By SRTeam In a cricket match, when your team wins, surely you win as a team, but the way the match was carried out and handled by the captain of both teams, is something that can make the difference between winning and losing. And that is precisely why a cricket team captain is one of the most important jobs in the world of cricket all around the globe. Over the years though, we have seen many cricket captains come and go, but there are a few names that will always be stuck in cricket lovers’ heads because of how well they performed. Today’s post is dedicated to just that because here we’re about to get down to the list of the top 10 best cricket captains in the world EVER. Alright, let’s get going.
1. Ricky Ponting (Australia)
Ricky Ponting had one of the greatest cricket careers ever, no two ways about that. That is the very reason that he has been retired for a long time now, but the cricketing world never seems to stop talking about him. Like, he has played 324 matches with Australia, winning 220 of them at a total win percentage of 67.9%. How about that? Sure enough, under his leadership, Australia was nearly unbeatable. He led Australia in the 2003 and 2007 World Cups without losing a single game in either tournament, you know? To add to the list of Ponting’s extraordinary achievements, he is the only player ever to win more than 100 Test matches.
2. MS Dhoni (India)
Captain Cool? Yes, that’s MS Dhoni, who was THE coolest captain that India ever had! He was the one captain who led the team in 332 matches and won 178 matches with a reasonable win percentage of 53.61%. But the way he has won the big tournaments makes him different. From the T20 World Cup in 2007, ODI World Cup in 2011, and Champions Trophy in 2013, Dhoni is the only captain to win all three ICC trophies, were you aware of that? Not just that though, he took India to No 1 Test ranking for the first time in 2009.
3. Graeme Smith (South Africa)
At the time when he became the captain, although he was young (just 22 years old) he had the experience to lead the South African team. And you know what? Yes, he absolutely nailed this role! How? Well, he has won 163 out of the 286 matches he has led South Africa to, winning 56.99% of the time. And just so you know, Smith is still the player who has the most captaincy in Tests (108). All in all, he played a role in transforming South Africa into one of the world’s best Test teams, with major series victories in Australia in 2008-09 and 2012-13.
4. Steve Waugh (Australia)
You know, before Ricky Ponting, there was Steve Waugh. He was the man who started Australia’s golden era. Sure enough, Steve Waugh was a captain who led Australia in 163 matches and won in 108 of those games, giving him an impressive win rate of 66.25%, which is pretty insane if you think about it for a sec. And just so you know, under his leadership, Australia won the ODI World Cup in 1999 and became the No.1 Test team in the world.
5. Allan Border (Australia)
You see, at the time when Allan Border took over the captaincy of Australia, the team was down but never out. Like, he was in charge of Australia for 271 matches, winning 139 of these at a win percentage of 51.29. And just so you know, he was the one who guided Australia to their first-ever ODI World Cup victory in 1987.
6. Clive Lloyd (West Indies)
And to be honest, if you talk about how the West Indies cricket team once was one of the most feared cricket teams in cricket history, then the tribute to that will go to none other than Clive Lloyd. How and why? Well, for those who don’t know yet, he led in 158 games, winning 100 of them at a phenomenal winning percentage of 63.29%. And just so you know, yes, under his captaincy, the West Indies won the inaugural ODI World Cup in 1975 and defended their title in 1979, becoming the first-ever team to win it twice.
7. Imran Khan (Pakistan)
Next on the list, Imran Khan is a legend in Pakistan cricket, no doubt. Like, he captained 187 matches and won 87 of those, with a win percentage of 47.59%. And yes, he was the one captain under the team who won the first-ever ODI World Cup for Pakistan in 1992! Pakistan hasn’t seen anything like that win in its cricketing history, that’s for sure.
8. Virat Kohli (India)
Sure, we know that Virat Kohli scooped up many accolades as a captain but did not win the ICC Trophy. Yet, his record is one of the best. Like, he played India in 213 matches. He won 135 of those matches which gives him a strong win percentage of 63.38%. And yes, in Test cricket, he won 40 matches in 68 outings as India’s most successful captain.
9. Eoin Morgan (England)
If you have been watching cricket for a long time now, you’d remember that prior to Eoin Morgan, England wasn’t good in ODIs. Right? But when he took over, everything changed. Like, in 198 matches as captain of England, he won 118 times, thus a winning percentage of 59.59%. And yes, he was the one to lead the England team to their first-ever ODI World Cup 2019 final against New Zealand and won.
10. Hansie Cronje (South Africa)
Alright, last on the list, Hansie Cronje was one of South Africa’s greatest captains. He was at the center in 191 games and the side was victorious in 126 games with a win of 65.96%. With his leadership, South Africa became a top team towards the end of the 90s winning important series as well as tournaments.
Conclusion
If you look at the stats of these cricket captains, surely they’re the ones to be mentioned on this list and no one else. But this list was way more than their stats actually, you see, it was also about how these captains used the potential of their teams, their attitude on the field, and of course their individual performances as well.