His average as a captain was 54.13. His highest innings score of 285* came against West Indies at Birmingham in the year 1957. England were bowled out for 186 runs in the 1st innings. West Indies gained a lead of 288 runs. May came to bat at number 4 when England’s score was 113/3 in the 2nd innings. He (285*) batted along with M. Cowdrey (154) to set a target of 296 runs for West Indies and eventually saved the Test match. Also Read – 26 Guinness World records held by Cricket 9. Martin Crowe (New Zealand) – 299: Martin Crowe. (© David Munden/Popperfoto/Getty Images) Martin Crowe was once credited as world’s best batsman. He was an out of the box thinker. Crowe was a batting genius. He scored an unbeaten 299 (his highest Test score) against Sri Lanka at Wellington in 1991. He was at his absolute best in that innings and batted for 610 minutes and 523 balls, striking 29 fours and 3 sixes. When he eventually got out on 299, not just his team mates but even the opponents were disappointed, since he deserved to get that triple-ton. At the end of the game Crowe was quoted saying, “It’s a bit like climbing Everest and pulling a hamstring in the last stride.” His 299 stood as the highest individual score by a New Zealand batsman in Tests until Brendon McCullum broke his record by scoring a triple century against India. 8. Brendon McCullum (New Zealand) – 302: Brendon McCullum. (© Getty Images) Brendon McCullum became the 1st New Zealand cricketer to score a triple century. He acheived this feat against India during the 2nd Test at Basin Reserve, Wellington. New Zealand were on the back foot in the match and had a lead of 246 runs mounted on them after getting all out cheaply for 192 in the first innings. Coming in to bat at number 5 in the second innings, McCullum played with a conservative approach and took calculated risks to score 302 runs in that match. It included 32 fours and 4 sixes. He whacked the Indian bowling attack comprising of Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami. This knock from McCullum helped the Kiwis save the Test match from the verge of a loss. 7. Robert Simpson (Australia) – 311: (source) Robert Simpson took over as captain from Richie Benaud. He was a very conservative cricketer who was initially criticised for not scoring big runs after getting starts. Robert Simpson’s breakthrough innings came in the 4th Test at Old Trafford, Manchester in 1964 when Australia toured England. Simpson scored his maiden hundred and converted it into a triple century. He made 311 after batting for almost 13 hours until the third day of the Test match. It remained his highest Test score, both as a captain and as a player. 6. Younis Khan (Pakistan) – 313: Younis Khan. (Photo Source : Getty Images) Younis Khan holds many batting records for Pakistan. It was in the year 2009 that PCB elected him as a permanent captain of Pakistan. His batting abilities did not change despite the added responsibility and has been the pillar of Pakistan’s inconsistent batting line-up for the past few years. He struck his career best 313 at Karachi against the visitor Sri Lanka in 2009. The match was an interesting draw. In reply to Sri Lanka’s massive 644 runs total in the first Test, Younis khan played a captain’s knock and scored a calm 313 runs to keep Pakistan in the game. 5. Michael Clarke (Australia) – 329*: Michael Clarke. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Michael Clarke had a great responsibility of proving himself as a leader after taking over as captain from Ricky Ponting after the 2011 World cup. He reached the peak of his career during his tenure as captain. Clarke scored 329* after coming in to bat at 37/3 against the visitor India in 2012 at Sydney Cricket ground. He became the first Australian batsman to score a triple century since Matthew Hayden. Co-incidentally, this special innings came on the occasion of his 100th Test match. 4. Graham Gooch (England) – 333: Graham Gooch. (Photo Source: PA Photos) Graham Gooch is regarded as one of the most prolific batsmen of his generation. He took over the reigns as captain from David Gower in 1989 after England’s Ashes defeat. In the match against India, Gooch scored a world record 456 runs in a single Test match at Lord’s. His highest Test score as captain came in the same match. He scored 333 runs in the first innings and 123 in the second innings playing destroying Kapil Dev & Co. 3. Mark Taylor (Australia) – 334*: Mark Taylor. (© Ben Radford /Allsport) Mark ‘Tuby’ Taylor was Australia’s captain from 1994-99. He was highly effective captain who was instrumental in Australia’s rise as a dominant side after the retirement of Allan Border. Mark Taylor led Australia toured Pakistan in 1998. The Aussies went into the second Test with a 1-0 lead at Peshawar. In the first innings of the second match, Taylor opened the innings and batted 770 minutes to score a patient 334 runs off 564 balls. He carried his bat till the end of the innings. It was his career-best score both as an individual and as captain. 2. Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) – 374: Mahela Jayawardene. (Photo Source: AFP) Mahela Jayawardene was very successful as Sri Lanka’s captain. Mahela was the recipient of International Cricket Council’s “Captain of the Year 2006” inaugural award. It was in the same year that Mahela and Kumara Sangakkara put up a world record partnership of 624 runs for the third wicket against South Africa. Jayawardene made 374 classic runs studded with 43 fours and one six. He also surpassed Sanath Jayasuriya’s score of 340 runs to become the first Sri Lankan batsman to go past 350 individual runs. 1. Brian Lara (West Indies) – 400*: Brian Lara. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Brian Lara’s 400* is the highest individual score by a batsman in the history of cricket. Lara was re-appointed as the Test captain in 2003 for the second time. In 2004, England toured West Indies for a 4-match Test series. In the final Test at Antigua, Lara plundered the English bowling line-up consisting of Harmison, Flintoff, Hoggard and Simon Jones to hit an unbeaten 400 in the first innings. He struck 43 fours and 4 sixes during that innings. With this knock, Lara reclaimed his world record of highest individual score in Tests from Matthew Hayden. Also Read – Top 10 highest individual scores in ODI by Captains (All Stats Updated Till 20th October, 2015)