“Any captain can only do his best for the team and cricket. When you are winning, you are a hero. Lose, and the backslappers fade away.” These words by Richie Benaud one of the greatest voices of cricket highlight the hard life of captains in the world of cricket, They are under constant scrutiny, and while they are praised for their team’s success they are often brutally criticized if the team’s losses or even if there are other issues within the team, like team combination, on and off-field decisions. Check Top 10, Popular Cricket Captains. Lets, we will discuss the Top 10 Popular Cricket Captains in the World All-Time.
Thus, a successful captain is one who confidently handles pressure and who can stay true to his vision even though the public perception and demands keep changing continuously. With success comes popularity, and cricket has seen some very popular captains, who have reached the pinnacle of popularity because of their leadership qualities and their overall charisma and vision.
In this segment, Sportsunfold provides you with all the information about the Top 10 Popular Cricket Captains In the World All Time. For more such segments about the world’s best cricket captain of all time continue reading this segment.
Best Cricket Captain In the World
In the history of cricket, MS Dhoni is noted as one of the best cricket captains in the world. In a Cricket game, Captaincy is one of the most important roles and it holds various things in team management. The captain makes decisions throughout the match under the coach’s guidance and leads the team with a winning spirit. That’s the reason, we are here discussing Top 10 Popular Cricket Captain In the World All Time. To know more details about the Top 10 Popular Cricket Captains in the World All-Time continue reading this segment.
List of the Top 10 Popular Cricket Captain In The World All-Time
Ranking | Player Name |
1 | MS Dhoni |
2 | Ricky Ponting |
3 | Steve Waugh |
4 | Clive Lloyd |
5 | Imran Khan |
6 | Sourav Ganguly |
7 | Graeme Smith |
8 | Eoin Morgan |
9 | Brendon Mccullum |
10 | Arjuna Ranatunga |
Top 10 Popular Cricket Captains in The World All-Time
If you’re excited to know the top 10 best captains in the world of cricket you all come to the right place. MS Dhoni comes first in the list of best captains in the world of cricket. After Dhoni, Ricky Ponting is second in the list of best captains. Similarly, let us know about the 10 best cricket captains of the world with us.
10. Arjuna Ranatunga
When one talks about Srilankan cricket one name that anyone cannot miss is Arjuna Ranatunga. Before the 1996 World Cup, Srilanka was considered one of the comparatively weaker teams, but Ranatunga and his understanding of the game along with his ability to make bold decisions and back his players turned out to be a game-changer.
His decision to open with Kaluwitharana and Jayasurya completely surprised the opposition teams as they came out all guns blazing right from the word go!!!
Not only on the field, but Ranatunga also backed and supported his players off the field. He often helped his teammates financially or in any other matter as Srilankan cricket and players at that time were financially not well off. Ranatunga has won 12 test matches of the 56 he has captained while he captained 193 ODIs winning 89 of them and leading them to their only World Cup triumph in 1996.
9. Brendon Mccullum
Brendon Mccullum, the dasher, who is known for his fearless batting was made captain of NZ in December 2012 and soon it was clear that his team would play the brand of cricket that he has been playing as an individual a fearless and aggressive brand of cricket. While he has some memorable victories in Test cricket under his captaincy like the one in Headingly and U.A.E. It was in ODIs as a captain where he thrived the most.
He has a winning percentage of 61.86 in ODIs and the highlight of his captaincy career was the Kiwis getting into the final of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 for the first time in history. Mccullum rose into the limelight when he smashed opposition bowlers on his way to 158 in the opening match of the IPL.
He carried the same attitude in NZ cricket and the aggressive brand of cricket surprised the opposition teams in that period and the World Cup. Eoin Morgan admitted that after the 2015 World Cup, they decided to imitate the Kiwi’s brand of cricket. Thus, Brendon Mccullum, the captain was a charismatic and true leader who captured the imagination of cricket fans all over the world.
8. Eoin Morgan
Eoin Morgan- The Captain has redefined white-ball cricket in England, shifting the focus from Red ball to white-ball cricket and in the process ushering in a new era in English cricket. Such was the dismal performance of England in the 2015 World Cup that captain Morgan decided to bring wholesome changes in the white-ball cricket team and led from the front showing the way to his teammates on how England will approach white-ball games from here on.
This completely changed the English team and the team who was struggling to get even to 300 started scoring 400s more than any other team from the period 2015 to the World Cup 2019.
Eventually, the fearless approach paid off and England went on to win their first 50 overs world cup after several failed attempts. Thus Eoin Morgan the captain, and the batter has reached new heights of popularity in recent times as a man who changed the face of English cricket. He ranks second in most T20Is as a captain winning 37 out of 64 T20Is. He has won 74 ODIs from 124 ODIs as a captain.
7. Graeme Smith
He has captained his national team in Test matches more than anyone else in the world. He was an outstanding batter in his own right but captaincy responsibilities at a young age made sure that Graeme Smith will forever remain as the Godfather of South African captains. So successful and charismatic was his leadership that even at the fag end of his career there was not a single person who questioned Smith’s captaincy and he retired quite fittingly as a captain only. During his tenure as captain, South Africa became the No.
1 Test team in the world and started winning all over the globe. During his tenure, South Africa chased the highest total ever, and Smith, leading from the front, scored a majestic quickfire 90 in that match. He captained 150 ODIs and won 92 of them.
6. Sourav Ganguly
‘Dada’ as he is fondly called by his fans and close ones is considered a leader who changed the way Indian cricket is played. He was the captain who put eye to eye in the eyes of an opposition captain whoever he may be. With the shadow of match-fixing looming large on Indian cricket, Dada took over the captaincy and made a core group of players who were to be servants of Indian cricket for a long time. Under his captaincy, India stopped the unstoppable Aussie Juggernaut with a famous win at Eden Gardens.
He captained India in 146 ODIs and won 76 out of them. Ganguly has one of the best overseas records among Indian captains.
5. Imran Khan
He was a great allrounder who could contribute with both bat and ball but more than anything he had the vision and ability to back the players he believed in. Inzamam ul Haq a youngster at that time was backed even after mediocre performances on the league stage and the inspiring words and backing of the captain paid off when Inzamam played a match-winning innings against NZ out of the blue, this vision and leadership qualities made Imran khan one of the most popular captains of all time who didn’t fear to think out of the box for the results he wants.
Imran Khan is the current Prime Minister of Pakistan but much before entering politics his leadership in cricket was praised from all corners of the world. He won Pakistan the 1992 Cricket World Cup which is still the only one-day World Cup Pakistan has won. Imran Khan was a charismatic personality both on and off the field with a huge female following and a leader who was respected by one and all, He suddenly decided to retire after losing the semifinal in the 1987 World Cup but came back a year later as the whole Pakistan wanted their leader back.
4. Clive Lloyd
Captain of one of the most successful and dominant teams in the history of cricket. He was captain of the West Indies in the 1970s and 80s when the team from the Caribbean dominated world cricket. Under his captaincy, Windies won two consecutive world cups in 1975 and 1979 and lost in the final in 1983 to India. During his captaincy, Windies won 27 Test matches without a loss which included consecutive 11 wins and it was his persona that could handle and get the best out of each champion player he had.
He captained the Windies in 84 ODIs and won 64 out of them, which clearly shows the level of dominance his team had in that era. He has the highest winning percentage in ODIs as a captain 77.71%( at least 50 ODIS).
3. Steve Waugh
The man who started the era of dominance of Australian cricket in the 1990s was a fighter both with the bat and ball and as a leader. The best quality of Steve Waugh that is praised all over the world is his ability to lead from the front when the team is in most pressure situations. He created a crop of cricketers who ruled world cricket for the next decade or so. Under his captaincy, Australia won the 1999 World Cup when they were almost out of the tournament and had to win back-to-back five matches to win the tournament. His innings in the World Cup semifinal were the real show of his strong mental ability and ability to thrive under pressure.
His record as a Test captain is even better and Australia became the no.1 Test team under him. They won 41 Test matches out of 57 under his captaincy and finally lost to India which he had called ‘Last Frontier.’
Steve Waugh is considered one of the most popular and successful captains in world cricket who ushered in an era of dominance of Australian Cricket.
2. Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting picked up from where Steve Waugh left and took the Australian team to an altogether next level. So dominant were the Aussies in his captaincy that even beating Australia in a single match was considered an achievement by most teams. His team beat the World 11 team comprehensively both in ODIs and Tests. Ponting believed in leading from the front and captaincy duties enhanced his batting and Ponting went on to become a run machine at no. 3. Under his captaincy, Australia won two world cups( 2003 and 2007) without losing a single match.
He comes second in winning percentage rate in Test with 62.33%. While in ODIS he has a win percentage of 76.14 winning 165 of 230 ODIs as a captain. The popularity of Ponting as a leader with an aggressive attitude is second to none. He will be forever remembered as a legendary cricketer who gave everything he had for his team.
1. Mahendra Singh Dhoni
The shy boy from Ranchi who was criticized in the early part of his career as not being much talkative behind the stumps retired as the most successful Indian captain and surely the most popular one. Dhoni as a white ball captain is second to none and he as a captain has won every trophy in the world of cricket. His ability to trust his intuition and make unorthodox decisions has made him the captain he is. Dhoni’s ability to remain calm in pressure situations both with the bat and as a captain has earned him the tag of ‘Captain Cool’.
His captaincy journey started with the inaugural T20 World Cup which India won with a young team and thus the MSD era started. Under his captaincy, Csk won the IPL 3 times and India also won the Champions Trophy in 2013.
But the big one, the 50-over World Cup which India won at their home in 2011 is the biggest achievement of Dhoni’s captaincy. Dhoni has captained India in 331 matches overall and won 178 of them across all formats and this, along with his big-hitting and finishing skills made him the poster boy of Indian Cricket for a long time and the most popular captain of Indian cricket and the world. In Cricket history, MS Dhoni is widely regarded as one of the best Cricket captains in the world.
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MS Dhoni is the king of Cricket captains.
In the history of Cricket, MS Dhoni is widely regarded as one of the Best Cricket Captains in the World.
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