Legendary Players Of Top 8 International Cricket Teams Who Could Never Captain Their Side

Cricket can be a cruel game sometimes. Despite individual brilliance, we have seen that a lot of players haven’t been able to achieve all that they have desired professionally. Over the years, the game has evolved manifold and it commands individuals to be on the top of their game with matches coming thick and fast.

There have been a plethora of players who, despite doing well, have not been able to lead their side in the international cricketing circuit. While some have been a part of controversies, others have just been overshadowed by their peers, who too have done exceptionally well in the international circuit.

In this article, we take a look at 8 international cricketers of the top 8 cricketing nations in world cricket, who despite achieving legendary status, could never captain their team on the biggest stage.

Legendary Players Of Top 8 International Cricket Teams Who Could Never Captain Their Side

Sri Lanka- Muttiah Muralitharan

It’s only a matter of shame that the highest-ever wicket-taker in world cricket, couldn’t captain his national team on a regular basis. Muttiah Muralitharan has been an epitome in world cricket and among the best, if not the best bowler in the world. Murali’s captaincy was always overshadowed by the presence of other Lankan legends like Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, and Mahela Jayawardene.

The Lankan spin wizard has a bundle of world records to his name. The most prolific of them being, he is the highest wicket-taker in the history of Test cricket with 800 scalps to his name. He also has the most ODI wickets to his name as he picked a total of 534 wickets in his international career. It’s only difficult to learn that Muralitharan couldn’t captain Sri Lanka on a regular basis despite being a legend of the game.

South Africa- Dale Steyn

Popularly known as the Steyn Gun, Dale Steyn was among the most fearful bowlers of his era. Having troubled legends of world cricket with his sheer pace and accuracy, Steyn has grabbed a legendary figure in world cricket. With more than 400 Test wickets and close to 200 ODI wickets to his name, Steyn is the 5th highest wicket-taker in the history of South African cricket.

Apart from this, Steyn also had a lot of honors to his name, the most prominent of them being, he was awarded the ICC Test Cricketer Of The Year Award in 2008. He was named in the ICC Test Team of the Year for 8 years. He was also a part of the ICC Test Tea of the Decade (2011-20) and was awarded the Wisden Cricketer of the Year award in 2014. Despite all this, Steyn couldn’t lead the Proteas on the international stage.

Pakistan- Saeed Ajmal

Rated as one of the finest spinners ever produced by Pakistan, Saeed Ajmal is another unlucky brat who could not lead his side in world cricket despite being an epitome of success on the international stage. Ajmal is Pakistan’s sixth-highest wicket-taker with a tally of 447 scalps to his name in the international circuit.

He was also a domestic legend in the Pakistan cricketing spectrum, wherein, he had 578 wickets to his name in first-class cricket. He was also the number bowler in the ICC ODI Rankings for three straight years from 2011 to 2014. In 2015, he was awarded the third-highest civilian award of Pakistan, Sitara-e-Imtiaz for his excellent services. Despite such feathers in his cap, it is just miserable to find out that Ajmal couldn’t lead Pakistan on the international stage.

New Zealand- Martin Guptill

Being New Zealand’s first-ever batsman to score a double century in ODI cricket, Martin Guptill makes it to the list of legendary players who could never lead their international side. Guptill, now 34, is still one of the most destructive openers in the game of cricket. The giant opener from New Zealand smashed an ODI double-century in the 2015 Cricket World Cup and to date, he holds the record of having the highest-ever individual score in an ODI world cup match.

A veteran of the game, Martin Guptill, achieved a lot of fame and recognition with his destructive batting all across the Globe. However, the presence of legends like Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Ross Taylor, and Kane Williamson meant he could never lead his side on the international stage despite having a monstrous status in the game.

England- James Anderson

English pacer James Anderson is not just a player but an artist. His artistry of swinging the cricket ball is second to none in the world. When the God of Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, finds you the toughest bowler to face, there has to be something incredibly special about you. Anderson is the pacer with the most wickets in Test cricket.

He also holds the record of being the highest wicket-taker for the England Cricket Team in ODIs. The only pacer with 600 wickets to his name in Tets cricket, Anderson has surely been on the top of the charts at multiple stages of his career. Despite all such accolades to his name, Anderson couldn’t lead England in the international circuit which is a pity.

Bangladesh- Abdur Razzak

One of the most underrated players in the history of Bangladesh, Abdur Razzak was none short of a magician with the cricket ball in his hand. Razzak is the first Bangladeshi to take 200 wickets in ODIs. He is also the first left-arm spinner and second spinner after Saqlain Mushtaq to take a hat-trick.

Being the third-highest wicket-taker in the history of Bangladesh, Razzak’s career was marred with suspension in his international career. Razzak was suspended from the international circuit, following New Zealand’s tour of Bangladesh in October 2008 for having a suspect bowling action.

Australia- Glenn McGrath

The most prominent and cherished fast bowler in the last centenary, Glenn McGrath proved himself to be a once in a millennium player. McGrath is just second on the list of the highest wicket-takers by a pacer after James Anderson, having picked 563 wickets in the international circuit.

McGrath was named in the ICC Hall of Fame in January 2013. He was also inducted into the Australian Hall of Fame by the CA in 2013. He was named as a bowler in Australia’s greatest ever ODI team. Despite all such honors to his name, McGrath couldn’t lead Australia on the international stage because of the presence of legends like Ricky Ponting.

India- Yuvraj Singh

Always touted to be one of the most gifted cricketers, Yuvraj Singh was team India’s lifesaver more often than not. He came to life for the India National Cricket Team in all the major tournaments and led the team to victory by his own individual performance. A lot of credit for India’s T20 World Cup win in 2007 and the ODI World Cup win in 2011 goes down to Yuvraj Singh.

The left-hander won the ICC Man of the Tournament award in the 2011 World Cup win for India. After Sourav Ganguly, he was destined to lead the side. However, the arrival of MS Dhoni and his triumph in the 2007 T20 World Cup and the CB series in Australia meant that the doors were shut for Yuvraj for leading team India. After the 2011 world cup, he was diagnosed with cancer and could never really make an impactful comeback that led to his downfall.