Most Matches as Captain
Be it any sport, every team desires to have a great captain at their disposal. In Cricket, a captain takes all the important decisions on the field and is responsible for how his team performs. A great captain can turn the fortunes of a team. Over the years, we have seen some great players going on to become legendary captains.
They led the team from the front, took tough decisions, and stood solid on both good and bad days. Big names like MS Dhoni, Ricky Ponting, and Graeme Smith to name a few are some of the biggest inspirations for the young cricketers.
They have shown true leadership qualities and have outstanding records as captains for their respective sides.
In this article, we look at 5 captains who have played the most number of matches in international cricket:
#5 Allan Border (271 Matches)
Allan Border is regarded as one of the greatest cricketers Australia has ever produced in its cricketing history. He played an instrumental role in turning Australia’s fortunes in world cricket. He was a run-machine and retired as the leading run-getter for Australia in both Tests until it was broken by Ricky Ponting 15 years later.
Allan Border holds the record of playing 153 consecutive Test appearances for Australia. He is listed amongst the greatest skippers of all time and has played the fifth-most number of matches as captain in international cricket. During his international cricket career, Alan Border led India in 271 matches, including 93 Tests and 178 ODIs.
#4 Graeme Smith (286 Matches)
At just 22 years of age, Graeme Smith was handed over the captaincy duties from Shaun Pollock in 2003. The southpaw led the side with sheer brilliance and went onto become one of the greats in the game.
He led the captaincy position until his retirement in 2014 and made South Africa the world-beaters. Barring, he is also one of the greatest openers in Test cricket. For the unversed, Smith is the only player to lead a team for more than 100 games.
He sits at fourth in the list of most number of matches as captain in international cricket. He led South Africa in 286 games, of which the team emerged victorious on 163 occasions.
#3 Stephen Fleming (303 Matches)
Stephen Fleming is the most successful skipper in the history of New Zealand cricket. He has the second most-capped Test player with 111 appearances. He led the side to win the 2000 ICC knockout Trophy which is the only ICC trophy New Zealand has won till date.
Fleming made New Zealand a world-class side, bringing some of the best all-rounders in the cricketing history. He is known for his brilliant cricket tactics and has an astute cricketing brain.
He has led New Zealand in 303 international matches, the third-most number of matches as captain in world cricket. Under his leadership, New Zealand emerged victorious on 128 occasions and lost 135 matches.
In his illustrious career, Stephen Fleming has played 111 Tests and 280 ODIs, scoring 7172 and 8037 respectively. He has hit 17 centuries and 95 half-centuries during his international career.
#2 Ricky Ponting (324 Matches)
Ricky Ponting will always be remembered as the greatest captain the world has ever seen. He is the most successful captain in cricketing history with a win percentage of 67.90. He led Australia to two World Cup titles in 2003 and 2007 and was also an integral part of Australia’s 1999 World Cup-winning side. He also led Australia to consecutive ICC Champions Trophy title in 2006 and 2009.
He is currently Australia’s leading run-scorer with 13378 runs to his name in 168 matches. He has played the second most number of matches as captain in world cricket. Ponting led Australia in 324 matches, winning 220 games and losing 77.
#1 MS Dhoni (332 Matches)
Not all would agree on this but India has never produced a skipper like MS Dhoni. The former Indian skipper made India a world-class side, who knows how to win big tournaments. He is the only skipper to have won all three ICC trophies, i.e., 2007 ICC T20 World Cup, 2011 ICC World Cup, and 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.
With a young side at his disposal, he took everyone by surprise after winning the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup. His journey to greatness started from there and the rest is history. MS Dhoni has played the most number of matches as captain in world cricket. He led India in 332 games, of which India won 178 matches and lost 120. With a winning percentage of 53.61, MS Dhoni is also the most successful captain India has ever produced.
