Allan Border is the most successful captain in Ashes history. He led Australia in 28 Ashes Tests between 1985 and 1993, more than anyone else, and won 13 of them. Don Bradman and Mike Brearley are next with 11 wins each, Brearley’s from only 15 Tests.

The figures below cover every Ashes Test up to the 2025-26 series in Australia, which Australia won 4-1. They come from ESPNcricinfo’s Ashes captaincy records. The three-Test series in Australia in 1979-80 is left out because the Ashes were not at stake.

Most Ashes Test wins as captain

Captain Team Span Tests Won Lost Drawn Win %
Allan Border Australia 1985-1993 28 13 6 9 46.42
Mike Brearley England 1977-1981 15 11 1 3 73.33
Don Bradman Australia 1936-1948 19 11 3 5 57.89
Mark Taylor Australia 1994-1999 16 9 4 3 56.25
Steve Waugh Australia 2001-2003 9 8 1 0 88.88
Steve Smith Australia 2017-2026 10 8 1 1 80.00
Warwick Armstrong Australia 1920-1921 10 8 0 2 80.00
WG Grace England 1888-1899 13 8 3 2 61.53
Monty Noble Australia 1903-1909 15 8 5 2 53.33
Ricky Ponting Australia 2005-2010 19 8 6 5 42.10
Ian Chappell Australia 1971-1975 16 7 4 5 43.75
Michael Clarke Australia 2011-2015 16 7 7 2 43.75
Percy Chapman England 1926-1930 9 6 1 2 66.66
Pat Cummins Australia 2021-2025 10 6 2 2 60.00
Richie Benaud Australia 1958-1963 14 6 2 6 42.85
Alastair Cook England 2013-2015 15 6 7 2 40.00

The table lists every captain with six or more Ashes wins. Nobody else has more than five.

The most successful Ashes captains

Allan Border (Australia)

Border took over a side in decline and lost his first two Ashes series, 1-3 in England in 1985 and 1-2 at home in 1986-87. Then the results turned. Australia won 4-0 in England in 1989, 3-0 at home in 1990-91 and 4-1 in England in 1993. That was 11 wins and one defeat in the last 17 Tests. His overall record is 13 wins, six defeats and nine draws, and his 28 Ashes Tests as captain are still the most by anyone.

Mike Brearley (England)

Brearley is England’s most successful Ashes captain. He won 11 of his 15 Ashes Tests and lost only one, giving him a 73.33% win rate. England beat Australia 3-0 in 1977 and 5-1 in 1978-79. In 1981 he was recalled as captain after the second Test with England 1-0 down and won three of the last four Tests, at Headingley, Edgbaston and Old Trafford, to take the series 3-1. Australia’s 3-0 win in 1979-80 came under Brearley, but that series was not played for the Ashes.

Don Bradman (Australia)

Bradman captained Australia in four Ashes series between 1936-37 and 1948, with the Second World War in between, and won 11 of his 19 Tests. He never lost a series. In 1936-37 Australia lost the first two Tests and then won the next three to take the series 3-2. That is the only time a side has won an Ashes series from 2-0 down. His 1948 side, the “Invincibles”, won the series in England 4-0.

Mark Taylor (Australia)

Taylor led Australia in three Ashes series and won all three: 3-1 in 1994-95, 3-2 in 1997 and 3-1 in 1998-99. He finished with nine wins, four defeats and three draws from 16 Tests.

Steve Waugh and Warwick Armstrong (Australia)

Steve Waugh has the best win rate of any captain with six or more Ashes Tests. He won 8 of his 9, losing only at Sydney in 2002-03 (88.88%). He missed the fourth Test of 2001 at Headingley through injury, when Adam Gilchrist stood in and Australia lost. Warwick Armstrong won eight of his 10 Tests and lost none. His side beat England 5-0 in 1920-21, the first 5-0 in Ashes history, and 3-0 in England in 1921.

Steve Smith (Australia)

Smith has also won eight Ashes Tests as captain from 10. Five came in 2017-18, when Australia won 4-0. He stood in for Pat Cummins once in 2021-22 and four more times in 2025-26, winning three of those four. Australia’s only defeat in that series was at Melbourne, with Smith in charge.

Most Ashes Tests as captain

Captain Team Span Tests Won Lost Drawn
Allan Border Australia 1985-1993 28 13 6 9
Archie MacLaren England 1897-1909 22 4 11 7
Don Bradman Australia 1936-1948 19 11 3 5
Ricky Ponting Australia 2005-2010 19 8 6 5
Joe Darling Australia 1899-1905 18 5 4 9
Ian Chappell Australia 1971-1975 16 7 4 5
Michael Clarke Australia 2011-2015 16 7 7 2
Mark Taylor Australia 1994-1999 16 9 4 3
Michael Atherton England 1993-2001 15 4 9 2
Mike Brearley England 1977-1981 15 11 1 3
Alastair Cook England 2013-2015 15 6 7 2
Monty Noble Australia 1903-1909 15 8 5 2
Joe Root England 2017-2022 15 2 10 3
Bill Woodfull Australia 1930-1934 15 5 6 4

Archie MacLaren captained England in 22 Ashes Tests between 1897 and 1909, the second-most by anyone, but won only four and lost 11. No Ashes captain has lost more Tests. Joe Root has lost 10 of his 15, the second-most. Among England’s modern captains, Andrew Strauss has the best record: five wins and two defeats in 10 Tests. He won the series at home in 2009 and 3-1 in Australia in 2010-11, which is still England’s last series win in Australia.

Unbeaten Ashes captains

Only two captains have led in six or more Ashes Tests without losing one. Warwick Armstrong won eight and drew two of his 10. Bob Simpson of Australia was unbeaten in eight Tests, with two wins and six draws, in 1964 and 1965-66.

The current Ashes captains

Pat Cummins has led Australia in 10 Ashes Tests, with six wins, two defeats and two draws. Australia won 4-0 in 2021-22 and drew 2-2 in England in 2023 to keep the urn. He missed four Tests of the 2025-26 series through injury and returned for the third Test at Adelaide, which Australia won.

Ben Stokes led England in the 2023 and 2025-26 series, with three wins, six defeats and a draw in 10 Tests. Joe Root, who captained England in 15 Ashes Tests between 2017 and 2022, was reappointed England’s Test captain in July 2026 and will take a 2-10 Ashes record into his second spell.

For the series results behind these records, see our list of Ashes winners. For players, see most runs in the Ashes and most wickets in the Ashes.

Featured photo: Ian Kington / AFP