The Great Captains

[honestbharani]

To me, amongst the Aussie captains I have seen, the rating should go..


Border
Taylor
Waugh/Clarke
Ponting/Smith

Considering both the tactical and the leadership side of captaincy, the above would be my ranking of them.

 

[TNT]

Waugh was overrated. A tough cricketer but not all that great tactically. Had an all-time great team at a time when most other teams were in decline. Lost series in India and Sri Lanka. Failed to defend 300 plus scores twice and 400 once despite an all-time great attack.

I have trouble with people questioning the tactical nouse of a captain, you are basically saying that you have special powers and know what would have happened if things were done different. Using Pontings decision to bat first as an example, how does anyone know that had he batted first Australia would have won, they may have been beaten badly and Ponting actually did the right thing making all the people claiming he made a mistake completely wrong.

 

[vic_orthdox]

The SA away series in 1997 was a super win - a lot of neutrals at the time believed that South Africa was the better side in that period. Taylor might have grabbed a few series wins that weren't expected of him, but I guess Waugh was probably favourite in all of the series that he captained in which made it tough for him to "exceed" expectations.

 

[mr_mister]

So weird how Waugh was basically a veteran of the test team before Tubby even made his debut yet it always feels like Tubby came first because he passed the captaincy torch to Steve and Steve played on another 5 years


Why did Tubby retire so young? Did he have injuries

 

[Zinzan]

Best Test skippers I've seen from each side since the mid 80s;

England - Michael Vaughan
Australia - Mark Taylor
Pakistan - Imran Khan
India - Ganguly (yup ahead of Dhoni, always felt Dhoni was lacking tactically)
Sri Lanka - Probably fat boy Ranatunga marginally over Sanga
New Zealand - Stephen Fleming/Brendon McCullum =tied
West Indies - Clive Lloyd

 

[vcs]

Wasn't Mahela always considered a better skipper than Sanga?

 

[Zinzan]

Wasn't Mahela always considered a better skipper than Sanga?

His high-pitched yelping ruled him out for me. Just couldn't take it.

 

[vic_orthdox]

No doubt Mahela the better captain IMO.

 

[Victor Ian]

so lets try and predict who ltm has as his number 1 captain. Can he possibly choose anyone other than border now and save face? I feel Jardine was there merely to give the impression that he has considered all time, but the rest, and his other list, make me feel he is very mordern-centric. Who else but Border could be on the cards?

 

[Zinzan]

so lets try and predict who ltm has as his number 1 captain. Can he possibly choose anyone other than border now and save face? I feel Jardine was there merely to give the impression that he has considered all time, but the rest, and his other list, make me feel he is very mordern-centric. Who else but Border could be on the cards?

Border was gritty, tough & led by example & helped get Aust off the floor in the mid 80s after being defeated by the likes of NZ & England at home, but never thought he was tactically as good as Tubby Taylor.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Benaud, Worrall might be options.

 

[Zinzan]

Benaud, Worrall might be options.

If you're talking all-time. Mine was post mid-80s.

 

[listento_me]

so lets try and predict who ltm has as his number 1 captain. Can he possibly choose anyone other than border now and save face? I feel Jardine was there merely to give the impression that he has considered all time, but the rest, and his other list, make me feel he is very mordern-centric. Who else but Border could be on the cards?

It's a top 5 so you know...that means there will be 5 names. I've just completed the list, maybe you have trouble counting. I dunno

Wasn't Mahela always considered a better skipper than Sanga?

Mahela is the better captain imo too. Ranatunga the best SL had in my lifetime though.

Rana
Jayawa
Sanga
Jayasuriya

 

[Victor Ian]

I missed you last insertion of Lloyd. No need to be so condescending.

 

[Furball]

Listening to Taylor talk ****e on Channel 9 for years has me questioning just how good a tactician he actually was.

Waugh's team had a ruthless streak that Taylor's lacked.

 

[DriveClub]

Agree taylor commentates like an idiot for ch9 i wonder how he was supposedely so good tactically.

 

[Burgey]

Can rarely if ever recall his tactics being questioned during his playing days.

 

[Midwinter]

Agree taylor commentates like an idiot for ch9 i wonder how he was supposedely so good tactically.

The C9 commentary is aimed at 12 year old boys and people who don't know anything about cricket.They are payed to do a job.

Most of the commentators are fascinating to listen to talk about the game when they are away from the C9 microphone.

Taylor is no Einstein but he knows the game.

 

[social]

The C9 commentary is aimed at 12 year old boys and people who don't know anything about cricket.They are payed to do a job.

Most of the commentators are fascinating to listen to talk about the game when they are away from the C9 microphone.

Taylor is no Einstein but he knows the game.

Yep

Warne is a cricket genius and can dissect players in an instant but much of the time he simply babbles on as that is what the producers tell him to do

 

[vic_orthdox]

If you're talking all-time. Mine was post mid-80s.

Victor Ian asked if we could predict who was number 1. I wasn't referring to you.