Least Qualified Captains (T20 excluded)

[Burgey]

So with Clarke and Watson injured and Haddin "rested", there are reports Dave Warner will take over the ODI captaincy for Friday's game.

This had me thinking, for once.

Excluding T20s, in which the format is new and blokes who generally wouldn't be near longer forms get a game, is he the least qualified international captain Australia has had since Graham Yallop (tests and ODIs only)?

I'm not bagging him as a cricketer at all, just thinking in terms of leadership and playing experience at FC and international level.

I suppose Ian Craig would take the biscuit for us from a test playing POV.

Any posters from other countries like to nominate their least qualified skippers at the time of ascension? There might be some slightly lolworthy ones from England, given for decades they'd tour what was essentially a B team to some countries.

 

[Howe_zat]

Here's looking at you, Pakistan.

 

[Furball]

Ali Cook.

Played 1 ODI out of 5 in the tour to India in 2008 (which was his first for 5/6 months), disappears from the ODI side for 18 months, gets recalled as captain when Strauss decides he cbf going to Bangladesh, doesn't appear again in pyjamas for England for another 18 months, and in the space of 2 months goes from not being good enough to be in the World Cup squad to England's ODI captain.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Maharaja of Porbandar | India Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo

Maharajah of Vizianagram | India Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[Burgey]

Ali Cook.

Played 1 ODI out of 5 in the tour to India in 2008 (which was his first for 5/6 months), disappears from the ODI side for 18 months, gets recalled as captain when Strauss decides he cbf going to Bangladesh, doesn't appear again in pyjamas for England for another 18 months, and in the space of 2 months goes from not being good enough to be in the World Cup squad to England's ODI captain.

Yeah but isn't Cook England's test vice captain? The bloke has scored thousands of international runs at least. I was thinking someone like Chris Cowdrey might get a run from the England supporters.

 

[BoyBrumby]

The way cricket is nowadays what with central contracts and all, I suppose quite a few international captains take on the armband without much FC captaincy experience. Guess there's a debate as to whether the selectors should go for the best XI and pick a skipper from them or chose a "specialist" who mightn't get in on playing merit. Both Srauss and Cook were out of favour in the ODI side when chose to lead it. At least they were there or thereabouts tho.

Don't think one could honestly say the same of Chris Cowdrey when he was picked to lead the test side in 88. By his Godfather.

 

[Eds]

Maharaja of Porbandar | India Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo

"A keen cricketer, he was handicapped by being almost useless."

 

[Furball]

Yeah but isn't Cook England's test vice captain? The bloke has scored thousands of international runs at least. I was thinking someone like Chris Cowdrey might get a run from the England supporters.

True, but Cook (and Strauss before him come to think of it) weren't anywhere near the ODI side when they were chosen to captain it.

In modern day terms, both of them are probably about as left-field as you'll get when it comes to captaincy choices I'd reckon.

 

[Howe_zat]

There must be cases of England cricketers of old leading the side entirely on the basis of which school they attended.

You know, as oppose to today's captains, who are chosen only partly based on which school they attended.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Agreed, but Warner fits a different box - someone whose place in the side is (rightly on wrongly) secure, but has very little experience as either player or skipper. They'd fall into the same box as that poor bugger who got asked to skipper West Indies C versus Bangladesh at the age of 37 a couple of years back... Floyd Reifer | West Indies Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo.

I suppose both Pietersen and Flintoff had little captaincy experience before they got the England job, but they did at least have a much longer senior career than Warner.

 

[Neil Pickup]

There must be cases of England cricketers of old leading the side entirely on the basis of which school they attended.

You know, as oppose to today's captains, who are chosen only partly based on which school they attended.

Haven't used a smiley in bloody ages. I hope you're happy.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Possibly the oddest (and maybe saddest) story of a captain of England might be Monty Bowden's. He captained the 88/89 touring side to SA in the second game, which was subsequently upgraded to test status after the fact.

Unfortunately Monty died in 1892 at only 26, without knowing he'd even played test cricket or captained his country.

 

[Burgey]

Agreed, but Warner fits a different box - someone whose place in the side is (rightly on wrongly) secure, but has very little experience as either player or skipper. They'd fall into the same box as that poor bugger who got asked to skipper West Indies C versus Bangladesh at the age of 37 a couple of years back... Floyd Reifer | West Indies Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo.

I suppose both Pietersen and Flintoff had little captaincy experience before they got the England job, but they did at least have a much longer senior career than Warner.

Yeah. Aside from the dim dark days of yore, I suppose you're looking at times when there are ructions of divisions, as with the Windies in that series, Rebel tours in the 80s or WSC.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Possibly the oddest (and maybe saddest) story of a captain of England might be Monty Bowden's. He captained the 88/89 touring side to SA in the second game, which was subsequently upgraded to test status after the fact.

Unfortunately Monty died in 1892 at only 26, without knowing he'd even played test cricket or captained his country.

How does this kind of historical revisionism, upgrading exhibition games to Test status, come about?

Perhaps a job for Mr Fertang?

 

[SteveNZ]

Pretty sure I saw a list of debutants who had captained their country somewhere recently, in the wake of Bailey.

Lee Germon pops up as the name in my head. Test debut (from memory) he took the armband. With the amount of egos in our side at that time, that cannot have been an easy task.

 

[DingDong]

Maharaja of Porbandar | India Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo

Maharajah of Vizianagram | India Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo

thanks for that neil

 

[CricAddict]

Darren Sammy

 

[kingkallis]

"A keen cricketer, he was handicapped by being almost useless."

Thats classic

 

[weldone]

"A keen cricketer, he was handicapped by being almost useless."

We should be thankful to him for the reason that he decided not to captain the side in India's first-ever test match, and handed over the captaincy to CK Nayudu in the first test after making 2 runs in the 4 tour matches.

 

[Chubb]

Brian Murphy captained Zimbabwe a couple of times. But really I think the public school toff amateurs who got to captain counties, and England, because of who they were take the cake. Not that all amateurs and public schoolboys didn't deserve to play!