Steve Waugh has the highest win percentage 66, across all formats and is one of cricket’s greatest captains in history.
The most frequently used comparison in cricket between two captains is Waugh or Ponting. The answer largely relies on the perspective from which the question is asked. On a statistical basis, Waugh is way ahead in terms of win percentage, losing fewer matches than Ponting. However, it is evident that Australia has lost its winning streak since Ponting and Waugh retired from cricket.
After Mark Taylor’s exit from the Australian cricket team, Shane Warne was handed over ODI captaincy for a shorter time.
| Captaincy Period | 1998-2004 |
| Previous Captain | Mark Taylor |
| Next Captain | Ricky Ponting |
| Key Achievements | Winning Captain of World Cup 199, 16 Consecutive test wins as a captain, The Ashes 2001, The Ashes 2002 |
Shane Warne, who was competing for the role, was replaced as a permanent captain by Steve Waugh following a controversy. Then, Steve Waugh developed the team and elevated Australian cricket by winning 16 consecutive tests, a still-impressive captaincy record.
Steve Waugh as Captain in All Formats
Steve Waugh led Australia in ODI and test formats. In both formats, he collectively captained Australia in 163 matches, winning 108 and losing only 44 games. His win percentage is 66 across all formats, which shows his leadership skills. He is definitely one of the best captains of global cricket.
Steve Waugh Captaincy Record in Test Cricket
Steve Waugh led Australia in 57 games, winning 41 and losing only 09 test matches. Among a few captains, he achieved one-figure defeats in test cricket. His test win percentage is 57, which is an incredible record. This is why Steve Waugh is known as one of the best Australian captains in cricket history.
Read More: Pat Cummins Captaincy Record
Steve Waugh Test Batting Stats as Captain Vs Player
From the stats given below, we can see that Steve Waugh’s performance as a batting captain was better than as a player. Overall, there was no difference in his strike rate, but his batting average increased from 50 to 52. This shows his batting skills both as a captain and player.
| Capt./ Player | Matches | Inns. | Runs | Avg. | HS | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| As Player | 111 | 117 | 7213 | 50 | 200 | 50 |
| As Captain | 57 | 83 | 3714 | 52 | 199 | 50 |
Steve Waugh Captaincy Record in Ashes Series
Steve Waugh led Australia in the 02 Ashes series winning all of them in 2001 and 2002. This was one of the major achievements of Steve Waugh as a captain which came against rival team England.
Steve Waugh Captaincy Record in ODI
Steve Waugh led Australia in 106 ODI matches, winning 67 and losing 35 with a win percentage of 63.
As a captain of Australia, he won matches against all nations of the world.
Steve Waugh Captaincy Record in Worldcup
He led Australia in two ICC events which are ICC Word Cup 1999 and ICC KnockOut in Kenya 2000. Australia won ICC World Cup in 1999 under the captaincy of Steve Waugh.
| ICC Tournaments | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | W/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worldcup 1999 | 10 | 07 | 02 | 01 | 3.5 |
| Knockout 2000 | 01 | 0 | 01 | – | – |
ICC KnockOut was played in 2000 and was a very shorter tournament compared to ODI. Australia lost the match and was in the early stages of the tournament.
Home, Away & Neutral Captaincy
Steve Waugh collectively achieved more than a 50 percent win rate in all formats on all venues. His highest number of wins came at home venues in Australia. While on an away venue outside Australia, he won 41 matches out of 67 matches played.
This venue-based record shows how brilliant Steve Waugh was as a captain across all venues.
| All Formats | Home | Away | Neutral |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | 69 | 67 | 27 |
| Won | 47 | 41 | 20 |
| Win % | 68 | 61 | 74 |
| Lost | 16 | 22 | 06 |
| Tied | 01 | 01 | 01 |
| Draw | 05 | 02 | 0 |
| NR | 0 | 01 | 0 |
Best Australian Captain
Here is the list of Australian captain with the highest win percentage across all formats of cricket.
| Best Australian Captains (All Formats) | Win % |
| Ricky Ponting | 67.9 |
| Steve Waugh | 66 |
| Michael Clark | 61 |
| Aaron Finch | 54 |
| Mark Taylor | 52 |
Faq’s
How Many Test Series Australia have Won under Steve Waugh Captaincy?
Australia played 36 bilateral Test series under the captaincy of Steve Waugh, winning 26 and losing 04 series. He lost 02 test series against India and 02 against Sri Lanka. In comparison, 06 test series ended in a draw.
How Many ODI Series Australia Won under the Captaincy of Steve Waugh?
Steve Waugh led Australia in 20 bilateral series winning ten and losing 04, while 06 series ended in draw.
