Top Ten Captains in Test Cricket
The main responsibility of captains in Test Cricket is to provide their players with the much needed confidence and inspiration. The captains should make the team feel positive at all times, because even if a little bit of nervousness is there on the captains face, the rest of the team gets shaky.
Test Cricket requires the player to be experienced as it helps in taking easy and better decisions for the team. In Test Cricket, it is often the captain who can decide when to end an innings, but generally the decision taken is always with the consent of the players.
The captains’ job in test cricket is to make decisions keeping the best interests of the team in mind. Here is the list of top ten captains in international test cricket:
1. SR Waugh
2. JM Brearly
3. RT Ponting
4. IVA Richards
5. IM Chappel
6. CH Lloyd
7. R Benaud
8. SM Pollock
9. WJ Cronje
10. R Illingworth
Top Ten Captains in ODI Cricket
Every team has different kind of players with different sensibilities. It is the task of the captain to recognize it and bring out the best in his men. It is very important to know your team well and the co-players’ strengths and weaknesses, so that the captain can set the field accordingly, or else the sloppy fielding will show on the field.
One Day Internationals requires the captain to be quick with his decisions and should be able to implement the changes if required. If he falters, so will his team.
One Day International matches also require the captain to have a good vision and he should be able to recognize the ground and know whether at that point it is suitable to bat or bowl. Here is the list of top ten one day international captains:
1. CH Lloyd
2. RT Ponting
3. WJ Cronje
4. MW Gatting
5. Imran Khan
6. SR Waugh
7. IVA Richards
8. Shoaib Malik
9. SM Pollock
10. GC Smith
Top Ten Captains in T20 Cricket
Twenty-20, being the shortest version of the game requires the captain to be very alert on the field. He should be able to manage the current over, as well as think for the next one. The captain should have an open frame of mind, so that he can make quick decisions when on the field as this version may require changes on the field, as every hit or throw may affect the present situation of the game.
The captain should be well prepared and he must have all his options open for different kind of situations that he may face during the course of the match.
Twenty-20 is a very demanding game compared to One Day Internationals and Test Matches. Here is the list of top ten captains of T20:
1. MJ Clarke
2. Shoaib Malik
3. JPMD Jayawardene
4. GC Smith
5. Shahid Afridi
6. Younis Khan
7. J Botha
8. J Smits
9. PD Collingwood
10. KC Sangakkara