ICC Test Championships Winners List With Captains Names: The World Test Championships, introduced by the ICC in 2019, have reestablished test cricket. Before WTC was introduced, the winner of the ICC test championship was declared based on a ranking system from all the test-playing nations that had the highest number of points.
From 2003 to 2019, this system was followed. Its cut-off date was April 1 every year, when the ICC would award the test mace as well as a cash prize to the team that gained the highest points. It was officially played for one year. Australia is the most successful team when it comes to winning the maximum number of test championship trophies.
They have won it 9 times. Test Cricket is slowly gaining its reputation back as we are witnessing competitive cricket in the red ball format and this is all thanks to the test championships and the WTC that was introduced in in 2019 by the ICC. The World Test Championship is played over a two-year cycle. In this, the top two teams who have the highest number of points play against each other in the final. In this piece, we discuss the winners of the ICC test championships and the team captains in detail:
ICC Test Championships Winners List With Captains Names
| Year | Winner | Captain’s Name |
| April 2003 | Australia | Steve Waugh |
| April 2004 | Australia | Steve Waugh |
| April 2005 | Australia | Ricky Ponting |
| April 2006 | Australia | Ricky Ponting |
| April 2007 | Australia | Ricky Ponting |
| April 2008 | Australia | Ricky Ponting |
| April 2009 | Australia | Ricky Ponting |
| April 2010 | India | MS Dhoni |
| April 2011 | India | MS Dhoni |
| April 2012 | England | Alistair Cook |
| April 2013 | South Africa | Graeme Smith |
| April 2014 | South Africa | Graeme Smith |
| April 2015 | South Africa | Hashim Amla |
| April 2016 | Australia | Steve Smith |
| April 2017 | India | Virat Kohli |
| April 2018 | India | Virat Kohli |
| April 2019 | India | Virat Kohli |
| June 2021 | New Zealand | Kane Williamson |
| June 2023 | Australia | Pat Cummins |
1. Australia, Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Steve Smith and Pat Cummins- (9 times) –
Australia has been the most dominant team, winning nine test championships, including one World Test Championship. Steve Waugh was the captain when the team won the first test championship mace in 2003.
Under his captaincy, the team again won it in 2004. From 2005 to 2009, Ricky Ponting was the skipper under Australia’s captaincy, who won the test championship mace for five back-to-back years. Under Steve Smith, Australia won it in 2016. After the introduction of the World Test Championship in 2019, Australia won the new format, which is played over a two-year cycle, under the captaincy of Pat Cummins in 2023 by beating India in the final.
2. India, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli- (5 times)-
‘Captain Cool’ MS Dhoni-led team India to two back-to-back wins in the test championships in 2010 and 2011. The former India captain and wicket-keeper batter’s calmness under pressure helped India win some challenging contests. Under Virat Kohli, team India found an aggressive captain under whom the team won three test championships in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
3. South Africa, Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla- (3 times)-
South Africa won two back-to-back test championships in 2013 and 2014. The Proteas were led by a determined captain who wasn’t afraid of taking bold decisions. In 2015, the team won the test championships under the captaincy of Hashim Amla.
4. England, Alistair Cook (1 time)-
The former England skipper and opener led the Three Lions to impressive wins against Sri Lanka and India at home during the test series against both sides. Cook took smart decisions as far as the team combinations were concerned even when the team travelled to other countries. During his captaincy, England won the test championship mace in 2012.
5. New Zealand, Kane Williamson (1 time)-
The Kiwis were led by a captain who helped reshape New Zealand cricket as a player as well as a skipper. Williamson looked strategically more prudent when it came to his field placements and his ability to make decisions on bowling changes.
Besides this, the right-hander’s calm temperament and his ability to keep his players together helped him grow as a leader that helped him successfully win matches in the subcontinent as well. Under his captaincy, New Zealand won the World Test Championships in 2021 by beating India in the final.
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