Youngest Test Captains in International Cricket (Ranked 25 to 1)

Brian Murphy

Ex-Zimbabwean cricketer Brian Murphy occupies the 25th spot on the list of youngest captains in red-ball cricket, having led the team in a total of 11 Test matches. Murphy had to take over the captaincy of the team following Heath Streak's exit, at a young age of 24 years and 342 days in 2001.

Herbie Taylor

Former South African cricketer Herbie Taylor played for the Proteas from 1912 to 1932, featuring in a total of 42 Test matches, including 18 of those as the captain of the national side. Known for his quick footwork and 'backplay' technique, Taylor was appointed captain at the age of 24 years 222 days.

Ian Botham

Often hailed as one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, ex-England cricketing icon Ian Botham represented the Three Lions in Tests and ODIs from 1976 to 1992, in a career lasting over 15 years. Botham was appointed captain of the England Test team in 1980, at the age of 24 years 194 days.

Mushfiqur Rahim

Bangladesh's all-time top-scorer across all formats of the game, former captain Mushfiqur Rahim is the finest wicket-keeper batter that the country has ever produced. Rahim was appointed captain of the Bangladeshi Test team in October 2011, at the age of just 24 years and 165 days.

Hansie Cronje

A South African cricketing legend and 1998 ICC Knock-Out Trophy-winning captain, Hansie Cronje led the Proteas to victory in 27 Test matches and 99 ODIs, throughout his captaincy career. He was named captain at the age of 24 years and 125 days in 1994, but had to step down early due to a match-fixing scandal.

Dwayne Bravo

Former West Indies international and T20I specialist Dwayne Bravo is the only player from the Caribbean islands to occupy a spot on this list, having captained the team across all formats of the game. Bravo was appointed skipper of the West Indies' Test side in 2008, at the age of just 24 years and 95 days.

Kapil Dev

One of the greatest all-rounders of all-time, Kapil Dev was the captain of the Indian cricket team that lifted its maiden ICC Cricket World Cup title in 1983. The only player to score over 5,000 runs and scalp over 400 wickets in Test cricket history, Dev was appointed skipper of India's red-ball side in 1983 at the age of 24 years and 48 days.

Javed Burki

Former Pakistani captain Javed Burki's career with the national team spanned from 1960 to 1969, during which he played a total of 25 Test matches, scoring 1,341 runs in total. He also led the team in a majority of those matches, after being appointed captain in 1962, at the age of 24 years and 23 days.

Alistair Campbell

Having captained Zimbabwe on 21 occasions, Alistair Douglas Campbell is often regarded as one of the best players to have represented the African nation. Having turned a cricket commentator now, Campbell was named skipper of the Zimbabwean team in 1996, at the age of 23 years and 354 days.

Jason Holder

Former world no. 1 ranked all-rounder and West Indies' icon Jason Holder is the second cricketer from the Caribbean to score over 2,500 runs and claim 150 wickets in the longest format of the game, after Sir Garfield Sobers. Holder was appointed captain in 2015, at the young age of 23 years and 343 days.

Stephen Fleming

New Zealand's most successful and longest serving captain, Stephen Fleming had led the Kiwis to their first ICC title, the 2000 Knock-Out Trophy. Also being the first player to have captained New Zealand in T20Is, Fleming was appointed red-ball captain at the age of just 23 years and 319 days.

Ivo Bligh

Ivo Francis Bligh played for the England Test team from December 1882 to February 1883, featuring in a total of four matches internationally, throughout his cricketing career. While much is not known about the former English legend, Bligh was appointed captain at the age of just 23 years and 292 days.

Jackie Grant

Ex-West Indies cricketer Jackie Grant captained the team in Test cricket between 1930 to 1935, during which he also featured in a total of 12 matches, scoring over 400 runs at an average of 25.81. Grant was appointed skipper of the West Indian team at a tender age of just 23 years and 217 days.

Sachin Tendulkar

The most successful player in international cricket history, in terms of the runs scored, 'Master Blaster' Sachin Tendulkar had a brief and forgettable tenure as India's Test captain. Called 'Gob of Cricket' by his fans, Tendulkar was appointed as the captain of the Indian Test team at the age of 23 years and 169 days, in 1996.

Monty Bowden

Ex-English cricketer Monty Bowden only represented the Three Lions in two Test matches throughout his career, and at the age of 23 years and 144 days, he also became England's youngest captain in 1889. He only led the team in one match, where he had stepped in as a replacement for C.Aubrey Smith.

Mohammad Ashraful

Bangladeshi cricketing icon Mohammad Ashraful has a remarkable career with the Tigers, spanning over a decade from 2001 to 2013. Ashraful captained the Bangladeshi national team on 13 Tests and 38 ODIs throughout his career, being appointed at a young age of just 22 years and 353 days.

Murray Bisset

Having served as the captain of the South African cricket team in 1899, Murray Bisset occupied the 10th spot on this list. The former Proteas captain, who only featured in three Test matches throughout his career, was appointed skipper at a tender age of just 22 years and 306 days.

Javed Miandad

One of the greatest batters of all time and the finest-ever to have emerged out of Pakistan, Javed Miandad was known among his peers and fans for his unconventional style of captaincy and batting. A part of the ICC Hall of Fame, Miandad was appointed Test captain at the age of just 22 years and 260 days, in 1980.

Ian Craig

A right-handed batting legend, Australian Ian Craig holds the record for the youngest player from the country to make a first-class double century, play in a Test match, as well as captain the national side. Having retired at a tender age of just 26, Craig had been appointed skipper at the age of 22 years and 115 days.

Shakib Al Hasan

One of the greatest all-rounders of all time and the only player to have occupied the top-spot on the ICC All-Rounder Rankings across all the formats, Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan served the national team for a long time, from 2006 to 2024. Shakib was appointed captain of the Test team in 2009, at the age of just 22 years and 115 days.

Graeme Smith

South Africa's youngest captain, Graeme Smith was appointed as the captain of the Proteas Test side in 2003 at the age of just 22 years and 82 days. Smith is considered one of the most successful skippers in red-ball cricket, having led South Africa to a record 54 Test wins.

Waqar Younis

One of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, who even served as the head coach of the Pakistani national team, Waqar Younis was a part of the team that finished runners-up at the 1999 Cricket World Cup. He also served as the captain of the Pakistani team, having been appointed at the age of just 22 years and 15 days.

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi

Indian cricketing icon Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi is the youngest player from the country to have ever led the red-ball side. Appointed as India's Test captain at the age of just 21 years and 77 days, Pataudi is regarded as one of the greatest players to have ever represented the country.

Tatenda Taibu

Former Zimbabwean wicket-keeper batter Tatenda Taibu is second on this elite list, and was appointed captain of the Test side in May 2004 when he led the Zimbabwean team in a match against Sri Lanka. He was just 20 years and 358 days old at the time.

Rashid Khan

One of the best white-ball spinners of all time and a T20I specialist, Afghanistan's Rashid Khan occupies the top-spot on this list of young captains. Khan, who has only played six Test matches so far, was appointed captain of the Afghan red-ball side in September 2017, at the age of just 20 years and 350 days.