List of Few Greatest Cricket Captains of All Time

There is no one as revered as the captain when it comes to cricket. The captain not only sets the tone for the team, but he also sets the tone for how other teams play against them. Great captains can be identified by their consistency and ability to adapt during a game. To become a great captain, you need to learn how to lead and motivate your team and adapt your tactics according to what is needed for that situation.

The best cricket team captain in the world is mentioned below.

Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting is regarded by many as the best captain of the Australian Cricket team. He was appointed as team captain in 1999 and led Australia to over 90 wins out of 110 Tests that he captained them in. To have 90 wins in 110 games gives you an 80% win ratio, which is one of the highest among modern captains, but it wasn’t just his win-loss record that made him so great. He was a fighting captain who always believed it was possible to win no matter the situation. He led from the front and was never afraid to take risks.

Ricky Ponting’s greatest moment that made him a legend captain was when he single-handedly led Australia to their memorable win in the 5th and final test against England at Sydney. His team was 0-3 and looked like losing their last test match, and without a single ball being bowled, the captain said, let’s take this game away from them. With virtually no hope of winning, he went up to bowl, and with no one backing him up, the captain just smashed the ball all over the field with ease.

Steve Waugh

Steve Waugh is one of the best cricket captains of all time. He captained the Australian cricket team in a record 149 test matches, and he won 70% of them, which is an incredible record. He also led his country to victory at the 1999 Cricket World Cup and the 2003 Cricket World Cup.

He led Australia into their most successful era by winning three consecutive Ashes series from 1999 to 2001 and four consecutive ones between 2002 and 2004. He led the Australian test side to victory in the 1999 Cricket World Cup. Waugh scored 224 runs in four games, including three half-centuries. His best performance came against Sri Lanka when he scored 88 runs, including a century.

He also captained the Australian test side in the 2002 ICC trophy. He selected uncapped all-rounder Andrew Symonds for that tournament. It proved to be a good choice because he got very useful runs with the bat, and he was also an important part of Australia’s bowling attack. He took six wickets at an average of 18.

Graeme Smith

 Graeme Smiths saw mixed success in his cricketing career. His time was significant, though; it included an intense period of dominance for South Africa. He helped them win back the world cup in 2003 and became captain of the national side when their captain resigned suddenly.

But Smith’s reign was full of controversy. His captaincy stint is possibly the most bitter in terms of public opinion. He also had to deal with South Africa’s decline in fortunes, which they only recovered from in the latter part of his career when his form picked up. Graeme scored 6555 runs in 190 ODIs, including eight centuries. His ODI record is the second-highest by a South African behind A.B. de Villiers, who also captained South Africa at one point in stints.

About MS Dhoni

M.S. Dhoni,  is an Indian cricketer and former captain of the Indian national cricket team who captained India for over ten years before retiring from international cricket . He is widely regarded as one of the greatest  captain of the Indian side in ODI cricket, T20 cricket and test matches.

Dhoni is regarded as one of the best fielders in all forms of cricket. He is renowned for his ability to score runs, take wickets and grab catches with ease at any part of the ground while batting or bowling. Many experts in the world also hail his defensive skills. He made his debut for India against Pakistan in December 2004 making him just another promising young talent that had entered into international cricket.

Under his captaincy, India won the T-20 world cup, ODI world cup and the champions trophy. He is overall in 65 winning percentage in all formats of cricket. He is known for his quick decisions on and off the field. He is also known as Captain Cool because he plays very calmly under high pressure and manages the team well.