A football team’s success is very much dependent on its manager while in cricket, a captain plays the most vital role. Apart from their basic role as a batter, or bowler, or keeper, a captain has much more to serve through brainstorming on the cricket field. Many legendary captains have embraced the cricket fields throughout history and here Sportsnile is set to reveal the list of the top 10 Cricket Captains of All Time. Top 10 Most Beautiful Cricket Stadium in the World (Best Grounds).
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Top 10 Cricket Captains of All Time
Who is the best captain in cricket history? Which captain won the most ICC trophies? Which captain won all the trophies? Also, Which captain won the most World Cups in cricket? Find all these answers.
10) Michael Clarke
One of the finest modern-day test batsmen in history, Michael Clarke was a decent captain. In 47 test matches as captain, he has a 51.06 winning percentage with as many as 24 wins & 16 losses. In the ODIs, he even holds a better record with an impressive 70.42-win percentage with 50 wins out of 74 One Day Internationals. He also skippered Australia in 18 T20Is and won 12 of those. Clarke won the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup with Australia as the captain of the side. He also led the side to the 2010 T20 WC Final in the Caribbean Islands.
9) Eoin Morgan
Maybe, one can say, he just led the side in the White Ball Cricket, but Morgan has been the best-ever captain in England’s history. The Ireland-born captained England in a record 126 ODIs as well as 72 Twenty20s. His 118 wins with the 3 Lions as a skipper is also a record. He has been the first and so far the only English captain to win the ICC World Cup Trophy. After a disappointing 2015 CWC at Australia and New Zealand, the way he led the English white ball revolution, will be written in Gold. Under his captaincy, England also featured in the 2016 ICC T20 WC Final.
8) Sourav Ganguly
Ganguly has captained India in a total of 196 international matches and grabbed 97 victories with a 49% win percentage. He won 21 out of 49 test matches as captain while leading the side to 146 ODIs and winning 76 of those. India jointly won the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy under his leadership. But apart from all these, Ganguly was the most impactful captain in India’s history. Under his captaincy and leadership, the country’s cricket got rebirth and he nursed a full set of young players who went on to achieve much more in near future.
7) Allan Border
Border captained Australia in a record 93 test matches and with a 34.40 win percentage, he won 33 tests as a captain. But you must remember he lost only 22 test matches as 38 other matches ended in draws. In the ODIs, his numbers are much superior as he led the Aussies in 178 ODI matches, and got 107 wins with a 61.42 win percentage. He was the first-ever captain in Australia’s history to win the World Cup.
6) Graeme Smith
The only captain to feature in this list without winning a major ICC event. The former Protea skipper holds the record of captaining the highest number of times in international cricket with as many as 109 matches as captain (108 for SA and 1 for ICC). Graeme Smith’s captaincy record in test reads 53 wins, 29 losses, 27 draws, 48.62 win percentage. While, the left-handed opening batter’s ODI captaincy record reads 150 matches, 92 wins, 51 losses, 1 tie, and 64.23 win percentage.
5) Imran Khan
An Oxford graduate who also got the opportunity to lead the country’s govt as the prime minister, but the biggest achievement of his career will still be the only captain in the country’s history to win the ICC World Cup Trophy with a mediocre side. They say, Mr. Khan was a charismatic skipper who led by example on the field. With an incredible cricketing brain and the outstanding ability to bring out the best from the players, Imran Khan has very few matching of his class. His test-skipping stats say 48 matches, 14 wins, 8 losses, and 26 draws. He guided Pakistan to three consecutive series draws against the thenceforth mighty West Indies side. He led Pakistan in 139 ODIs and managed to get 75 victories.
4) Steve Waugh
He is labeled as the most successful test captain in history. Why? He captained Australia 57 test matches and won 41 out of those with an incredible 71.92 win percentage. He tasted just 9 defeats as captain in the longer versions. Under his captaincy, Australia won 16 consecutive test matches which is still a record. In the shorter versions, he led the side on 106 occasions, and with a 65.23 win percentage, he grabbed 65 victories as the skipper. Waugh also led Australia to 1999 CWC glory.
3) Clive Lloyd
Well, you must put Sir while taking his name. Sir Clive Lloyd is the most inspirational captain for all the modern-day cricketing leaders. This man wrote his name on the history books as he is the first-ever captain in cricket history to win an ICC event, the 1975 CWC. Well, he went on to win 2 consecutive World Cup titles. He definitely had a really gifted set of cricketers but he truly transformed those players into merciless weapons and the whole combo looked to be one of the greatest sides in cricket history.
The former Windies captain’s test record read 74 matches, 36 wins, 12 losses, 26 draws, 48.64 win percentage while his captaincy record in the ODIs read 84 matches, 64 wins, 18 losses, 1 tie, 77.71 win percentage.
2) Mahendra Singh Dhoni
The name, for which many of the fans might have been waiting. In fact, many could expect this name right at the top of the chart. But MSD is our 2nd best captain in history. No doubt, he has one of the sharpest cricketing brains in history if not the very sharpest. He is the only captain to win all the ICC trophies during his time. Dhoni led India to 2007 ICC T20 WC Glory which was followed by the 2011 ICC CWC triumph. He also guided India to the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy victory.
The Jharkhand-born cricket sensation won 27 out of 60 test matches as captain while losing 18. In ODIs, he led in 200 matches and grabbed 110 victories. But the way he could read the games and used to have his impact from behind the stumps was truly unparalleled. Dhoni stands 2nd among the Top 10 Cricket Captains in history. Top 10 Indian Cricketers of All Time Name List 2023 (Legends).
Who is best captain in cricket history?
It’s none other than the Great Ricky Ponting. He is one of the only 2 captains to win 2 ICC World Cup Trophies (alongside Lloyd). The former Kangaroos skipper is also the captain to win most ICC trophies with as many as 4 titles (2 ICC CWC, 2 ICC CT). Ricky has a sensational cricketing brain and knowledge and he has an unbelievable level of impact on the game. Nowadays, he is also getting success as a cricket coach.
Take a look at Ricky’s Test stats as the captain: 77 matches, 48 wins, 16 losses, 13 draws, and a 62.33 win percentage. Punter’s ODI stats while leading the side are 230 matches, 165 wins, 51 losses, 2 ties, and a 76.14 win percentage. Ponting holds the 1st rank among Sportsnile’s Top 10 Cricket Captains of All Time.
Top 10 Captain in Cricket History
| Ranking | Captain Name | Country |
| 1st | Ricky Ponting | Australia |
| 2nd | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | India |
| 3rd | Clive Lloyd | West Indies |
| 4th | Imran Khan | Pakistan |
| 5th | Steve Waugh | Australia |
| 6th | Graeme Smith | South Africa |
| 7th | Allan Border | Australia |
| 8th | Sourav Ganguly | India |
| 9th | Eoin Morgan | England |
| 10th | Michael Clarke | Australia |
Which captain won most ICC trophies?
Australian captain Ricky Ponting won most ICC trophies. He won as many as 4 ICC trophies:
- 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup
- 2006 ICC Champions Trophy
- 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup
- 2009 ICC Champions Trophy.
Which captain won all trophies?
Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won all the ICC trophies in cricket during his time.
- 2007 ICC T20 World Cup
- 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup
- 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.
Which captain won most World Cup in cricket?
Sir Clive Lloyd and Ricky Ponting jointly won the most World Cups in cricket. Sir Lloyd won 2 WC titles with West Indies in 1975 and 1979. While, Ponting had the privilege to win 2 ICC ODI World Cup Trophies with Australia in 2003 and 2007. Top 10 Greatest Wicket Keeper Batsman of All Time (Best Ever).
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