5 Successful Captains Who Couldn't Win An ICC Trophy

The world of cricket has seen a plethora of captains succeed on the international stage. Leading a side in any sport is considered to be one of the most difficult challenges a player has ever to face. It certainly adds on the responsibility of carrying a whole nation’s aspirations on your shoulders.

Apart from it, a captain has to ensure to keep the group united under all circumstances. If a team goes on to win any event, it is the whole team which is credited for the win. But when a team loses, the captain is the person who has to assume the responsibility. All these challenges make captaincy a cumbersome task.

The cricketing world has witnessed captains like MS Dhoni and Ricky Ponting, who have gone on to conquer the world with their tactical abilities. Whereas, it has also seen captains like Graeme Smith and Inzamam-ul-Haq who were absolutely brilliant in bilateral series, but couldn’t excel on the international stage in ICC events.

Today, we will take a look at the five captains who did exceptionally well in bilateral series and multi-nation tournaments, but they couldn’t ever grab their hands on an ICC trophy.

5 Exceptional Captains Who Could Never Win An ICC Trophy

5. Graeme Smith

Graeme Smith captained South Africa from 2003 to 2011. During this time, he led the Proteas in 150 ODIs and won 92 matches. Under his captaincy, the African team lost only 51 ODIs and six games ended in No Result. 1 match ended in a tie.

During Smith’s reign as the captain, South Africa participated in many ICC tournaments, but could not win any of them.

During this time, South Africa suffered losses in the 2007 and 2011 ODI World Cups. At the same time, South Africa also tasted bitter loss in the T20 World Cup of 2007, 2009 and 2010. In the ICC Champions Trophy 2006 and 2009 too, the Proteas lost and earned the tag of the ‘Chokers’ of world cricket.

4. Mahela Jayawardene

Mahela Jayawardene was one of the smartest captains of his time. He captained the Sri Lankan team for many years from 2004. In 129 international ODIs, he won 71 matches. Despite having a win percentage of 59.09, Jayawardene was never able to get his team any ICC title.

In the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup, under his captaincy, he led Sri Lanka to the final, but they had to face defeat in the final by the hands of Australia.

He led Sri Lanka in T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy too but there also, he tasted defeat and couldn’t excel on the global platform.

3. Inzamam-ul-Haq

Inzamam-ul-Haq is considered to be one of the most successful captains of Pakistan cricket history. Although unfortunately, he doesn’t have any ICC title to his credit during his long stint as the captain of Pakistan.

Inzamam-ul-Haq led Pakistan in 90 ODI matches in which he won 52 games and lost only 34 matches. Under his captaincy, four games ended in no result.

Although Inzamam-ul-Haq had a win percentage more than six, he couldn’t lead Pakistan to any ICC title. In the World Cup 2007, under his captaincy, Pakistan was eliminated from the first round itself.

2. AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers has also been a successful captain in ODI cricket. He has captained South Africa in a total of 103 ODIs, in which he won 59 games for his team as a captain.

Under the captaincy of de Villiers, South Africa suffered defeat in 39 matches, and one match was tied, and four games were inconclusive. De Villiers’ had a win percentage of 60.10 as Proteas captain.

However, even after an impressive record, he couldn’t lead South Africa to an ICC trophy glory. Under his leadership, the Proteas reached the semi-final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 but faced defeat by the hands of the Kiwis in the semi-final.

1. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is currently the captain of the Indian team. He has captained India in 89 ODI matches so far, and during this time India have won 62 games.

India have lost only 24 games under Kohli’s captaincy, whereas, two matches have ended in no Result and one match has tied. Virat Kohli has a winning percentage of 71.82, the highest after Ricky Ponting (76.14).

Virat Kohli has captained India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 and the ICC World Cup 2019, but he couldn’t win both the trophies under his reign. In the Champions Trophy India lost in the final to Pakistan. At the same time, in the World Cup, they lost the semi-final match to New Zealand.

Also Read: MS Dhoni Had Some Problems When He Started Out: Kiran More