Five Players Who Took Over As Captains Under Tough Circumstances

Captaining a team, especially in the sport of cricket, is indeed not an easy task. The leader of the ship has the responsibility to drag the team along with them not only with the playing skills, but also other traits. And yet, at times, despite putting their best efforts, some captains or players fail to get it right.

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But what happens when a cricketer has been forced to take up the leadership responsibility during tumultuous times? Certain players come as skippers when the outfit is exceedingly low in terms of confidence due to some scandals or soul-crushing losses. In such cases, the captain has the duty not only to restore the pride of the team but also to navigate them to winning ways.

We take a look at five players, who took over the leadership duties under torrid circumstances:

Michael Clarke:

Michael Clarke may not boast the legacy created by the likes of Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh; however, a World Cup win and an Ashes whitewash are enough to name him as one of the most successful Australian captains. Clarke took over as the skipper of the Aussie outfit from Ponting after the 2011 Cricket World Cup.

Under Ponting, Australia did taste some of its unparalleled success. However, during the fag end of his career, they also suffered an Ashes loss at home and their earliest exit at the 50-over World Cup since 1992. Hence, Clarke, who became his successor, had a tough job to propel his side to become a powerhouse again.

As the full-time captain, the New South Wales-born led the Baggy Greens to a Test series win in Sri Lanka and whitewashed India at home. Four years later, the 39-year old made Australia lift their fifth and the first World Cup at home.

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Shaun Pollock:

Hansie Cronje’s suspension due to his involvement in the 2000 match-fixing scandal was a body blow to South Africa. It brought the Proteas’ side down to their knees, which was beginning to find its feet after coming back from isolation. The responsibilities shifted to the seamer Shaun Pollock from the highly successful, but now the tainted, Hansie Cronje.

As effective with the new-ball Pollock was, he was removed as the leader after South Africa’s underperformed in the 2003 World Cup. The Proteas’ couldn’t make it past the group stage due to which the 46-year old faced an axe. However, he continued to feature in the team as their bowling spearhead.

Sourav Ganguly:

Sourav Ganguly’s rise as captain was one of the best things to happen to Indian cricket. The southpaw was installed as the leader after Mohammad Azharuddin received a life-ban for embroiling in match-fixing in 2000. It was a massive blow for the men in blue, who lost not only an astute skipper but also a competent batsman.

But Ganguly’s rise immediately brought positive results for the side. He led India to a series victory in ODIs against South Africa at home after they surrendered in Tests. In 2000, the men in blue also reached the finals of the ICC Knockout Trophy. Furthermore, in 2003, India made it to the finals of the 2003 World Cup for the first time since 1983.

The captain’s form was encouraging throughout the tournament, accumulating 465 runs at 58.12 with three centuries. In between these, India transformed into a competitive side when playing overseas. It was one of the few teams to put the mighty Australians under pressure, famously beating them in 2001 at home and drawing level in 2003-04.

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Tim Paine:

From almost giving up the sport to becoming the Australian Test captain, Tim Paine’s story of redemption is one of a kind. Following the disgraceful ball-tampering incident in Cape Town in 2018, Cricket Australia responded by making the keeper-batsman as their 46th Test captain. If the behaviour was anything to go by, it was drastically improving under the new skipper.

However, as far as the results went, it was declining. In the absence of two best players, the Tasmanian had a steep hill to climb in bringing the Australian side together. Before any signs of revival, the Baggy Greens comprehensively lost to the likes of England, Pakistan, and India. The defeat to India at home in 2018-19 was arguably the lowest point of his captaincy career.

Nevertheless, patience had to pay its dues someday. Australia soared above all odds alongside the veteran keeper-batsman by retaining the Ashes in England after nearly 20 years. In the coming months, Australia also enjoyed a fruitful home season, sweeping aside Pakistan and New Zealand comfortably. Fast forward to the present; the Aussies climbed to the top of the Test rankings. But time will tell till how long Paine can keep his team at the zenith.

Misbah-ul-Haq:

Perhaps the most devastating set of incidents took place the last decade when three top-tier cricketers of Pakistan were caught spot-fixing. The 2010 spot-fixing saga during the Test series in England added another significant chapter to cricket’s ugly side. Fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif accepted hefty payments from a bookie for overstepping at specific points.

If that wasn’t enough, their captain Salman Butt was also understood to be involved that further tarnished the nation’s cricketing team as a whole. The trio faced lengthy jail sentences and bans for their wrongdoings. At 36 years of age in October 2010, Misbah-ul-Haq emerged as the new full-time captain of Pakistan. Not only did Misbah earned respect gradually, Pakistan briefly remained at the top of the Test rankings. Even as a batsman, the Punjab-born played several innings of substance to keep the opposition at bay.

The veteran’s calm demeanour in the face of victory or loss made him one of the most respectable figures. Even as the men in green kept producing inconsistent results, the right-handed batsman held the team together. In 56 Tests under his leadership till retirement in 2017, Pakistan enjoyed 26 wins and 19 defeats.

As far as ODIs goes, the national team tasted success in 45 fixtures and lost 39 amongst the 87 when Misbah served as captain. In the shortest format, the men in green emerged victorious in six out of eight matches.

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