Steve Smith and Previous Australia Captains in Their First Tests in Charge
Steve Smith marked his first Test as captain of Australia with a hundred against India in Brisbane.
The batsman made the perfect start in the role, as he made 133 in the second Test of the series at the Gabba. His efforts, plus those of a wagging tail, carried the hosts to a total of 505 in their first innings.
Smith—who was placed in charge after Michael Clarke was ruled out for the rest of the series—became the ninth Australian to register a three-figure score on their captaincy debut, per Fox Sports.
The last to achieve the feat was Graham Yallop back in 1978, but how have the skippers faired since? We take a look back at the maiden matches in charge for Australia's captains since Yallop's reign.
Kim Hughes, 1979-1984
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Like Steve Smith, Kim Hughes got his first taste of captaincy due to an injury to a colleague. Graham Yallop was ruled out of the second Test against Pakistan, so Hughes took over in just his 11th appearance.
He started with a win over Pakistan, though the scorecard does not tell the whole story. Hughes hurt his ankle during the game and watched on as a controversial "Mankad" dismissal ended Pakistan's second innings.
The tourists responded by successfully appealing for Australia opener Andrew Hilditch to be given out as he handled the ball; he had picked it up to return it to a Pakistan player following a throw from a fielder. The bad-tempered contest ended with Australia winning by seven wickets in Perth, meaning the series ended 1-1.
Handed the job on a permanent basis for the 1979 World Cup, Hughes was demoted to vice-captain when Greg Chappell returned from World Series Cricket.
Hughes would go on to lead his country in 28 Tests but won only four of them. He is best remembered by England supporters as the man in charge of Australia in the summer of 1981, when Ian Botham's heroics turned around the Ashes.
Allan Border, 1984-1994
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After a tearful press conference from Kim Hughes to announce he was stepping down, Allan Border rather reluctantly took over midway through the home series against West Indies in 1984.
He began his time in charge with a 191-run defeat to a West Indies side led by Clive Lloyd that included Sir Viv Richards, Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner and a young Courtney Walsh. Border made 21 and 18 in his two innings.
The batsman would end up leading his country in 93 Tests, combining with coach Bob Simpson to help raise the standards of the national team and lay the platform for a period of sustained success. The pair were also in charge when Australia won the 1987 World Cup in India.
Border, who was nicknamed "Captain Grumpy," built the team in his own style—they were tough to beat and never took a backward step. He also led by example with the bat, averaging over 50 in the longest format of the game.
Mark Taylor, 1994-1999
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Mark Taylor took over in 1994 after Allan Border announced his retirement. He was the polar opposite to the man he replaced in that he would lead with a smile, rather than a scowl.
His start was not easy, though. A tour of Pakistan was a tough task, and in the first Test, the left-handed batsman recorded a pair as his team lost a thriller in Karachi by one wicket.
It took Taylor until his sixth Test at the helm to register a hundred, "Tubby" cracking 113 against England in Sydney during a series that Australia won 3-1. He would end his reign against the same opponents and at the same venue in 1999, after being in charge for 50 matches.
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Steve Waugh, 1999-2004
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If Allan Border and Mark Taylor enjoyed plenty of success during their stints as captain, Steve Waugh was in charge during a time of Australian dominance.
A long-time member of the national set-up who had been around during the low times early in Border's reign, Waugh was ODI captain before taking over the Test role following Taylor's retirement.
Trinidad was the venue for his debut in the role, and although he made just 14 runs in two innings, the second of which saw him fail to trouble the scorers, the tourists still defeated West Indies by 312 runs.
Waugh would go on to win 41 of his 57 Tests in charge, a phenomenal achievement that included a world record run of 16 successive victories. He opted to end his international career after the home series against India in 2004.
Adam Gilchrist, 2000-2004
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Adam Gilchrist was second in command during his time playing for Australia to both Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting.
The wicketkeeper-batsman led his country six times during a stellar Test career that spanned 96 matches. The first occasion came in 2000, when Waugh missed a match during the home series against West Indies.
Gilchrist made nine in the first innings of the third Test in Adelaide before finishing up 10 not out second time around, meaning he was at the crease when his side clinched a five-wicket victory.
He would go on to captain Australia again the following year during the Ashes tour of England, losing the fourth Test after a generous declaration allowed Mark Butcher the chance to steer the hosts to an unlikely triumph on the last day at Headingley.
Ricky Ponting, 2004-2011
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Like Steve Waugh before him, Ricky Ponting had already been captaining Australia in ODI cricket by the time he was handed the top job in Tests.
His first match in charge was against Sri Lanka in Galle. The batsman made 21 and 28 in his two trips to the crease during a match his team won by 197 runs on their way to a 3-0 series sweep.
He stayed at the helm for 77 matches, suffering defeat in only 13 of them. However his impressive reign ended on a losing note, with England winning an Ashes series on Australian soil for the first time since 1987.
Ponting missed the final Test against England in 2011 with a finger injury; he announced he was stepping down permanently from his role in all formats after Australia were knocked out of the World Cup by India later that same year.
Michael Clarke, 2011-
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Seen as the long-time successor to Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke has held the captaincy during a period of transition for Australia.
His maiden Test as skipper came at the end of the losing Ashes series against England, with Clarke making four and 41 in an innings defeat in Sydney while filling in for the injured Ponting.
Handed the job on a permanent basis, Clarke started out with a series win away in Sri Lanka and there has also been a 4-0 sweep over India on home soil. However, the pinnacle of his time in charge so far has probably been the 5-0 Ashes whitewash of England in 2013-14.
Injuries have hampered the batsman's career, and Clarke is currently sidelined with a hamstring problem. He hopes to be fit to lead Australia in the World Cup on home soil next year, per Cricinfo, after undergoing surgery.
Shane Watson, 2013
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Former vice-captain Shane Watson once filled in for Michael Clarke, leading Australia during the fourth Test against India in 2013.
The all-rounder was only just returning to the Test XI himself having been punished for not doing his homework. He had also headed back to Australia before the match to be present at the birth of his first child.
Watson's solitary match in charge ended in defeat, India winning by six wickets to wrap up a 4-0 series sweep. He contributed 17 in the first innings with the bat and five in the second.
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