Power Ranking the Current Test Captains in World Cricket
It is just about halfway through the year, so it feels the perfect time to reflect on the performances of the 10 Test captains in world cricket.
The group were initially ranked back in January, so feel free to click here and see who has been on the move since the start of 2015.
The positions are not just down to a player's talents with bat or ball—while a skipper needs to perform on a personal level, he can also make a great difference with the way he leads his side.
As ever, you can air your views on who is the best (and worst) captain in the international game via the comments section.
10. No Captain (Zimbabwe)
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Considering they currently don't have a Test captain, Zimbabwe have to sit at the bottom of the pile.
Brendan Taylor was their last skipper, but the wicketkeeper-batsman ended his international career after the Cricket World Cup.
Instead, he is now plying his trade in English county cricket, turning out for Nottinghamshire.
Elton Chigumbura is Zimbabwe's skipper in one-day cricket, while Hamilton Masakadza took over when the former was suspended during the recent ODI series against Pakistan.
9. Mushfiqur Rahim (Bangladesh)
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Mushfiqur Rahim has had his injury problems in 2015, though he has still played in both of Bangladesh's Test matches.
He hurt his ring finger in the opening Test against Pakistan in April, but he was able to play on as his side battled bravely to secure a draw.
Yet while he turned out in the second and final Test, Rahim was unable to prevent Bangladesh suffering a heavy defeat.
He struggled with the bat in a high-scoring series too, contributing just 44 runs in four innings.
Mohammad Isam of ESPN Cricinfo reports that the 28-year-old is likely to hand over the gloves to Litton Das for the one-off Test against India, which gets underway on June 10.
Without the responsibilities of keeping wicket, Rahim can focus on finding some form with the bat while also letting his injured finger heal.
He will hope the Tigers can roar against India, as they have yet to win a Test during his time in charge against any other nation bar Zimbabwe.
8. Virat Kohli (India)
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Virat Kohli will hope to register his first win as a Test captain when India take on Bangladesh in Fatullah.
The batsman has led his country only twice before, having picked up the reins after Mahendra Singh Dhoni retired from Test cricket midway through the series in Australia.
He has one loss and a draw on his record, though he has scored three centuries in four innings as skipper.
Now, with his feet under the table, Kolhi can put his own stamp on the team.
Harbhajan Singh certainly expects the new man to thrive in the job, per ESPN Cricinfo: "Virat is a match-winner, someone who is very competitive. No matter what the situation is, he always wants to win, which is a great quality as a player. Having him as a captain helps the team a lot when he is looking for win."
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7. Denesh Ramdin (West Indies)
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Denesh Ramdin celebrated just a fourth win as West Indies' Test captain when his side got the better of England in Barbados.
The five-wicket triumph not only saw the men from the Caribbean end a five-match winless run in the longest format of the game, it also secured them a share of the three-match series.
However, Ramdin saw his team suffer a disappointing defeat to Australia in the opening Test for the Frank Worrell Trophy, particularly as they twice surrendered promising positions in Dominica.
They allowed debutant Adam Voges and last man Josh Hazlewood to put on 97 for the final wicket in Australia's first innings, securing a lead of 170.
West Indies managed to wipe out the deficit for the loss of only three wickets, only to then collapse to 216 all out in their second innings.
Ramdin's batting average as captain has dipped to 22.89, and he has yet to score a century since taking charge.
6. Alastair Cook (England)
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It has been an up-and-down year in Test cricket so far for Alastair Cook—and there are bigger, tougher challenges to come in 2015.
England have twice been unable to hang on to leads in series, resulting in drawn outcomes with West Indies and New Zealand.
The most pleasing thing for Cook will be his return to form with the bat. He made his first Test century in nearly two years in the third Test in Barbados, though his knock ended up being in a losing cause.
Still, he carried his form into the start of a busy English summer, hitting 162 in the first Test against the Kiwis at Lord's.
However, England's dismal display in the following match at Headingley was a real disappointment.
Cook's attack failed to make the most of bowling first on a wicket offering assistance, while their plans to bounce out New Zealand's tail backfired badly.
Next up for captain Cook and his inconsistent squad: An Ashes series against Australia on home soil.
5. Hashim Amla (South Africa)
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Hashim Amla has taken to Test captaincy like a duck to water—after six matches in charge, he is yet to suffer a defeat.
He led the Proteas to a series victory away in Sri Lanka last year, and he was also in charge for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe that his side won by nine wickets.
His first home series saw South Africa triumph 2-0 over the West Indies, and the right-handed batsman has averaged 77.57 with the bat in the job.
Of course, it helps any skipper to have the likes of AB de Villiers, Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn in your ranks.
While quiet and unassuming, Amla has been adventurous as captain, per ESPN Cricinfo's Firdose Moonda: "Allowing the game to drift is not his style, and that augurs well for a less conservative South Africa."
He will hope to continue his impressive start when South Africa tour Bangladesh in July.
4. Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka)
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Angelo Mathews slips down a spot to fourth in the rankings, though that is not to suggest he has done anything wrong.
Sri Lanka's skipper only suffered defeat in two of his first 13 Tests in charge until losing back-to-back games in New Zealand around the turn of the year.
Still, the all-rounder has not struggled with the added pressure of leading his country.
Mathews averages 76.25 with the bat as skipper, hitting three of his four Test centuries since taking over in charge.
The right-hander made an outstanding 160 at Headingley last summer to set up a series victory over England.
Next up for Sri Lanka is a home series against Pakistan. Mathews should relish it, as he averages 61.17 against them in Test action.
3. Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan)
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Freed from the one-day job after the Cricket World Cup, Misbah-ul-Haq can now focus all his attention on leading Pakistan in Test action.
Despite now being 41, his appetite for the job shows no signs of diminishing. He led his country to a series victory over Bangladesh this year, though they can expect tougher challenges ahead.
Misbah averages 58.73 as skipper. To put that into context, in the 19 Tests he has played as a normal member of the side, his average was 33.60.
He did not have to do too much against Bangladesh, as his top order scored plenty of runs.
However, the right-hander might have to be ready to play a bigger role with the bat when he takes his team to Sri Lanka for a three-Test series.
Calm and assured, whether he is at the crease or leading his team in the field, Misbah is the ideal man to be steering the Pakistan ship.
2. Michael Clarke (Australia)
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It may seem harsh for a man who has won his one and only Test to date this year, but Michael Clarke slips from the top of the captaincy rankings.
The batsman—who also led Australia to Cricket World Cup glory on home soil earlier this year—was back in charge as the West Indies were beaten by nine wickets in Dominica.
Clarke himself made just 18 runs in the match, though he did shuffle his bowlers effectively on what was yet another slow wicket in the Caribbean.
He was back in the Test XI after missing much of the home series against India through injury, leaving vice-captain Steven Smith to take the reins.
The right-hander averages 56.01 with the bat as Test skipper, during which period he has struck half of his 28 hundreds.
Australia complete their short tour of the West Indies with the second Test in Jamaica, before then heading for a tour of England.
Clarke lifted the Ashes on home soil in 2014, but he will be eager to become the first Australian captain to win a series on English soil since Steve Waugh in 2001.
1. Brendon McCullum (New Zealand)
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Brendon McCullum leapfrogs Michael Clarke to take top spot, despite having a mediocre series with the bat against England.
The New Zealand skipper scored 138 runs in four innings, though his patient knock of 55 second time around in the Headingley Test was crucial to aiding his side's cause.
However, the reason for pushing McCullum up is the way he so impressively led his team in England.
Having lost on the final evening at Lord's in the series opener, the 33-year-old rallied his troops to grab a share of the series with an emphatic win in Leeds.
His team are shaped in his own style—they never take a backward step and often fight fire with fire, choosing to play an aggressive brand of cricket that makes them hard not to admire.
As Andrew Alderson pointed out for ESPN Cricinfo, New Zealand are now unbeaten in their last seven series.
McCullum should, though, make the most of his time at the top: The Kiwis now focus their attention on limited-overs cricket for the coming months, including a tour to South Africa in August.
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