Stats: Most nineties by captains in Test cricket

Pakistan Test skipper Misbah Ul Haq entered the record books of Test cricket yet again. The reason this time though, will not be a pleasing one. He became the first captain in the history of the Test cricket to have been in the nineties on 5 occasions. Now, whether to call him fortunate to be the record holder or call him unfortunate for having missed out on centuries on 5 occasions, depends on the perspective of the viewer.

Misbah Ul Haq was dismissed on 99 in the second Test against West Indies at Barbados when the opposition skipper Jason Holder got his wicket. Earlier in the series, during the first Test, was left stranded on 99 when the last batsman – Mohammad Abbas – was dismissed in the first innings. He became the first batsman to register three scores of 99 in the history of the game.

Apart from the three scores of 99, Misbah has two more scores in the nineties as the captain of the Pakistan team. There are three other legendary captains who have 4 instances of scores in the nineties in Test cricket. Former Indian skipper MS Dhoni has been dismissed in the 90s on 4 occasions. He was first dismissed in the unwanted bracket back in the year 2008 against Australia at Mohali.

His most recent score in the nineties as the captain of the Indian team in Tests came at Nagpur against England in the year 2012. He was unfortunate to have been run out on 99. Former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming also finds his name in the list. With 4 nineties to his name, he also missed out on four well-deserved tons for sure.

Much like Misbah Ul Haq and MS Dhoni, Fleming also registered a score of 99 in Test cricket. His tryst with misfortune came during the Bloemfontein Test against South Africa in the year 2000. Prior to him, legendary West Indies skipper Sir Garfield Sobers also registered 4 scores in the nineties in the Test cricket.

Here are the top instances of captains scoring most nineties in Test cricket:

Stats Courtesy: H R Gopalakrishna ( Hrgcricstats.com )