Test cricket has witnessed one hundred occasions of a captain’s century in a test innings in losing cause. One hundredth occasion was Sri Lankan skipper FDM Karunaratne’s 103 against South Africa at Johannesburg in the just concluded test. His century came in Sri Lanka’a second innings and in the third innings of the test. Sri Lanka lost this test by ten wickets. The following table lists all the one hundred occasions in chronological order

No	Player	Runs	I	Team	Opp	Ground	Mon/Year
1	WL Murdoch	153*	3	Aus	Eng	The Oval	Sep 1880
2	GHS Trott	143	3	Aus	Eng	Lord’s	Jun 1896
3	MA Noble	133	1	Aus	Eng	Sydney	Dec 03
4	HW Taylor	109	1	SAF	Eng	Durban	Dec 13
5	HW Taylor	102	4	SAF	Eng	Durban	Feb 23
6	J Ryder	112	1	Aus	Eng	Melbourne	Dec 28
7	APF Chapman	121	3	Eng	Aus	Lord’s	Jun 30
8	A Melville	117	2	SAF	Eng	Lord’s	Jun 47
9	AD Nourse	114	3	SAF	Aus	Cape Town	Dec 49
10	JB Stollmeyer	104	4	Win	Aus	Sydney	Jan 52
11	GO Rabone	107	2	Win	SAF	Durban	Dec 53
12	PBH May	117	3	Eng	SAF	Manchester	Jul 55
13	PBH May	113	1	Eng	Aus	Melbourne	Dec 58
14	JR Reid	142	3	NZl	SAF	Jo’burg	Feb 62
15	Javed Burki	101	3	Pak	Eng	Lord’s	Jun 62
16	JR Reid	100	3	NZl	Eng	Christchurch	Mar 63
17	MAK Pataudi	128*	2	Ind	Aus	Chennai	Oct 64
18	JR Reid	128	1	NZl	Pak	Karachi	Apr 65
19	MAK Pataudi	148	3	Ind	Eng	Leeds	Jun 67
20	WM Lawry	135	2	Aus	Eng	The Oval	Aug 68
21	WM Lawry	105	2	Aus	Win	Brisbane	Dec 68
22	GS Sobers	113	4	Win	Aus	Sydney	Feb 69
23	BE Congdon	176	4	NZl	Eng	Nottingham	Jun 73
24	CH Lloyd	102	3	Win	Aus	Melbourne	Dec 75
25	AW Greig	116	2	Eng	Win	Leeds	Jul 76
26	GS Chappell	112	3	Aus	Eng	Manchester	Jul 77
27	GN Yallop	102	3	Aus	Eng	Brisbane	Dec 78
28	GN Yallop	121	1	Aus	Eng	Sydney	Feb 79
29	SM Gavaskar	127*	3	Ind	Pak	Faisalabad	Jan 83
30	AR Border	152*	3	Aus	NZl	Brisbane	Nov 85
31	Vengsarkar	102	3	Ind	Win	Delhi	Nov 87
32	DI Gower	106	3	Eng	Aus	Lord’s	Jun 89
33	AJ Lamb	119	2	Eng	Win	Bridgetown	Apr 90
34	Azharuddin	121	2	Ind	Eng	Lord’s	Jul 90
35	MD Crowe	108*	3	NZl	Pak	Lahore	Oct 90
36	DL Haynes	117	1	Win	Pak	Karachi	Nov 90
37	Azharuddin	106	4	Ind	Aus	Adelaide	Jan 92
38	A Ranatunga	127	2	Srl	Aus	Col-SSC	Aug 92
39	MD Crowe	107	3	NZl	Srl	Col-SSC	Dec 92
40	GA Gooch	133	4	Eng	Aus	Manchester	Jun 93
41	MA Atherton	144	1	Eng	Win	Georgetown	Mar 94
42	RB Richardson	100	1	Win	Aus	Kingston	Apr 95
43	Tendulkar	169	2	Ind	SAF	Cape Town	Jan 97
44	MA Taylor	129	3	Aus	Eng	Birmingham	Jun 97
45	WJ Cronje	126	1	SAF	Eng	Nottingham	Jul 98
46	Azharuddin	103*	1	Ind	NZl	Wellington	Dec 98
47	SR Waugh	100	1	Aus	Win	Kingston	Mar 99
48	SR Waugh	199	1	Aus	Win	Bridgetown	Mar 99
49	BC Lara	100	2	Win	Aus	St John’s	Apr 99
50	A Flower	129	3	Zim	Srl	Harare	Nov 99
51	Tendulkar	116	2	Ind	Aus	Melbourne	Dec 99
52	A Flower	113*	2	Zim	Win	Port of Spain	Mar 00
53	SR Waugh	110	1	Aus	Ind	Kolkata	Mar 01
54	N Hussain	110	3	Eng	Ind	Leeds	Aug 02
55	SR Waugh	102	2	Aus	Eng	Sydney	Jan 03
56	BC Lara	110	3	Win	Aus	Georgetown	Apr 03
57	BC Lara	122	4	Win	Aus	Port of Spain	Apr 03
58	BC Lara	202	2	Win	SAF	Jo’burg	Dec 03
59	SP Fleming	117	1	NZl	Eng	Nottingham	Jun 04
60	Mohd Yousuf	111	1	Pak	Aus	Melbourne	Dec 04
61	Trescothick	193	2	Eng	Pak	Multan	Nov 05
62	BC Lara	122	3	Win	Pak	Lahore	Nov 06
63	M Ashraful	129*	3	Ban	Srl	Col-PSS	Jul 07
64	MP Vaughan	124	3	Eng	Ind	Nottingham	Jul 07
65	M J’wardene	104	2	Srl	Aus	Hobart	Nov 07
66	RT Ponting	101	1	Aus	SAF	Melbourne	Dec 08
67	M Ashraful	101	4	Ban	Srl	Dhaka	Dec 08
68	DL Vettori	118	1	NZl	Ind	Hamilton	Mar 09
69	DL Vettori	140	4	NZl	Srl	Col-SSC	Aug 09
70	Sangakkara	137	3	Srl	Ind	Mum-BS	Dec 09
71	CH Gayle	102	2	Win	Aus	Perth	Dec 09
72	S Al Hasan	100	4	Ban	NZl	Hamilton	Feb 10
73	BRM Taylor	117	4	Zim	NZl	Bulawayo	Nov 11
74	MJ Clarke	151	1	Aus	SAF	Cape Town	Nov 11
75	M J’wardene	105	1	Srl	Eng	Col-PSS	Apr 12
76	DJG Sammy	106	1	Win	Eng	Nottingham	May 12
77	LRPL Taylor	113	1	NZl	Ind	Bengaluru	Aug 12
78	AN Cook	176	3	Eng	Ind	Ahmedabad	Nov 12
79	MJ Clarke	130	1	Aus	Ind	Chennai	Feb 13
80	M Rahim	116	3	Ban	Win	Kingstown	Sep 14
81	V Kohli	115	2	Ind	Aus	Adelaide	Dec 14
82	V Kohli	141	4	Ind	Aus	Adelaide	Dec 14
83	AN Cook	105	1	Eng	Win	Bridgetown	May 15
84	AD Mathews	122	3	Srl	Pak	Pallekele	Jul 15
85	V Kohli	103	2	Ind	Srl	Galle	Aug 15
86	AD Mathews	102	2	Srl	Ind	Col-PSS	Aug 15
87	AD Mathews	110	4	Srl	Ind	Col-SSC	Aug 15
88	McCullum	145	1	NZl	Aus	Christchurch	Feb 16
89	SPD Smith	119	2	Aus	Srl	Col-SSC	Aug 16
90	AG Cremer	102*	2	Zim	Srl	Harare	Oct 16
91	F du Plessis	118*	1	SAF	Aus	Adelaide	Nov 16
92	M Rahim	159	1	Ban	NZl	Wellington	Jan 17
93	M Rahim	127	2	Ban	Ind	Hyd-RGS	Feb 17
94	SPD Smith	111	1	Aus	Ind	Dharamsala	Mar 17
95	V Kohli	153	2	Ind	SAF	Centurion	Jan 18
96	V Kohli	149	2	Ind	Eng	Birmingham	Aug 18
97	V Kohli	123	2	Ind	Aus	Perth	Dec 18
98	Mahmudullah	146	3	Ban	NZl	Hamilton	Feb 19
99	CR Ervine	107	1	Zim	Ban	Dhaka	Feb 20
100	F Karunaratne	103	3	Srl	SAF	Jo’burg	Jan 21

It also provides the eighth occasion of a Sri Lankan captain’s century going in vain. All such occasions are tabulated below. FDM Karunaratne became the first Sri Lankan captain to witness his century in a losing cause against South Africa.

No	Player	Runs	I	Team	Opp	Ground	Mon/Yr
1	A Ranatunga	127	2	Srl	Aus	Col-SSC	Aug 92
2	M Jayawardene	104	2	Srl	Aus	Hobart	Nov 07
3	KC Sangakkara	137	3	Srl	Ind	Mum-BS	Dec 09
4	M Jayawardene	105	1	Srl	Eng	Col-PSS	Apr 12
5	AD Mathews	122	3	Srl	Pak	Pallekele	Jul 15
6	AD Mathews	102	2	Srl	Ind	Col-PSS	Aug 15
7	AD Mathews	110	4	Srl	Ind	Col-SSC	Aug 15
7	FDM Karunaratne	103	3	Srl	SAF	Jo’burg	Jan 21

It also provides the ninth occasion of captain’s century going in vain against South Africa. All such occasions are tabulated below. FDM Karunaratne became the first Sri Lankan captain to witness his century in a losing cause against South Africa.

No	Player	Runs	I	Team	Opp	Ground	Mon/Yr
1	GO Rabone	107	2	Win	SAF	Durban	Dec 53
2	PBH May	117	3	Eng	SAF	Manchester	Jul 55
3	JR Reid	142	3	NZl	SAF	Jo’burg	Feb 62
4	SR Tendulkar	169	2	Ind	SAF	Cape Town	Jan 97
5	BC Lara	202	2	Win	SAF	Jo’burg	Dec 03
6	RT Ponting	101	1	Aus	SAF	Melbourne	Dec 08
7	MJ Clarke	151	1	Aus	SAF	Cape Town	Nov 11
8	V Kohli	153	2	Ind	SAF	Centurion	Jan 18
9	FDM Karunaratne	103	3	Srl	SAF	Jo’burg	Jan 21

It also provides the 18th occasion of captain opener’s century going in vain in the annals of test cricket. All such occasions are tabulated below. FDM Karunaratne became the first Sri Lankan captain opener to witness his century in a losing cause

No	Player	Runs	I	Team	Opp	Ground	Mon/Yr
1	HW Taylor	109	1	SAF	Eng	Durban	Dec 13
2	A Melville	117	2	SAF	Eng	Lord’s	Jun 47
3	JB Stollmeyer	104	4	Win	Aus	Sydney	Jan 52
4	GO Rabone	107	2	Win	SAF	Durban	Dec 53
5	WM Lawry	135	2	Aus	Eng	The Oval	Aug 68
6	WM Lawry	105	2	Aus	Win	Brisbane	Dec 68
7	SM Gavaskar	127*	3	Ind	Pak	Faisalabad	Jan 83
8	DL Haynes	117	1	Win	Pak	Karachi	Nov 90
9	GA Gooch	133	4	Eng	Aus	Manchester	Jun 93
10	MA Atherton	144	1	Eng	Win	Georgetown	Mar 94
11	RB Richardson	100	1	Win	Aus	Kingston	Apr 95
12	MA Taylor	129	3	Aus	Eng	Birmingham	Jun 97
13	SP Fleming	117	1	NZl	Eng	Nottingham	Jun 04
14	ME Trescothick	193	2	Eng	Pak	Multan	Nov 05
15	CH Gayle	102	2	Win	Aus	Perth	Dec 09
16	AN Cook	176	3	Eng	Ind	Ahmedabad	Nov 12
17	AN Cook	105	1	Eng	Win	Bridgetown	May 15
18	FDM Karunaratne	103	3	Srl	SAF	Jo’burg	Jan 21

It also provides the second occasion of captain opener’s century going in vain in the annals of test cricket against South Africa. Both such occasions are tabulated below. Prior to FDM Karunaratne, GO Rabone of West Indies had scored 107 as captain opener against South Africa at Durban in 1953 and his knock was in vain. The interval between these two occasions is 68 years.

No	Player	Runs	I	Team	Opp	Ground	Mon/Yr
1	GO Rabone	107	2	Win	SAF	Durban	Dec 53
2	FDM Karunaratne	103	3	Srl	SAF	Jo’burg	Jan 21