Best Cricket Captain in the World for 2024

For any cricketer, captaining their nation is the stuff that dreams are made of. It is the greatest honour that can be bestowed on any player from across the world.

But what makes a great cricket captain? Some lead by example, some are tactical geniuses, and some are simply just good leaders of men. Others have political and religious issues to deal with, and some carry the hope of a whole nation on their shoulders. All this makes defining a great captain very difficult.

Furthermore, the best cricket captain in the world isn’t always the guy captaining the best team. Sometimes a great team can make an average captain look good. And a struggling team can make a great captain look poor.

Here, we look at some of the best cricket captains in more detail.

What makes a good cricket captain?

If statistics are the tool that defines what makes a good cricket captain, then Ricky Ponting’s win percentage of 62.33 is one of the best of all time and would be second only to Steve Waugh (71.92).

But Ricky Ponting captained one of the best Test teams of all time. The team almost captained itself. And the chances are that any player on that side could have had a similar win percentage.

There is far more to defining a good cricket captain than their respective win percentages. Sometimes, like in the case of Ponting, it’s just keeping the dressing room happy and not upsetting the applecart. Although, that in itself could be regarded as a captaincy skill.

Other traits of a good cricket captain include tactical awareness, leadership, and strength of personality.

Stephen Fleming’s tactical awareness turned an average New Zealand side into one that could compete on the world stage. Brian Lara almost single-handedly carried a struggling West Indies side in the late 1990s into the early 2000s.

Nasser Hussain had to deal with political issues at the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup that were way beyond anything a sportsperson should be left to deal with. While MS Dhoni carried the weight of a whole nation on his shoulders at the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. These are just some reasons that make defining who the best cricket captains are so difficult.

Who are the best cricket captains of all time?

Name	Country	Years as Captain	Matches as Captain	Won	Lost	Win %
MS Dhoni	India	2008-2014	60	27	18	45%
Graeme Smith	South Africa	2003-2014	109	53	29	48.62%
Steve Waugh	Australia	1999-2004	57	41	9	71.92%
Clive Lloyd	West Indies	1974-1985	74	36	12	48.64%
Imran Khan	Pakistan	1982-1992	48	14	8	29.16%
Stephen Fleming	New Zealand	1997-2006	80	28	27	35%
Allan Border	Australia	1984-1994	93	32	22	34.4%
Ricky Ponting	Australia	2004-2010	77	48	16	62.33%
Brian Lara	West Indies	1997-2006	47	10	26	21.27%
Virat Kohli	India	2014-2022	68	40	17	58.82%

The best cricket captains highlighted

MS Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni ticks more captaincy boxes than most. Inspirational, a great leader of men, able to perform under pressure, and a fine cricketer. Not only was he a great leader, but he was an accomplished batter and also a top-quality wicketkeeper.

Doing any of those jobs at a high level is difficult enough. But Dhoni somehow managed to combine them all.

But what made Dhoni really special was his unique talent to play under the most extreme pressure imaginable. When he captained India to victory in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, India expected him to win. If he hadn’t delivered, history would now be judging him very differently.

The ability to think on his feet and remain calm when others around were losing their heads and his sheer self-belief and determination to win are what made Dhoni stand out amongst his peers.

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s
Test	90	144	16	4876	224	38.09	8249	59.11	6	33	544	78
ODI	350	297	84	10773	183	50.57	12303	87.56	10	73	826	229
T20I	98	85	42	1617	56	37.60	1282	126.13	0	2	116	52

MS Dhoni’s batting summary

Format	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	5w	10w
Test	90	7	96	67	0	–	–	–	4.18	–	0	0
ODI	350	2	36	31	1	1/14	1/14	31.00	5.16	36.0	0	0
T20I	98	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

MS Dhoni’s bowling summary

Graeme Smith

Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith was thrown in at the deep end and had to learn on the job. He was identified as a potential leader of men early in his career, and when he was made captain of South Africa at the tender age of 22 years old, he was his nation’s youngest-ever skipper.

When appointed captain, Smith was still a boy in a man’s world. Admittedly, he was a very grown-up boy. But despite this, his inexperience in the job rubbed fellow international captains up the wrong way. He hadn’t been there and done that like they had.

But what made Smith such a great leader was his ability to walk into that man’s world and take charge of it. And all the captains who despised him as an upstart had the utmost respect for him by the time he finished his career.

Smith wasn’t the most talented batter to ever walk out to the middle and open the innings. Despite this, he still managed to average 48.25 over a 117-match Test career.

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s
Test	117	205	13	9265	277	48.25	15525	59.67	27	38	1165	24
ODI	197	194	10	6989	141	37.98	8648	80.81	10	47	788	44
T20I	33	33	2	982	89	31.67	770	127.53	0	5	123	26

Graeme Smith’s batting summary

Format	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR
Test	117	37	1418	885	8	2/145	2/145	110.62	3.74	177.2
ODI	197	43	1026	951	18	3/30	3/30	52.83	5.56	57.0
T20I	33	3	24	57	0	–	–	–	14.25	–

Graeme Smith’s bowling summary

Steve Waugh

Another remarkable leader of men, Steve Waugh was one of the ultimate warriors on a cricket field. Waugh wasn’t the most talented batter ever. In fact, he wasn’t even the most talented batter in his family. But despite this, he ground out a successful Test career for himself, averaging 51.06 over 166 Test matches.

Waugh completed the job started by Alan Border. As a captain, he turned Australia into a winning machine. Overall he had a win percentage of 71.92 during his time as skipper. Waugh also captained Australia to a world record 16 successive Test match wins.

On top of his Test match record, Waugh played a leading role in Australia’s 1987 World Cup win and also captained his team to victory at the 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup.

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s
Test	168	260	46	10927	200	51.06	22461	48.64	32	50	1175	20
ODI	325	288	58	7569	120	32.90	9971	75.91	3	45	530	68

Steve Waugh’s batting summary

Format	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	5w	10w
Test	168	150	7805	3445	92	5/28	8/169	37.44	2.64	84.8	3	0
ODI	325	207	8883	6761	195	4/33	4/33	34.67	4.56	45.5	0	0

Steve Waugh’s bowling summary

Clive Lloyd

Clive Lloyd led the West Indies for 11 years from 1974 to 1985. He captained the team 74 times at Test level, winning 48 of those matches.

During that time, Lloyd had a team that did most of its talking on the pitch. But he did have some big egos to manage, and it was Lloyd’s larger-than-life personality that managed to gel all the players from the different islands together and turn them into the most feared side in the world.

Lloyd captained his team to back-to-back ICC Cricket World Cup wins in 1975 and 1979. In 1975, he top-scored in the final with a match-winning knock of 102. Then in 1979, he had a more subdued match, scoring just 13 runs in his nation’s 92-run win over England.

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100s	50s	6s
Test	110	175	14	7515	242	46.67	–	–	19	39	70
ODI	87	69	19	1977	102	39.54	2434	81.22	1	11	–

Clive Lloyd’s batting summary

Format	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	5w	10w
Test	110	45	1716	622	10	2/13	2/22	62.20	2.17	171.6	0	0
ODI	87	10	358	210	8	2/4	2/4	26.25	3.51	44.7	0	0

Clive Lloyd’s bowling summary

Imran Khan

Where do we start with Imran Khan? His record of 14 wins from the 48 matches he captained Pakistan in doesn’t do him justice. At the time, Pakistan was an emerging cricket nation, and Khan was – at times – carrying his team.

But Imran Khan wasn’t just a leader of men, he was also a diplomat and could build bridges with people from different backgrounds and religions. He was never defined by religion, race or politics and often broke unwritten rules with his lifestyle off the pitch.

On the pitch, his greatest achievement was leading Pakistan to their only ICC Cricket World Cup victory. At the 1992 tournament in Australia, Pakistan started in shambolic fashion. But Khan lifted the team and ultimately led them to a 22-run win over England in the final.

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100s	50s	6s
Test	88	126	25	3807	136	37.69	–	–	6	18	55
ODI	175	151	40	3709	102	33.41	5105	72.65	1	19	–

Imran Khan’s batting summary

Format	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	5w	10w
Test	88	142	19458	8258	362	8/58	14/116	22.81	2.54	53.7	23	6
ODI	175	153	7461	4844	182	6/14	6/14	26.61	3.89	40.9	1	0

Imran Khan’s bowling summary

Is MS Dhoni the best cricket player ever?

The question of where MS Dhoni ranks in the list of best cricket players is an intriguing one. Because of his sublime leadership skills, his ability as a batter and wicketkeeper often gets overlooked. But this is harsh because MS was good at both disciplines.

In Test cricket, Dhoni averaged 38.09 with the bat. He played 90 Tests, scoring a total of 4,876 runs. There are plenty of batters out there who would be proud of that record. As well as having a decent record with the bat, Dhoni also took 256 catches and completed 38 stumpings.

Compare that with the record of Adam Gilchrist, who scored 5,570 runs in 96 Tests, at an average of 47.60, and you could argue that Gilchrist was a better player. Certainly in the Test arena.

But then Gilchrist didn’t have to captain Australia in 60 of his Test appearances as Dhoni did for India. Gilchrist also played in a formidable team, whereas Dhoni played in a developing team.

In ODIs for India, Dhoni played an astonishing 350 games. In those games, he scored 10,773 runs at an average of 50.53. He also played in 98 T20 internationals, scoring 1617 runs at an average of 37.60.

But it’s Dhoni’s ODI record that is just on another level. To average above 50 over 350 matches is truly phenomenal. And a lot of those matches were with the added responsibility of being captain.

Dhoni didn’t just amass easy runs either. He often scored crucial runs when they were needed the most. His most important innings of all came in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup final. When Dhoni came out to bat, India were in a spot of bother at 114/3. Both Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli were out, and the pressure was really on. Dhoni scored 91 not out and led India to their second-ever world title.

But Dhoni wasn’t just batting to win a World Cup final. He was playing for the whole of India, and somehow, he managed to withstand that pressure and lead his team to win the Cricket World Cup. Inspirational leadership skills that remain unmatched.

This might not be enough to confirm Dhoni as the greatest cricketer ever. But it certainly puts him in the conversation. And it would have to be one hell of a player who is deemed to have been better.

Who’s the current cricket captain for India?

The current captain of the Indian national cricket team is Rohit Sharma.

The opening batter initially became captain of the T20 team back in November 2021. This was quickly upgraded to include the ODI captaincy the following month, as the BCCI wanted consistency with the captaincy of both white ball teams.

In February 2022, Sharma was appointed captain of the Indian Test team as well. Making him captain across all three formats. He still holds all three positions.

Who are considered to be the best cricket captains currently?

Out of all the current cricket captains around the world, who would a modern-day cricketer want to play for?

Ben Stokes

First up, who wouldn’t want to play in a team captained by Ben Stokes? Maybe Geoffrey Boycott. But apart from plodders from yesteryear, no modern-day cricketer wouldn’t want to play in a team that plays the brand of cricket the current England Test team does.

At the end of 2022, England had a run rate of 4.13 per over from the 15 Tests played in the calendar year. A calendar run rate of more than four runs an over has been achieved on just two other occasions. In 1910, Australia had a rate of 4.77, but that was from just two Test matches. And in 2003, Australia had a rate of 4.08 from 15 Tests.

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s
Test	97	175	7	6117	258	36.41	10335	59.18	13	30	716	124
ODI	108	93	15	3159	182	40.50	3278	96.36	4	22	256	98
T20I	43	36	9	585	52	21.66	457	128.00	0	1	42	22

Ben Stokes’ batting summary

Format	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	5w
Test	97	146	11471	6318	197	6/22	8/161	32.07	3.30	58.2	4
ODI	108	88	3110	3137	74	5/61	5/61	42.39	6.05	42.0	1
T20I	43	36	612	856	26	3/26	3/26	32.92	8.39	23.5	0

Ben Stokes’ bowling summary

Aiden Markram

Aiden Markram is a cricket captain who must be fun to play for. Markram led the Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the inaugural SA20 title in 2023 and was subsequently named skipper of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL.

Markram is 28 years of age. He may be new to captaincy but has taken to it like a fish to water. His positive intent and experience within the game make him one of the more exciting captains to play for on both the franchise and international circuit.

He is also now the new skipper of the South Africa T20 cricket team, and under his leadership, the Proteas will believe they can finally break their duck at ICC events. His time in charge of Sunrisers Hyderabad didn’t go well in 2023, but turning the Sunrisers around won’t be easy for anybody.

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s
Test	35	64	1	2285	152	36.26	3902	58.55	6	10	335	10
ODI	55	52	5	1665	175	35.42	1728	96.35	2	7	169	40
T20I	37	33	6	1063	70	39.37	711	149.50	0	9	91	44

Aiden Markram’s batting summary

Format	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR
Test	35	13	249	130	2	2/27	2/27	65.00	3.13	124.5
ODI	55	24	716	701	16	2/18	2/18	43.81	5.87	44.7
T20I	37	16	198	262	9	3/21	3/21	29.11	7.93	22.0

Aiden Markram’s bowling summary

Hardik Pandya

Another captain who must be some fun to play under is Hardik Pandya. Already Pandya has led the Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in 2022, and as the vice-captain in India’s white ball teams, he has an impressive record of ten wins from the 16 games he has led the Indian T20 team in when Rohit Sharma hasn’t been available.

Pandya is unlucky in one sense, as Rohit Sharma has an exceptional record leading the Indian T20 team. But should Sharma get injured or decide the role is no longer for him, India already has a ready-made replacement in Pandya.

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s
Test	11	18	1	532	108	31.29	720	73.88	1	4	68	12
ODI	82	60	8	1758	92	33.80	1595	110.21	0	11	132	66
T20I	92	71	18	1348	71	25.43	964	139.83	0	3	96	69

Hardik Pandya’s batting summary

Format	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	5w
Test	11	19	937	528	17	5/28	6/50	31.05	3.38	55.1	1
ODI	82	76	3100	2847	79	4/24	4/24	36.03	5.51	39.2	0
T20I	92	81	1433	1950	73	4/16	4/16	26.71	8.16	19.6	0

Hardik Pandya’s bowling summary

Which Indian cricket captain has the best win percentage?

Across all formats combined, Virat Kohli has the best win percentage as an Indian captain. In Test matches, ODIs and T20s, Kohli led India 213 times and had an astonishing 63.38 win percentage.

That puts him ahead of the great MS Dhoni, who has a 53.61 win percentage from the 332 games he captained India.

Sourav Ganguly is another leader who was unlucky to be left off our list of the ten best captains. He led India on 195 occasions across Test and ODI formats, winning 97 matches with a percentage of 49.74. Ganguly sits third on the all-time list.

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Which Indian captain has the best record in test matches?

When it comes to the best record in Test matches for India, there is only one name in town, and that’s Virat Kohli. Virat won 40 of the 68 Test matches he captained in.

Under Kohli’s leadership, India assumed the top spot in the ICC Test Rankings in October 2016. They held the No.1 spot for 42 months until March 2020. A truly outstanding record.

Which Indian captain has the best record in ODIs?

We’re back to the legend that is Mahendra Singh Dhoni. MS captained India a staggering 200 times in ODIs. He won 110 of those matches and had a win record of 55%.

Mohammad Azharuddin has the second-best record with 90 wins from 174 matches as skipper. This gave him a win rate of 51.72%

Virat Kohli has a win rate of 68.42%, better than Dhoni and Azharuddin. But Kohli only captained India in 95 matches, winning 65 of them.

Which Indian captain has the best record in T20 tournaments?

India has had 11 captains in the T20 format, but seven of them have captained their country on five or fewer occasions. Of the four longer-term captains, MS Dhoni has led the team on 72 occasions, winning 41 times with a win rate of 56.94%.

Virat Kohli led the team 50 times, winning 30 matches with a win rate of 60%. Hardik Pandya has won ten of the 16 matches he has led India in, giving him a win rate of 62.5%.

But most impressive of all is current skipper, Rohit Sharma, who has won 39 of the 51 matches he has led the team in. Sharma has a win rate of 76.47%.

But when it comes to a show of medals, it’s that man, Mahendra Sing Singh Dhoni again. MS Dhoni was captain of the team that won the inaugural T20 World Cup back in 2007. And to date is the only Indian to have led his team to a world title in the T20 format.

How many captains have won the ICC finals with India?

India has won three ICC events in total. MS Dhoni led the nation to two of those titles, and the legendary Kapil Dev, to the other.

For all of Dhoni’s achievements, Kapil Dev was the first Indian to lift an ICC trophy when he led India to the 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup. This was an extraordinary win over the then-great West Indies side in the final at Lord’s, who were looking to win the trophy for the third time in succession.

It may be hard for modern cricket fans to comprehend, but to this day, the win for Dev’s India is still one of the biggest shocks in cricket history.

MS Dhoni is the only other captain to win an ICC final for India. MS Dhoni first led India to the T20 World Cup in 2007. He also captained his nation to the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011.

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Are there any new cricket captains to watch out for?

New up-and-coming cricket captains are a rare breed. Most teams – international or franchise – tend to go for more established and experienced players to lead their teams.

Younger captains – and by that we mean 30 or under – who are worth keeping an eye on in the future are Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya and Aiden Markram.

Sanju Samson was appointed captain of Kerala aged just 20 and is the youngest player to ever lead them in the Ranji Trophy. In 2021, he was appointed skipper of the Rajasthan Royals and immediately became the first player to score a century in his first match as a captain in the IPL.

Rishabh Pant was only starting as a captain when he was injured in a serious car crash. But Pant has already displayed captaincy credentials and will be ultra-attacking and great to watch when he gets back out on the cricket field.

As for Hardik Pandya and Aiden Markram, we already know all about their potential. When the day comes that they are leading India and South Africa in white ball cricket, get ready for some fireworks.