In cricket, there are 11 players in any team, and it’s these players’ performances that determine the outcome of matches. The player responsible for leading these players is called the captain.
The biggest determinant of a team’s win or loss is its captain, as it is their decisions that guide the performance of other players. This is why whenever a team wins a major tournament, the captain receives the most credit. Through today’s article, we are going to talk about some such captains in cricket history under whose leadership teams have won the most matches. And they are honored as the best captains in history.
Captaincy in cricket
The evaluation of the best captains in cricket history can be done on two aspects, one by looking at the overall captaincy records of players, and the other by examining their captaincy records in international tournaments. In today’s article, we will first discuss the captains who have won most ICC tournaments. After that, we will learn about the world’s best captains based on overall matches.
Captains who have won the most ICC trophies
Ricky Ponting: In the list of the greatest captains in cricket history, Australian captain Ricky Ponting holds the top position, under whose leadership Australia claimed 4 ICC trophies. Famous for his outstanding batting and captaincy, Ricky first led Australia to victory in the 2003 World Cup by defeating South Africa. After that, he achieved victory in the 2006 Champions Trophy. And in the following year, in 2007, under his captaincy once again, Australia claimed the title of the One Day World Cup.
As a captain, despite achieving many records, he didn’t stop, and in 2009, he won another ICC Champions Trophy. Ponting is the first captain in cricket history to have won the most trophies. He is also the first captain in the world to have win 2 Champions Trophies. And not only that, but he is jointly ranked first with Clive Lloyd in terms of consecutive victories in World Cups. However, he couldn’t win the T20 World Cup in his career.
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MS Dhoni: In the list of the greatest captains in the cricket world, the name of India’s former legendary captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, comes second after Ricky Ponting. Under Dhoni’s captaincy, India has won 3 ICC trophies, making him the second captain in the world to have won so many trophies. However, he is the only captain in the world whose name is recorded for winning the Champions Trophy, the 50-over World Cup, and the T20 World Cup.
Under the captaincy of Dhoni, India began its journey with the victory of the 2007 T20 World Cup. In the final of the T20 World Cup, India defeated the Pakistan team to claim the trophy. Following this, under Dhoni’s leadership, India won the 2011 World Cup by defeating Sri Lanka. And he didn’t stop there; after taking a year, Captain Cool led India to victory in the 2013 Champions Trophy as well. Dhoni’s captaincy was a golden era for India. Since that Champions Trophy, India has not been able to win any ICC trophy.
Clive Lloyd: Whenever the names of the greatest captains in the cricket world are mentioned, the name of West Indies’ Clive Lloyd is certainly included. This is because he became the first captain to win the ICC Cricket World Cup. Under his captaincy, the West Indies team won the World Cup trophy twice in a row. In Clive Lloyd’s captaincy, the West Indies team defeated Australia in the final of the 1975 World Cup, winning the trophy for the first time.
After that, in the next World Cup, i.e., the 1979 World Cup final, West Indies defeated England to claim the trophy. And Clive Lloyd didn’t just stop there; he was preparing to complete a hat-trick by winning the 1983 World Cup. However, Indian captain Kapil Dev didn’t let that happen and made India champions for the first time.
Darren Sammy: The fourth name among the great captains of the cricket world is that of West Indies’ captain, Darren Sammy, under whose captaincy West Indies became T20 World Cup champions twice. Under his leadership, West Indies defeated Sri Lanka in the final of the 2012 T20 World Cup and England in the final of the 2016 T20 World Cup to claim the trophy. Since then, the West Indies team has not been able to win any trophies. As a captain, after Clive Lloyd in West Indies, Darren Sammy is the one who receives the most respect, holding the second position.
Pat Cummins: The fifth captain on this list is none other than the recently victorious Australian captain, Pat Cummins, who led his team to victory in the 2023 World Cup final by defeating Team India and claiming the trophy. Not only in the One Day World Cup, but almost 6 months prior, Cummins achieved a spectacular victory in the ICC World Test Championship final against India. It is due to these two trophies that he has been included in the list of great captains in cricket history.
All Time Legendary captain
If we look at the world’s best captains in terms of captaincy in matches, this list will appear quite different. Because there have been many captains in cricket history who have shown excellent captaincy in normal matches. However, they couldn’t win the ICC trophies.
Ricky Ponting: As a captain, Ricky Ponting holds the top spot for winning the most matches. He has captained Australia in 324 matches. During this time, he succeeded in leading the team to victory in 220 matches. While he had to face defeat in 77 matches, he also tied 2 matches and drew 13 matches.
MS Dhoni: In this list, MS Dhoni is in second place, having captained India in 332 matches. During this time, India had to face victory in 178 matches and defeat in 120 matches. Additionally, they tied 6 matches and drew 15 matches.
Graeme Smith: As a captain, third on the list for winning the most matches is the veteran South African captain Graeme Smith. He led South Africa in 286 matches. During this time, his captaincy saw the South African team victorious in 163 matches. While they had to face defeat in 89 matches. Additionally, during this period, they tied 1 match and drew 27 matches.
Allan Border: In this list, fourth place is held by Australia’s Allan Border, who captained in 271 matches. During this time, under his leadership, the Australian team won 139 matches and faced defeat in 89 matches. Additionally, they tied 2 matches and drew 38 matches.
Virat Kohli: Fifth on the list of captains with the most wins is the Indian star Virat Kohli, who has captained in 213 matches. During his leadership, India has won 135 matches and faced defeat in 60 matches. Apart from this, under his captaincy, there were 3 tied matches and 11 draws.
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