What do you value in a captain?

[uvelocity]

I think you'd be silly to think that had Chappell been less fortunate with his cattle, that he'd not have employed different tactics too. Often the job of the commentator is to stimulate some kind of discussion and thinking and Chappell does do that. Cricket is a funny game where you can do what seems even like the wrong thing to do in a situation and it can work.

 

[Jarquis]

Well that's where the disagreement lies. It seems like you're saying the best way to take wickets at all times is with aggressive fields which just isn't the case.

 

[Red]

Well that's where the disagreement lies. It seems like you're saying the best way to take wickets at all times is with aggressive fields which just isn't the case.

It's not necessarily aggressive fields. It's an aggressive mentality that's looking for wickets, and if they aren't happening, looking for ways to create them.

 

[benchmark00]

It's not necessarily aggressive fields. It's an aggressive mentality that's looking for wickets, and if they aren't happening, looking for ways to create them.

Yes, the confusion here lies with the wording of 'aggressive'.

No captain thinks '**** I don't want a wicket here, I hope we don't get one' (except maybe if it's 4 overs left in the day, 9 down and it would mean having to go out to bat for 2 overs).

Take for example the situation where you have an established top order player batting with a #11 bunny. Your best chance of getting the wicket is to bowl as many balls as possible to the #11, so you set players back on the boundary and stop the boundaries and 2's so it's either a dot ball, or he'll have to expose the #11. This essentially is not trying to get the wicket of the top order batsman, BUT by doing so you're increasing the overall likelihood of getting a wicket.

 

[benchmark00]

And just finishing this up, the reason why Chappell is a **** commentator is not because he is always saying they should be looking for a wicket, every commentator says that, the reason why he's **** is because he thinks the only way to get wickets is to have aggressive fields.

 

[Jono]

I think we all agree that this guy is a great captain:

Undefeated.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Don't be posting captures from your AFL bukkake videos here, deviant.

 

[the big bambino]

Flexibile thinking allows a good captain adapt as quickly as possible to whatever has been dealt. If you have a great team then just get out of the way. Good players do the basics best so just let them perform and give them the support they need - like good, conventional fields for the bowler for instance.

A captain of a team less generously endowed has to be a hard worker and good observer. Fleming of NZ is stand out in this regard. Stalk your opponents until you find a weakness. Set the fields for them like he did for Martyn iirc. Have plans for the bowlers - attack Warne as best you can and make McGrath bowl at you as much as you can. For the discrepancy in talent NZ made the great Aussie side his era work hard. Look after the stars you do have like Cairns and Bond. Might even mean managing the latter's games due to his fitness problems. Pick your moments to play them. So someone who can plan and manage.

Loyalty is important but to the country not the individual. Make that distinction known to your mates too. Can't have too many Hussey like passengers spending 2 to 3 years to make a return on the faith shown them. Captains are usually batsmen. Sell your wicket dear. Not like ****ing Watson who basically droopped his pants and took it up the butt for his team. Idiot. Oh and when you're struggling tell your selectors that conventional selections work bcos they have a tradition of working. Insist on specialists not funky groovy selections. Don't screw around with your batting order coz you saw Maxwell hit a quick 30 in a one dayer one time somewhere. This is a test match you fool! Play the odds not against them.

 

[Expressway76]

The ability to look as goddamn ***ay as this:

 

[Satyanash89]

Oh dear

 

[Furball]

The number 1 quality absolutely has to be leadership and getting your players to play for you. Personally I reckon the best tactitian in a side should be the vice-captain unless he's also the best leader; leadership skills are so much more important than tactical skills IMO.

 

[sledger]

Good haircut.

 

[Red]

I want a pair of those batting gloves next season.

 

[GotSpin]

Haha **** that picture

 

[Jono]

The number 1 quality absolutely has to be leadership and getting your players to play for you. Personally I reckon the best tactitian in a side should be the vice-captain unless he's also the best leader; leadership skills are so much more important than tactical skills IMO.

Yeah definitely.

Others can help with the tactical side of things (particularly if you have more experienced players in your team who may not want to be captain or are no longer captain etc.) but you can never get assistance with "leading and having your team play for you"

Its why Mathews looks so odd as captain with Mahela in his team, whereas Dhoni did not when he first became captain despite having Dravid, Sachin and Ganguly in his team.

Quite clear that the players play for Mahela. That will probably change in time of course.

 

[Maximas]

Yeah definitely.

Others can help with the tactical side of things (particularly if you have more experienced players in your team who may not want to be captain or are no longer captain etc.) but you can never get assistance with "leading and having your team play for you"

Its why Mathews looks so odd as captain with Mahela in his team, whereas Dhoni did not when he first became captain despite having Dravid, Sachin and Ganguly in his team.

Quite clear that the players play for Mahela. That will probably change in time of course.

I think Mahela was just sick to death of dealing with the board and their politics - their relationship was becoming more strained everyday so they needed a change.

 

[Maximas]

I agree with the VC being the main tactition, I was VC for the school 2nd 11 and I gave plenty of tactical advice to the captain who was better at man management. Shame he ran all my creative ideas by the coach who shot them down and so we stuck to the same losing formula all year...

 

[Goughy]

My three tent poles of captaincy.

I'll ignore Brearley for a second as I can't be arsed with a discussion.

- make the team on merit
- be as comfortable in the boardroom as in the field.
- get your bowlers to be willing to break their body for you

Everything else is just gravy. ***y fields and clever ideas don't count for anything if you can't work with the board or get your quicks to kill themselves for you.

Cricket is full of players with sharp cricketing minds who, unfortunately, lack one of the three above and cannot be a great captain - see WARNE, Shane

 

[Furball]

Yeah definitely.

Others can help with the tactical side of things (particularly if you have more experienced players in your team who may not want to be captain or are no longer captain etc.) but you can never get assistance with "leading and having your team play for you"

Frankly I don't think the captain needs any tactical skills provided he's got someone in his team who a) knows what he's doing tactically, b) who isn't afraid to voice his opinion to the captain and c) the captain's prepared to listen to him.

 

[social]

Man management and luck are the most important aspects IMO

Take Dhoni as an example

The guys tactics are no better than a 12 yo - hit a ball for runs and he will place a fieldsman in that gap or on that boundary

However, he managed to get the best out of the talent at his disposal and was lucky enough to become leader when every other team was in decline > no. 1 ranking and WC victory