Pat Cummins Breaks 62-Year Record, Becomes Most Successful Australia Test Captain with the Ball

Australian captain Pat Cummins etched his name deeper into cricketing history during the first Test against West Indies at Kensington Oval, Barbados, by breaking a 62-year-old record previously held by the legendary Richie Benaud.

Cummins dismissed Keacy Carty on Day 2 to equal Benaud’s tally for the most wickets by an Australian Test captain. Just a session later, he went one better by removing Roston Chase, becoming the highest wicket-taking Australian skipper in Test history.

With that scalp, Cummins also climbed to second on the all-time list of most Test wickets by a captain, trailing only Pakistan’s Imran Khan. In another significant milestone, he now stands level with Imran on nine five-wicket hauls as a Test captain only one behind the former Pakistan great’s record of 10.

Since assuming leadership in 2021, Cummins has captained Australia in 28 Tests and remains a rare breed: a pace-bowling captain excelling both tactically and statistically. Under his stewardship, Australia lifted the World Test Championship (WTC) title in 2023 and have reached the WTC final again in 2025.