Cricket Captains Captains of All Time: “A leader can only do the best he can for his team and for cricket as a whole. You are a star when you are winning. If you lose, the backslappers will go away.” Richie Benaud, one of the best voices in cricket, said these words, which show how hard it is to be a captain in the sport. They are constantly under the spotlight, and while they are praised when their team wins, they are often harshly criticized when they lose or if there are other problems within the team, such as with team combination or on- and off-field decisions. Check out the most well-known cricket captains.
Click Here for IPLT20 Records: IPL T20 RECORDS
Click Here for Official T20 World Cup Site: News on T20 World Cup
So, a successful captain is one who can handle pressure with ease and stay true to his mission even though the public’s views and expectations are always changing. With success comes popularity, and cricket has had some very popular captains who were at the top of their fame because of how well they led and how charismatic and visionary they were as a whole.
Top 10 Most Popular Cricket Captains in History
Here is a list of the top 10 most famous cricket captains of all time:
10. Arjuna Ranatunga
When people talk about Sri Lankan cricket, Arjuna Ranatunga is a name that can’t be missed. The Sri Lankan cricket team’s luck changed totally because of how well he led and what he wanted for the sport. Before the 1996 World Cup, Sri Lanka was thought to be one of the weaker teams. However, Ranatunga’s knowledge of the game, along with his willingness to make bold choices and support his players, changed the game.
His choice to start with Kaluwitharana and Jayasurya was a total surprise to the other teams, who came out swinging right away!!!
9. Brendon Mccullum
Brendon Mccullum, known as “the dasher” for his brave batting, was named captain of New Zealand in December 2012. It was soon clear that his team would play the same kind of fearless, aggressive cricket that he has been playing as an individual. While he has led his team to some great wins in Test cricket, like the ones in Headingly and the U.A.E., he has also lost a lot of games. As leader, he did best in one-day internationals (ODIs). In ODIs, he has a winning rate of 61.86, and the best thing about his time as captain was getting New Zealand to the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 for the first time ever. Mccullum got a lot of attention when he smashed the other team’s bowlers on his way to 158 runs in the first IPL game.
He was the same way in New Zealand cricket, and the other teams were surprised by his bold style of cricket during that time and at the world cup. Eoin Morgan said that they chose to play cricket like the Kiwis after the 2015 World Cup. So, the captain, Brendon Mccullum, was a charming and true leader who got cricket fans all over the world excited.
8. Eoin Morgan
Eoin Morgan, the captain, has changed the way white-ball cricket is played in England. He moved the attention from red-ball cricket to white-ball cricket, which started a new era in English cricket. Because England did so poorly in the 2015 World Cup, captain Morgan chose to make big changes to the white-ball cricket team. He led by example to show his teammates how England will play white-ball games in the future. This completely changed the English team. From the 2015 world cup until the 2019 world cup, the English team scored more 400s than any other team.
7. Graeme Smith
No one else in the world has led his country’s team in more Test matches than he has. Even though he was a great batter on his own, Graeme Smith will always be known as the Godfather of South African leaders because he had to lead his team at a young age. Even at the end of his career, no one questioned Smith’s captaincy because he was such a good leader. He left as a captain only, which was a good way to end his career. South Africa became the No. 1 team while he was leader.
6. Sourav Ganguly
People who know him well and his fans call him “Dada.” He is seen as a leader who changed how Indian cricket is played. He was the captain who, in the eyes of the other team’s captain, was equal to him. Dada took over as captain when match-fixing was a big problem in Indian cricket. He put together a core group of players who would serve Indian cricket for a long time. With a famous win at Eden Gardens, he led India to beat the Aussie Juggernaut, a team that no one could stop.
5. Imran Khan
Imran Khan is the Prime Minister of Pakistan right now, but long before he got into politics, people all over the world praised him for his leadership in cricket. He led Pakistan to victory in the 1992 Cricket World Cup, which is still the only World Cup that Pakistan has ever won. Imran Khan was a charismatic person on and off the pitch. He had a large fan base of women and was a leader who everyone admired. After Pakistan lost in the semifinals of the 1987 World Cup, he suddenly chose to retire. A year later, though, he came back because everyone in Pakistan wanted their leader back.
4. Clive Lloyd
He was the leader of one of the best and most successful cricket teams ever. He led the West Indies when they were the best cricket team in the world in the 1970s and 1980s. Under his leadership, the Windies won the World Cup in 1975 and 1979, but India beat them in the final in 1983. During his time as captain, the Windies went 27 Test matches without losing, with 11 wins in a row. He was able to handle and get the best out of every great player he had because of his personality.
3. Steve Waugh
The person who started Australia’s reign in cricket in the 1990s was a fighter with both the bat and the ball. He was also a good leader. Steve Waugh’s best trait, which is praised all over the world, is that he could lead from the front when the team was under the most pressure. He made a group of cricket players who were the best in the world for the next ten years or so. Under his leadership, Australia won the 1999 World Cup, even though they were almost out of the event and had to win five games in a row to win. His run in the world cup quarterfinals really showed how strong his mind was and how well he could do under pressure.
2. Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting picked up where Steve Waugh left off and took the Australian team to a whole new level. Under his leadership, the Aussies were so strong that most teams thought it was a big deal to beat them in just one game. In both ODIs and Tests, his team beat the World 11 team very badly. Ponting felt that a leader should lead by example. Being a captain helped his batting, and he went on to become a run machine at number 3. Under his leadership, Australia won the 2003 and 2007 World Cups without losing a single game.
1. Mahendra Singh Dhoni the All time favorite Cricket Captains
The shy boy from Ranchi was criticized early in his career for not talking much behind the sticks. However, he went on to become the most successful and certainly the most well-liked Indian captain. Dhoni is the best white-ball captain in the world, and he has won every cricket prize there is. He is a good captain because he can trust his gut and make choices that aren’t the norm. He is known as “Captain Cool” because he can keep his cool at the bat and as a captain, even when things are getting tense.
In 2009-10, India was named number one in the ICC Test rankings when MSD was captain. His time as captain began with the first T20 World Cup, which India won with a young team. This was the start of the MSD era. Csk won the IPL three times while he was captain, and India also won the Champions Trophy in 2013.
Leave a Reply