ICC World Cup 2019: Rating Of All Ten Captains
Published - 15 Jul 2019, 11:29 AM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 04:03 AM
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World Cup 2019 came on an end on Sunday with hosts and pre-tournament hosts England beating New Zealand. After the scoreboard failed to decide the winner, England were crowned the world champions on the virtue of hitting more boundaries. The final lived up to the expectations and will go down in the history as one of the most thrilling games ever played.
Read More: ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 (Final): New Zealand vs England – Statistical Highlights
Kane Williamson and Eoin Morgan showed nerves of steels as they led their teams brilliantly. So with the tournament now done and dusted, here is a look at how all the captains fared:
10. Gulbadin Naib: 1/10
It took Afghanistan Cricket Board just days to sack Gulbadin Naib from captaincy after their disastrous World Cup campaign. This very much proves just how bad Gulbadin was during the campaign. Afghanistan were the only team in the tournament who failed to pick up a single point. They lost all of their nine games and ended at the tenth spot.
Throughout the competition, Gulbadin failed to find the right combination in the team. In fact, it was his poor captaincy that almost gifted the game to Pakistan.
9. Jason Holder: 3/10:
For Jason Holder and West Indies, the tournament started on a stunning note as they dismantled Pakistan by seven wickets. However as the tournament progressed, West Indies lost steam and Jason Holder failed to inspire his team. His team performed poorly despite having a host of match-winners. West Indies finished at the ninth spot with just two wins from nine games.
8. Faf du Plessis: 4/10
South Africa started their campaign with three consecutive defeats and never really managed to recover from it. The only bright spot for South Africa from the tournament was their win against Australia in their final group game. They finished the World Cup at seventh spot with just three wins.
7. Mashrafe Mortaza: 4.5/10
Unlike few other captains in this tournament, Mashrafe Mortaza did not quite delivere with the ball. However, it should not undermine his contribution as captain. The veteran fast-bowler marshalled his troop really well on the field. A team that is a fine blend of youth and experience had a brilliant leader in Mortaza.
The vastly experienced campaigner used his limited resources brilliantly and led Bangladesh to famous wins over South Africa and West Indies. He had also nearly led Bangladesh to win over New Zealand in a low-scoring thriller.
6. Dimuth Karunaratne: 5/10
Sri Lanka were being considered as the weakest side of the tournament. Well, the Islanders did not quite prove their critics wrong, they did manage to deliver more than the expectations. Under new skipper Dimuth Karunaratne, they finished at the sixth spot with 3 wins from five games. One of those wins came against hosts and eventual winners Sri Lanka which nearly opened up the World Cup.
Read More: ICC World Cup 2019: Sachin Tendulkar Hails Ben Stokes And Kane Williamson After A Nail-Biting Final
5. Sarfraz Ahmed: 5.5/10
When Pakistan lost to India, they had only three points from five matches. It looked all over for them at that moment. However, Sarfaraz Ahmed managed to motivate his players really well and led Pakistan to four consecutive wins to revive their semifinal hopes. But in the end, the net run-rate cost them a place in the semifinals.
4. Aaron Finch: 6/10
Australia did make it to the semifinal but they never really put up thorough all round performance in the tournament. But the fact that they still lost just 2 games in the group stage speaks volume of Aaron Finch’s captaincy. Finch has received widespread praise from all over for his fine captaincy. Despite his team failing to put up performance on a consistent basis, he did really well to guide them to 7 wins in the group stage.
3. Virat Kohli: 7/10
India lost only two games during the entire competition which is the least number of losses faced by any team in the just-concluded World Cup. However, one of those losses came in the semifinal and India had to bow out of the competition. That was perhaps the only game where Virat Kohli’s captaincy came under the scanner.
While he handled his bowlers really well, it was his decision to shuffle the batting lineup at the last moment that made many criticise his captaincy. Overall, Kohli did well as a captain. The way he led his team to wins over Afghanistan and West Indies despite modest totals on the board, he deserves praise.
2. Eoin Morgan: 8.5/10
The latter half of the World Cup was all about Eoin Morgan’s character as captain. After losing three games in the group stage, England needed to beat India and New Zealand to enter the semifinal and they managed to did. In the semifinal, England thrashed Australia by eight wickets before winning the thrilling final against New Zealand.
1. Kane Williamson: 9/10:
There will be very people who would argue against calling Kane Williamson the best captain of the tournament. He would have got a perfect ten but New Zealand’s three consecutive losses in the group stage made us give him nine. The way Williamson led his team in the semifinal and final, he has made a lot of fans.
In the semifinal, he helped his team defend a modest 239 against India while in the final, his team tied with England despite scoring a modest 241.
