When it comes to the most successful captains in the modern era, the likes of MS Dhoni and Ricky Ponting stand head and shoulders above the rest. There’s no comparison to their cricketing minds, leadership ability and a valuable trait of backing youngsters in the team.
On Wednesday (29th July), Shahid Afridi was asked to choose a better captain between Dhoni and Ponting in a Q/A session on Twitter.
“Better captain Dhoni or Ponting? Lala choice,” a Twitter user asked.
Afridi came up with an instant answer and unhesitatingly picked Dhoni over Ponting as the former built his team from scratch.
“I rate Dhoni a bit higher than Ponting as he developed a new team full of youngsters,” responded Afridi.
I rate Dhoni a bit higher than Ponting as he developed a new team full of youngsters
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) July 29, 2020
Dhoni is the only captain in the cricket history to win all three ICC tournaments as a captain – T20 World Cup 2007, ODI World Cup 2011 and Champions Trophy 2013.
Ponting, on the other hand, led Australia to two World Cup titles in 2003 and 2007. Dhoni-led India crushed Ponting’s dreams of winning the third consecutive title in the quarter-finals of 2011 ICC World Cup. India won that match comfortably by a five-wickets margin to knock the Aussies out of the tournament.
When it comes to statistics, Ponting, having won 220 out of 324 matches, boasts the highest win percentage among all captains. In contrast, Dhoni has led Team India on 332 occasions across all formats, winning 178 and losing 120 games.
Afridi was also asked about the best batsmen he has ever bowled to by one of the fans. The former Pakistan skipper named Brian Lara and AB de Villiers.
Lara and de Villiers
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) July 29, 2020
The former all-rounder has been doing commendable work in helping underprivileged people to fight the coronavirus pandemic. To honour his efforts, the Pakistan team will be featuring the logo of his foundation during the upcoming England tour.
