The best leaders in Cricket History – Who are they? Let’s find out.

[bullseye7]

The captain’s role is a very difficult, stressful and decisive one in shaping the destiny of a team.

Wrong decisions at crucial changes can cost the match while appropriate ones can win or salvage a draw.

This is an attempt to identify the best leaders in test history.

For sake of simplification this is restricted to the best leaders in the history from 1970 and thereafter.

In choosing the best test captains I considered the following rationale

Man Management skills

Leading from the front

Ability to handle pressure

A sharp and innovative thinker

Excellent communication skills – both with players , team management and media

Superior motivation skills

Never say die attitude, fighter to the core

Ability to make quick changes as situation demands

Ability to read strengths and weaknesses of own and opposition team

Ability to recover quickly from team loss

Get 100% from each and every player

A good and consistency record

Here is my take on the basis of the above rationale

This is not necessarily the best or accurate. It is just my perception.

1. Allan Border

2. Imran Khan

3. Mike Brearley

4. Clive Lloyd

5. Ian Chappell

6.Ricky Ponting

7. Sir Viv Richards

8. Steve Waugh

9. Sourav Ganguly

10. Stephen Fleming

11. Arjuna Rantunga

Update : Nov 11 2009

Readers' Choice – Mark Taylor

Acknowledgments: Readers - Random Aussie, Sufi Malang, Guenon123


Now time for readers to share their selected ones .

You can choose anywhere from (1 – 10) – whatever number you feel comfortable.

Who’s next?

[Random Aussie]

Mark Taylor was the best captain I have seen for Australia, I never saw Chappelli captain.

Viv was not a good captain, neither is Ponting.

[jatt799]

i go for yk

[JeeraBlade]

1) Lloyd, Imran and Brearley - same level.

2) Ian Chappell, Steve Waugh and Miandad

day light


everybody else.

[Khalil]

Imran Khan

[Tendlya Rules]

1) Lloyd, Imran and Brearley - same level.

2) Ian Chappell, Steve Waugh and Miandad

day light


everybody else.

Very unusual choice..He was a good tactician..but did not get along with his teammates from all accounts..His teammates revolted against him when he was captain...I think he was captain when Pak won against Eng in 1991 in England..but you dont need any special ability if you hav ehte 2 Ws in your side..

[Afridi_Fan]

Imran Khan.

Steve Waugh.

[Howzat]

I agree with that list except Ricky Ponting. IMO Ponting is a very average captain. Don't just go by the results, the results are because he inherited a great team from Steve. Not because of his extraordinary captaincy skills. Mostly when Australia is in a spot of bother, Ponting has looked clueless.

[Bublu Bhuyan]

Allan Border tops the list for me as well. And I'd put Mark Taylor above Ricky Ponting.

[Bublu Bhuyan]

How about Shoaib Malik ? :D

[Xoib]

How about Shoaib Malik ? :D
Tendualkar.

[Tendlya Rules]

Shane Warne and Ravi Shastri also deserve a mention..

Both were creative and aggressive captains who never got a chance to lead their countries for any reasonable amount of time...

Dont know if they would fall in the "greatest" bracket though...Or if anybody on this list for htat matter..

I think nationalistic pride overrides most other criteria here when determining cricketing savvy or ability..
Imran Khan, undoubtedly, was a very good captain and a great player, but is lionized in Pak as the greatest of all time because he retired with a WC victory...and built a cancer hospital...

But there have been captains like Frank Worrell and Greame Smith who have had to face much more challenging situations

[Indieview]

Surprising Kapil Dev is not in the list :)

[Xoib]

Shane Warne and Ravi Shastri also deserve a mention..

Both were creative and aggressive captains who never got a chance to lead their countries for any reasonable amount of time...

Dont know if they would fall in the "greatest" bracket though...Or if anybody on this list for htat matter..

I think nationalistic pride overrides most other criteria here when determining cricketing savvy or ability..
Imran Khan, undoubtedly, was a very good captain and a great player, but is lionized in Pak as the greatest of all time because he retired with a WC victory...and built a cancer hospital...

But there have been captains like Frank Worrell and Greame Smith who have had to face much more challenging situations

Imran also won a series in India, England and drew 3 consecutive series with WI when Eng,Aus were getting black-white washed.

[alexjohn_tcr]

Ganguly was the best :)

[Random Aussie]

Tendualkar.

Dammit you got it first :po:

Question - who was worse captain Malik or Tendulkar?

And Ganguly was a good captain, rate him higher than Ponting.

[ringo16]

Ponting's been one of the worst captains of the modern era, losing the Ashes twice with the players he had. Maybe the greatest batsman since Bradman, but not a good captain.

I'm pleased you mention Stephen Fleming - he was a brilliant captain of a team of nobodies, and still did OK.

[AZ]

Ponting's been one of the worst captains of the modern era, losing the Ashes twice with the players he had. Maybe the greatest batsman since Bradman, but not a good captain.

I'm pleased you mention Stephen Fleming - he was a brilliant captain of a team of nobodies, and still did OK.

he's also won Test series away from home, and reclaimed the Ashes in devastating fashion.

and absolutely no doubt with Fleming, easily the best captain in modern cricket.

[Sufi Malang]

Mark TAylor should have been there and I don't think Ponting & Viv belongs to that list. They both have world best teams so the results were not because of their captaincy but due to the team that they had at their disposal.

I would also put Saleem Malik in that list as well. Its a pity that his captaincy was overshadowed by the match fixing sage but the guy was very shrewd captain who knew quite alot about the game!

[Turbokam512]

Imran Khan is the best

[Sheikh]

Imran for me. To take a bunch of disorganized, unprofessional players lacking in self belief and have them stand toe to toe with possibly the best side in history is an achievement like no other. He brought order to chaos, and made boys into men. Oh and he could play a bit too.

Whilst Border was a fantastic leader himself, he operated in an Australian sporting culture that prides itself on belief and excellence. Imran had none of that, and had to create it from scratch himself. Yes we've had pride and belief in individuals (Fazal and Hanif for example), but never extended to an entire team in the way it did under Imran.

[Bublu Bhuyan]

Imran for me. To take a bunch of disorganized, unprofessional players lacking in self belief and have them stand toe to toe with possibly the best side in history is an achievement like no other. He brought order to chaos, and made boys into men. Oh and he could play a bit too.

Whilst Border was a fantastic leader himself, he operated in an Australian sporting culture that prides itself on belief and excellence. Imran had none of that, and had to create it from scratch himself. Yes we've had pride and belief in individuals (Fazal and Hanif for example), but never extended to an entire team in the way it did under Imran.
The ultimate contest is between Imran Khan and Allan Border. Rest can take a hike.

[Guenon123]

1- Imran Khan
2- Mark Taylor
3- Arjuna Ranatunge
4- Steve Waugh
5- Sourav Ganguly

[IAJ]

Imran Khan

Without any doubt!

[wiseguy]

imran khan

[Khalil]

Imran Khan was the best. Another really good captain was Mohammad Azharuddin

[Cover Drive]

Inzamam Ul Haq? :20:

[bullseye7]

Mark Taylor with a impressive record of 26 Wins, 13 losses and 11 draws in 50 matches that he captained certainly deserves to be in the Original Captain list.

I would like to thank readers Random Aussie, Sufi Malang, Guenon123 for pointing that out

Taylor has been added to original list with due acknowledgments to readers Random Aussie, Sufi Malang, Guenon123.

[OZGOD]

Allan Border, because he inherited a team in disarray and turned them into a dynasty.

[OZGOD]

I agree with that list except Ricky Ponting. IMO Ponting is a very average captain. Don't just go by the results, the results are because he inherited a great team from Steve. Not because of his extraordinary captaincy skills. Mostly when Australia is in a spot of bother, Ponting has looked clueless.

I agree with you. I reckon he's only an average-above average captain. That said, he has the loyalty of his players, he has identified blokes who will be mainstays in this team for the future, and he has managed the retirements of the greats and the introduction of new blood reasonably well, much better than the last time this happened to us when Chappell, Marsh and Lillee all retired. I was impressed with the way he managed our C team on the recent tour of India.

[12thMan]

Viv Richards not that good. Ponting I feel is getting better.

Now there are some we never saw like Worrell or Bradman or Kardar etc

[Oxy]

Ravi Shastri also deserve a mention


I think nationalistic pride overrides most other criteria here when determining cricketing savvy or ability..

Imran Khan, undoubtedly, was a very good captain and a great player, but is lionized in Pak as the greatest of all time because he retired with a WC victory...and built a cancer hospital...



Again...


Ravi Shastri also deserve a mention

What was that about 'nationalistic pride'??? From what I remember, he was vice-captain and always overlooked for the captaincy.

[lil saeed anwar]

Imran Khan and allan Border .

[bullseye7]

Captaincy record

Here is a rundown of captaincy record.

1. Allan Border

Matches : 93(Won : 32, lost : 22 , Drawn: 38, Tied : 1)

2. Imran Khan

Matches : 48 (Won 14 , lost : 8 , Drawn: 26)

3. Mike Brearley

Matches :31 (Won : 18 , lost : 4 , Drawn: 9)

4. Clive Lloyd

Matches :74 (Won : 36 , lost : 12 , Drawn: 26)

5. Ian Chappell

Matches : 30 (Won : 15, lost : 5 , Drawn: 10)

6.Ricky Ponting

Matches : 61 (Won: 39 , lost : 11, Drawn:11)

7. Sir Viv Richards

Matches : 50 (Won : 27 , lost : 8 , Drawn: 15)

8. Steve Waugh

Matches : 57 (Won : 41, lost : 9 , Drawn: 7)

9. Sourav Ganguly

Matches : 49 (Won : 21 , lost : 13 , Drawn: 15 )

10. Stephen Fleming

Matches : 80(Won : 28 , lost : 27 , Drawn: 25)

11. Arjuna Rantunga

Matches : 56 (Won :12 , lost : 19 , Drawn: 25)

Readers’ Choice

Mark Taylor

Matches : 50 (Won : 26 , lost : 13 , Drawn: 11)

Interesting to note that in terms of win % ,Steve Waugh leads everyone with 72% followed by Ricky Ponting 64% and Mike Brearley stands third with 58%.

[Afridi_Fan]

lets add another name who had all the powers he wanted but then did iQuit.

[12thMan]

...
Interesting to note that in terms of win % ,Steve Waugh leads everyone with 72% followed by Ricky Ponting 64% and Mike Brearley stands third with 58%.If you remember 4-5 years ago people were saying Fleming was the best captain around. They don't necessarly look at win percentage. It is also shown by Australian members that they may rate Border or Taylor above Waugh. For desis it might just be a tournament or wins. But for Pakistanis I would say Imran Khan was better in 80s in tests and none of that ODI WC to make him the best but quite a few will go to 1992 WC to make him the best

[bullseye7]

If you remember 4-5 years ago people were saying Fleming was the best captain around. They don't necessarly look at win percentage. It is also shown by Australian members that they may rate Border or Taylor above Waugh. For desis it might just be a tournament or wins. But for Pakistanis I would say Imran Khan was better in 80s in tests and none of that ODI WC to make him the best but quite a few will go to 1992 WC to make him the best

The Win, loss statistics does not reveal the true value or greatness of a skipper.

That is why I put Border, Immy and Brearley as the first 3 irrespective of the Win % and losses.

My selection was based on the rationale I mentioned in my opening post.

Even in ESPN's Cricket legend Greig Chappel rated very highly of Imran and he is the only all rounder chosen in Richie Benaud's All time Greatest Eleven.

I will discuss briefly the Captaincy skills of each as the thread grows.

Hope this helps.

[Random Aussie]

Some comment on the Aussie captains on the list.

I think to some degree these guys are all overrated because of the quality of players they had surrounding them, especially match winning bowlers like McGrath & Warne who could bowl in any conditions and be dangerous.

Border I never thought was much of a captain tactically, but he stood alone when we were rubbish (that batting average of 50 against the bowlers he faced makes some of todays 50 averagers laughable) and led by example, building the team back to competitive and then almost to the top. People tend to forget AB won a World Cup in 1987 too.

Taylor as I have said was the best captain I have seen. Tactically so clever, read the game, kept the team in check (they were pretty rough that group of players).

Waugh is overrated IMO, bowl Dizzy then Mcgrath and then chuck Warney on for 30 overs straight. Easy to tell your team to make 4 rpo when you have 7 blokes averaging 50ish.

Ponting is a rubbish captain IMO, although he has been getting better of late.

[Cheguvera]

Very unusual choice..He was a good tactician..but did not get along with his teammates from all accounts..His teammates revolted against him when he was captain...I think he was captain when Pak won against Eng in 1991 in England..but you dont need any special ability if you hav ehte 2 Ws in your side..

He has a better record then Imran Khan...

And while Imran had him for all of his victories...Miandad didn't have Imran for a lot of his...

Not getting along with his players was due to the fact that he was from karachi and didn't have any political backing...

Imran was the biggest dictator after Karadar in Pakistan cricket everybody fell in line because they knew of his bureaucratic pedigree, not because of Imran's extra-ordinary charisma or ability to lead them...

[Cheguvera]

Barely is overrated...flopped against the windies...

[ringo16]

Captaincy record

Here is a rundown of captaincy record.
10. Stephen Fleming

Matches : 80(Won : 28 , lost : 27 , Drawn: 25)

I didn't even know his record was this good, and I'm the biased Kiwi! Think of the complete lack of talent he had to work with, it's an incredible achievement. I think I could win a test match if I had McGrath or Warne to throw the ball to, but Fleming could set plans and take wickets with only a bunch of muppets to work with.

I know he won't go down as one of the greats, but I honestly think that if he'd had a decent team to work with, he would have.

[AZ]

I didn't even know his record was this good, and I'm the biased Kiwi! Think of the complete lack of talent he had to work with, it's an incredible achievement. I think I could win a test match if I had McGrath or Warne to throw the ball to, but Fleming could set plans and take wickets with only a bunch of muppets to work with.

I know he won't go down as one of the greats, but I honestly think that if he'd had a decent team to work with, he would have.

you're being modest, IMO Fleming should easily be amongst the top 5 captains in the history of cricket

[ringo16]

you're being modest, IMO Fleming should easily be amongst the top 5 captains in the history of cricket
Thanks mate, that's nice to hear from a fan from another country. People who know cricket well and watched him perform know that he was a great captain, even though his stats will never compare to the Borders and Waughs.

He's also got the all-time record for most ODIs as captain, and might've had tests as well if NZ got to play more.

I never saw Imran Khan play, but my mum still talks about him, so he must've been something special :D

[AZ]

was such an unlucky batsmen though, poor guy got so many 90s...I still remember he made a 97 or something in his last tour of England, on an absolute terror of a wicket...one of the best knocks I have ever seen

[ringo16]

Haha yeah, though finishing with an average over 40 is still decent, as NZ pitches are bowler-friendly. His 130-not out to knock South Africa out of their own World Cup is still my favourite innings ever. :D

[Poison]

Kiwi captains have in the recent past been very wily, and have definitely extracted all the juice from their players. Vettori is another example of a captain who's led an underdog side to famous victories over Australia in the Trans-Tasman series'. Intelligent blokes.

[Big Harvey]

Douglas Jardine. He really knew how to get under the skins of the opposition. A man with one foot rooted in the past and the other years ahead of his time.

Another name I would have included is Nasser Hussain. He was captain of a relatively weak England side, but one that under his innovative captaincy was much more successful than it had a right to be.

[Oxy]

Allan Border gave Aussies their self-respect back; Ponting inherited a great team.

S Waugh rebuilt the team that Mark Taylor built - for me, Mark Taylor is probably Aussies greatest captain.

[Oxy]

Mike Brearley is the 1st Eng captain I ever saw - he got the best out of his egos.

Nasser Hussain is responsible for building them into a respectable unit these days.

[Liverpool_Faizan]

Fleming for me. What he did was amazing. To captain New Zealand for so long is an achievement on its own. Whenever I think of captaincy I think of Fleming.

Great great captain.

[Zahid87]

I did not get to see captaisn of the ilk of Brearly and Imran so really can't comment on them. In the modern era, I really liked Nasser and Ganguly. They both have the same sort of traits, although for me Nasser was the more ruthless and pragmatic - which I admired, when I guess others have not. Thought he got the best out of a limited team, and set the foundations for Vaughan; who is overrated as a captain in my eyes.

Fleming is pretty much in the same boat as Nasser - worked hard to get the best out of a limited team. Really astute tactically, and will never forget him teaching Graeme Smith a life lesson in captaincy.

Waugh, although as RA pointed out did have an amazing team to work with, was still absolutely brilliant as a captain in my eyes. He had an knack of just being able to grab the momentum when it seemed lost, could always rely on his gut feeling on which bowler to bowl at and at what time, and was truly inspirational when the chips were down. Did a lot to mould the Aussies into a unit, when a lot of sides seemed to be made up of a bunch of individuals. He just seemed to instill an ethic into the side which is still there today, and what probably sets Australia apart from other sides.

[siddharth]

He has a better record then Imran Khan...

And while Imran had him for all of his victories...Miandad didn't have Imran for a lot of his...

Not getting along with his players was due to the fact that he was from karachi and didn't have any political backing...

Imran was the biggest dictator after Karadar in Pakistan cricket everybody fell in line because they knew of his bureaucratic pedigree, not because of Imran's extra-ordinary charisma or ability to lead them...
Records are not the right criteria,by that way Ponting has much better record than anyone.I respect Javed the cricketer such a fighter better than any other Pak cricketer.But he was a poor man manager,had temperamental issues,problems in handling confusions in the field.

You are right about Imran Khan,his sophsticated way helped him in handling the press and his iron fist was what Pak cricket needed at that time,you can't blame him for that.More than that he just led from the front and was the best player in the team.

And if Javed was better,then why every one wanted Imran to be back from retirment for WI tour.Ofcourse even Javed was scared to go,if my memory served me right.

[bullseye7]

We have covered the first phase of Worlds Best Cricket Leaders ie identifying.

Now in this phase let us try to know more about their performance as a leader.

I will start with a writeup of each.
Readers please add on to any relevant info on Alan Border in his role as a Captain.

Let us gather more knowledge on Alan Border for the next couple of days.

Here’s is my take:

Alan Border’s Performance as a Captain

Captaincy record

Matches : 93(Won : 32, lost : 22 , Drawn: 38, Tied : 1)

Alan Border assumed Captaincy when Australian team was in dire straits. The have suffered two consecutive defeats by West Indies and subsequently Ken Hughes vanquished the captaincy position in a burst of tears in a press conference . Not the best of circumstances to assume the Captaincy position.

Border did not have the greatest start as he lost in his inaugural match as a Captain. But then he took charge and instilled in his team the Self Belief that they know one thing ie Winning.. He then went from strength to strength . So one saw a transformed Australian team and under his able and astute leadership Australia was able to salvage a draw in the next test and then went further with a win in the fifth Test by an innings and 55 runs .So the series instead of being a whitewash became a 1 - 3 loss . A great Australian Cricket leader was born.

Many believe that it was Alan Border who revolutionized Australian Cricket by laying a strong foundation that has paved the way for Australia to become the strongest cricket nation of the world.

Amongst his major achievements as a Captain include:

Regaining the Ashes in 1989

Retaining Ashes in 1990-91 and 1993.

Winning World cup in 1987.

Lets now take a look at career graph of Alan Border before and after becoming Captain

Before assuming the position of Captaincy

Matches: 63 (Runs: 4551, Avg: 50.01, HS : 162, 100s : 15, wkts : 15, Catches : 67)

Performance Home & Away

Home

Matches 35: (Runs: 2295, Avg: 44.13, HS : 126, 100s : 6, wkts : 5, Catches : 39)

Away

Matches 28: (Runs: 2256, Avg: 57.84.13, HS : 162, 100s : 6, wkts : 10, Catches : 28)

After assuming the position of Captaincy

Matches : 93 ( Runs: 6623, Avg: 50.94, HS : 205, 100s : 15, wkts : 24, Catches : 85)

Performance Home & Away

Home

Matches 51: (Runs: 3448, Avg: 47.23, HS : 205, 100s : 7, wkts : 14, Catches : 45)

Away

Matches 42: (Runs: 3175, Avg: 55.70., HS : 200*, 100s : 8, wkts : 10, Catches : 44)

Averages against opposition as a Captain

As a Captain, he averages 50 + against England, India, Pakistan, Sri lanka.

Exception

South Africa (Avg:33.11), West Indies ( 33.83)

Overall Test career Record

Matches 156: (Runs: 11174, Avg: 50.56., HS : 205, 100s : 27, wkts : 39, Catches : 156)

So he is undoubtedly # 1 in my List.

[12thMan]

very nice bullseye7

[bullseye7]

very nice bullseye7

Thanks!

[Random Aussie]

Alan Border’s Performance as a Captain

Away

Matches 28: (Runs: 2256, Avg: 57.84.13, HS : 162, 100s : 6, wkts : 10, Catches : 28)

After assuming the position of Captaincy

Away

Matches 42: (Runs: 3175, Avg: 55.70., HS : 200*, 100s : 8, wkts : 10, Catches : 44)

Those away averages are pretty amazing, considering the quality of bowlers around the world and also how rubbish the team was for part of this.

His nickname was "Captain Grumpy". Also threatened to quit on a tour of New Zealand if the team was going to keep accepting defeat.

And famously, when Dean Jones felt ill in the tied Test he was batting with AB. Jones asked AB if he could retire hurt (sickness), AB said "sure we'll get a real Australian out here". Jones made a famous double hundred.

[AZ]

Those away averages are pretty amazing, considering the quality of bowlers around the world and also how rubbish the team was for part of this.

His nickname was "Captain Grumpy". Also threatened to quit on a tour of New Zealand if the team was going to keep accepting defeat.

And famously, when Dean Jones felt ill in the tied Test he was batting with AB. Jones asked AB if he could retire hurt (sickness), AB said "sure we'll get a real Australian out here". Jones made a famous double hundred.


lol, what an a**hole :D