Smith Australia's busiest new skipper

An analysis of the schedules for each of Australia's past six full-time Test captains has revealed that Steve Smith is perhaps the busiest skipper in Australian history.

Smith, who this week completed his first 12 months as Australia's full-time Test and ODI skipper, has played more games in his first year in charge than the men who preceded him in Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh, Mark Taylor and Allan Border.

Since Cricket Australia announced its decision to withdraw Smith from the ongoing limited-overs series against Sri Lanka, one of the most popular criticisms of Smith has been the claim that legendarily stubborn and gritty captains such as Border or Waugh would not have done the same thing.

But neither Border nor Waugh played in an era where schedules are as demanding or tightly crammed as they are today. And while the profile, pressure and scrutiny that comes with leading the best players of the nation's favourite sport has always been intense, off-field demands have increased exponentially as well.

All of which backs up the assertion from head coach and selector Darren Lehmann that resting Smith is what "we think is the best thing for Steven to get him right and ready to go".

"We planned that for a long time and he (Smith) took some convincing, there's no doubt about that," Lehmann said in Colombo this week.

"But as a coach and a selection panel we're making sure he's fresh and ready to go each and every time he plays for Australia.

"We just wanted to make sure that he's fresh and ready to go for South Africa and then the big summer ahead.

"It was well planned and well thought out, and that's what we're doing."

Steve Smith

Image Id: ~/media/FC71C259128940259339E5EB73C05027 Image Caption: Smith with 100 in Perth, 2015 // Getty

Smith, Australian Test cricket's 45th captain, took on the top job full-time in August 2015 following Michael Clarke's retirement in the fifth Ashes Test. Smith had already filled in for a hamstrung Clarke for two Tests the previous summer, but his permanent reign at the summit of Australian cricket started the day after watching England lift the Ashes urn at The Oval, on August 24, 2015.

Smith also took over the full-time captaincy of Australia's one-day side, and stood in as skipper of the Twenty20 team while Aaron Finch was out injured. While Finch returned to lead Australia's T20 outfit, Smith was named permanent skipper for all three formats less than six months later, ahead of the 2016 World T20 tournament in India.

He became the first man since Ricky Ponting to lead Australia in all three formats at the same time, and the only one to have done it in his first 12 months as in charge.

Smith's introduction to leadership has been a whirlwind affair. Before returning from Sri Lanka this week, Australia's skipper had just three nights at home since the Australia team departed these shores.

First bound for New Zealand, in late January, where he guided Australia’s return to the world No.1 Test team summit, the players had a few nights to re-pack their kit backs at home before returning to the airport. They have since been to South Africa, the World T20 in India – where Smith stayed on for the IPL – before heading to New York to link up again with the team.

Smith followed the Caribbean tri-series, which Australia won, with a return visit to the US before travelling directly to Colombo to face the Sri Lankans.

He now has two weeks away from cricket, before the requirements of captaincy kick in again with various obligations to be completed at the last available opportunity before the home summer gets underway. The team will then travel to Johannesburg a week before the opening ODI of their South Africa tour when they face Ireland on September 27.

First 12 months as full-time captain

Tests: 11

ODIs: 23

T20s: 9

Sheffield Shield: 1

Matador Cup: 6

T20 warm-up: 1

IPL: 8

First-class tour match: 1

Total matches: 60

Michael Clarke

Image Id: ~/media/AF8B8A7CEABF402AAA754FC746B16DAE Image Caption: Clarke's first Test ton as skipper // Getty

Clarke's first taste of international captaincy was with Australia's T20 side, which he took on in 2009.  His first Test in charge came when injury forced Ponting out of the final match of the 2010-11 Ashes.

Following that SCG Test, Clarke announced he was retiring from T20 cricket to focus on the longer formats of the game. He took over stewardship of the Test and one-day teams when Ponting relinquished the captaincy following the 2011 World Cup. The timing meant while Clarke did captain Australia in all three formats, he never held all three roles at the same time.

Clarke also took charge of the Australia team with his predecessor still in the dressing room. Ponting's commitment to Australian cricket saw him bat on after relinquishing the captaincy to help ensure a seamless transition.

First 12 months as full-time captain

Tests: 11

ODIs: 17

First-class tour matches: 2

List A tour match: 1

Total Matches: 31

Ricky Ponting

Image Id: ~/media/ED2939314C8C4F2B9781D095020FBD58 Image Caption: Ponting amongst the runs in 2004 ?? Getty

Ponting had the unusual circumstance of being named the next Australia captain some six weeks before his reign officially started. With Steve Waugh announcing he would retire at the end of the 2003-04 summer, Cricket Australia moved quickly to avoid any protracted leadership speculation to name Ponting as the man to take over.

One of the best batsmen of the modern era, Australia's all-time leading run scorer and the only man in history to have been part of 100 Test victories – that's a lot of renditions of Under the Southern Cross.

With Australia not having any winter tours scheduled in 2004, Ponting spent his first winter as Australia skipper playing county cricket with Somerset in England.

First 12 months as full-time captain

Tests: 10

ODIs: 24

County first-class: 3

County one-day: 4

County T20: 1

First-class tour matches: 2

List A tour match: 1

Total matches: 45

Steve Waugh

Image Id: ~/media/356A97CF6E724EA089835FB5B3B744E1 Image Caption: Waugh raises the bat // Getty

Waugh took over captaincy Australia's one-day team in 1997, two summers before he was given the reigns of the Test team following Mark Taylor's retirement.

Taylor retired a month after the Ashes-winning 1998-99 summer, and Waugh took over with his first order of business a tour against the mighty West Indies team.

From the Caribbean it was on to England where, after a rocky start, Waugh's one-day side charged towards the World Cup title in unforgettable fashion.

Waugh went on to play 168 Tests matches – breaking Border's record for the most played – with 57 of them as captain in a six-year span.

First 12 months as full-time captain

Tests: 14

ODIs: 35

Sheffield Shield: 1

First-class tour matches: 2

List A tour match: 5

Total Matches: 57

Mark Taylor

Image Id: ~/media/048D8609E4FD49B8A6038AE8D23B0D87 Image Caption: Taylor after scoring an Ashes century // Getty

Taking over from Border, Taylor completed his former captain's goal of finally defeating the legendary West Indies. It was an inauspicious start to Taylor's captaincy, however, when he recorded a pair – dismissed without scoring in both innings – in his first Test as Australia's skipper.

First 12 months as full-time captain

Tests: 9

ODIs: 25

Sheffield Shield: 2

First-class tour matches: 4

Total Matches: 40

Allan Border

Image Id: ~/media/C3898491E06740A4B4E14C6799E1C44A Image Caption: Not grumpy here // Getty

The original 'Captain Grumpy', Border almost single-handedly dragged Australian cricket from the doldrums to being world beaters. He took over the captaincy in unusual circumstances; following Kim Hughes's famously teary exit in late 1984.

Notably, Border played 11 tour matches in his first year in charge of the Australian team – many of them against English sides when schedules allowed for a lengthy tour of the British Isles. It didn't help much in that first year as England continued their Ashes stranglehold with a 3-1 win.

And while Border was on the scoresheet for all of Australia's tour matches as skipper, it's unlikely he was present for every ball bowled during the tour.

This era was also notable for having one-day series scheduled between Tests – a more drastic version of the chopping and changing between formats that still causes cricketers headaches today.

And the new Australia skipper also found time to turn out five times for Queensland within his first 12 months in charge of the national set-up.

First 12 months as full-time captain

Tests: 12

ODIs: 21

Sheffield Shield: 5

First-class tour matches: 11

One-day domestic: 1

List A tour match: 5

Total Matches: 55

Image Id: ~/media/3B161E5BA228424E8C67D0E4ED784984