Best Australian test captain of the professional era

Who was the best Australian test captain of 1980-present?

  • Allan Border

    Votes: 18 26.5%
  • Mark Taylor

    Votes: 29 42.6%
  • Steve Waugh

    Votes: 8 11.8%
  • Ricky Ponting

    Votes: 6 8.8%
  • I can't choose - just show me the results

    Votes: 7 10.3%

  • Total voters
    68
  • Poll closed .

Rabish Binney

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AB was a cautious skipper but I suspect a lot of that came from the early days of his captaincy where he so rarely got into a position to attack and his mindset was built around that.
Agree 100%.

He inherited an Aussie side that was down and broken. Definitely became a better captain as the test team enjoyed more success, enabled him to back himself more I reckon. You can clearly see the linear improvement from around 1987/88 onwards. Lead by example, rather than the spoken word. A great Captain.

IMHO Mark Taylor is one of Australia's best ever captains. Had an ability (with the personnel at his disposal) to set fields that attacked whilst defending.
 
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Westend

Brownlow Medallist
Mar 28, 2009
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Agree 100%.

He inherited an Aussie side that was down and broken. Definitely became a better captain as the test team enjoyed more success, enabled him to back himself more I reckon. You can clearly see the linear improvement from around 1987/88 onwards. Lead by example, rather than the spoken word. A great Captain.

IMHO Mark Taylor is one of Australia's best ever captains. Had an ability (with the personnel at his disposal) to set fields that attacked whilst defending.


Yeah its a hard one and it depends what you are looking for.

A captain that is ruthless...S Waugh/AB/punter

A captain that built a team from scratch AB

A captain that was a great tactician tubbs/clarkey

For me I would lean towards Tubbs as he inherited a good team but he made it into a great one when he handed it over to Tugga...yes he did have warne/mcgrath in there pomp but it was tubbs tactics that sways it for me. A great people person/manager.

2nd for me AB had nothing to work with at the start of his captaincy when Aussie cricket was at one of its lowest ebbs and built a team that the other captains benefited from ...the old saying "where would we be without AB" so true.

3rd S waugh ....just ruthless had a great side and was just ruthless didn't have to use much tactics as we where just flogging anyone.

Punter/Clarkey = for me thought Punter was more ruthless than clarkey but clarkey a better tactician. Thought the way Clarkey used Mitch Johnson was great short 3/4 over spells bowl quick while punter used to bowl Johnson too many overs in a row and he would get tired and start to spray it.
 
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Rabish Binney

Left out overnight
Sep 7, 2021
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Off the land, rural SA
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Yeah its a hard one and it depends what you are looking for

A captain that is ruthless...S Waugh/AB/punter

A captain that built a team from scratch AB

A captain that was a great tactician tubbs/clarkey

For me I would lean towards Tubbs has he inherited a good team but he made it into a great one when he handed it over to Tugga...yes he did have warne/mcgrath in there pomp but it was tubbs tactics that sways it for me. A great people person/manager

2nd for me AB had nothing to work with at the start of his captaincy when Aussie cricket was at one of its lowest ebbs and built a team that the other captains benefited from ...the old saying "where would we be without AB" so true

3rd S waugh ....just ruthless had a great side and was just ruthless didn't have to use much tactics as we where just flogging anyone

Punter/Clarkey = for me thought Punter was more ruthless than clarkey but clarkey a better tactician. Though the way Clarkey used Mitch Johnson was great short 3/4 over spells bowl quick while punter used to bowl Johnson too many overs in a row and he would get tired and start to spray it
Great summary.
 
Nov 12, 2002
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AB was a cautious skipper but I suspect a lot of that came from the early days of his captaincy where he so rarely got into a position to attack and his mindset was built around that.

I think Chappell always summed it up pretty well - there were essentially two halves to his captaincy career. One where he didn't want the job, was unsure of himself, and it showed. Poor results and were still a bit flaky away from Australia.

Then from 1989 onwards - he decided he did want the job, starting making decisions and rolling with them, and instantly became better.

Overall though from that list I can't go past Taylor.
 

tombomb

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Sep 8, 2007
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On the field. Captaincy is not just bowling and fielding changes. He's not in the poll for a reason.
It isn't the only part, but it is the most important. Clarke was the best onfield captain we have had since at least Taylor.

He isn't the poll because the OP either forgot him or doesn't understand cricket.
 

Nuke Fremantle

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Mar 26, 2007
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LoL people actually picked Ponting.. was a shocking captain without Warne and McGrath
Lost 3 Ashes series. That alone should've barred him from this poll.

Went for Taylor just ahead of Border, though we did develop a habit of "dead rubber syndrome" under Tubby.

I'm reserving judgement on Cummins but apart from him anyone since Border-Taylor hasn't been a captain's a-hole.
 
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