Best of the modern Aussies skippers

[subshakerz]

Wondering how the modern Aussies skippers would rank, first in terms of captaincy and then in terms of batting?

Allan Border
Mark Taylor
Steve Waugh
Ricky Ponting
Michael Clarke
Steve Smith (based on where you think he ends up)

 

[Red]

On captaincy:

Overall I'd have Taylor as a captain, both tactically, and in terms of managing guys.

Waugh, Border and Ponting were all cut from similar cloth in that I think all the guys who played under them believed in them 100% as leaders.

Clarke great tactically but led a divided team from many accounts and wasn't a good leader of men.

Smith seems to be going ok but he lacks a bit of the aura some of the older school guys had, but then again he's leading younger guys. Seems liked by his team and sets a good standard.

On batting, I rate Ponting, Border and Waugh fairly similarly, Ponting probably had a higher peak. All ATGs. Taylor was a very good solid opener, good, but not ATG. Hard to know how to rate Clarke as a bat, he was very very good though. It's early in Smith's career and I feel he'll slide as he ages, but geez he is amazing now.

 

[stephen]

Pretty much agree with everything Red Hill just said. I'd probably take Waugh overall if all were available and I could only pick one. But the rest are close.

 

[Himannv]

Waugh
Taylor
Ponting
Border
Clarke
Smith

 

[Daemon]

Border was the original Misbah. WAG.

Clarke and Smith comfortably the worst.

 

[fredfertang]

Australia would have been minnows by now if it hadn't been for Allan Border - wac

 

[kingkallis]

From what I have read and saw,

Border
Taylor
Waugh
Ponting
Clarke
Smith

 

[bagapath]

Border

Led **** players
Led mediocre players
Led good players
Led great players
Always knew what Australia needed.
And he always led his players towards that goal.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Border
Taylor
Waugh
Clarke/Ponting

Too early to say much about Smith.

 

[srbhkshk]

Border >= Taylor > Waugh > Ponting >= Clarke >> Smith.

Smith is a poor captain, ideally he should be replaced but there is no one in the team who actually can except Warner. And Warner's overseas performance always tends to be in doubt. Maybe it is time to give Lyon what is rightfully his.

 

[quincywagstaff]

Captaincy:
Tests - Taylor
ODI - Ponting
T20s - Clarke
Agree that overall in terms of significance that AB probably leads the pack because he did the hard yards and setup the culture for others to build on.

Batting:
Tests: Ponting, narrowly ahead of Border & Waugh.
ODI: Ponting easily
T20s: Ehh, none that have played the format have been particularly impressive; Smith because he's the least worst.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Taylor>Waugh>Clarke>Ponting>Smith in tests among the ones I've seen

Clarke may not have been a perfect captain but I never saw him do anything as bad as Ponting at Nagpur 08. Was kind of like a mini-Border for a few years in 2011-13 when he routinely scored hundreds coming in at 30-3. His handling of the situation after Hughes' passing on and off the pitch was amazing too.

 

[Engle]

In terms of captaincy and/or batting, I'd have Border at the top.
The ultimate test of a captain is how well he leads in time of adversity, and Border was the one who resurrected Australian cricket when in dire need.
All the other captains were handed mostly well performing teams on a platter.
Taylor never went up against great opposition captains.
Ponting behaved like a prat towards the umpires.
Waugh went for the win willingly
Thus, I'd rate them : Border > Waugh > Taylor. After that, don't matter much

 

[watson]

Border > Clarke > Taylor > Ponting > Smith > Waugh

I’ve got a lot of respect for captains who take over sides that are in transition - especially if the team is also on an obvious down-hill slide.

So I’ve put Border and Clarke top of the list because they took over at the most difficult time and did remarkable jobs given their circumstances. Unfotunately for Clarke he was also hampered by an inept and antagonistic management team that was all clipboards, pie-charts and home-work.

The fact that Clarke’s record shows 24 wins and 16 losses over 47 Test matches seems very good to me given the crap he had to put up with.

Incidently, softened-up and hit numerous times on the body by Steyn and Morkel his Cape Town innings in 2011 remains one of greatest captains knocks of all time - 151 off 176 balls out of a team total of 284. Even Border himself would have been proud of that.

1st Test, Australia tour of South Africa at Cape Town, Nov 9-11 2011 | Match Summary | ESPNCricinfo

 

[Red]

Clarke, tactically, was brilliant, and as a batsman there is NO denying his skill and at times his absolute toughness.

As a leader however, it seems that he was disliked by multiple players that played under him. Whether that was entirely his fault or not is not an issue, but it does taint his legacy as a leader. I feel that he matured into the leadership somewhat in his 5 years, but I would never rank him higher than any of the others on this list who (it seems) had near universal support from the teams they led.

 

[AndrewB]

I'm never really sure why Border's first 4 years or so in the job - leading a mediocre side to a string of mediocre results - is presented as evidence that he was a good captain. I'm not saying it should particularly be held against him, but I don't think his captaincy was particularly admired at that point: e.g. Wisden's comment after the 1986-7 Ashes was "as captain he lacked spark and the ability to inspire a young team much in need of it. Hard task as he had, he did not look the man to lead the Test team from its troubled run."

 

[S.Kennedy]

Allan Border
Steve Waugh
Mark Taylor
Michael Clarke
Ricky Ponting
Steve Smith

Waugh and Taylor are about tied. Never rated Ponting too much. Rate Smith even less.

 

[S.Kennedy]

I'm never really sure why Border's first 4 years or so in the job - leading a mediocre side to a string of mediocre results - is presented as evidence that he was a good captain. I'm not saying it should particularly be held against him, but I don't think his captaincy was particularly admired at that point: e.g. Wisden's comment after the 1986-7 Ashes was "as captain he lacked spark and the ability to inspire a young team much in need of it. Hard task as he had, he did not look the man to lead the Test team from its troubled run."

In Border's defense he was carrying a mediocre team still riven by post-Packer factionalism and with several key retirements all occurring at a similar time. England during that era resembled a boozy train-wreck but we did not have the same problems Australia had. Throw also in a thoroughly dominant West Indies who nobody was producing much of anything against.

 

[quincywagstaff]

It’s definitely true that Border’s captaincy pre-89 Ashes was criticised a fair bit. Especially so after the 1986/87 home Ashes loss which Australia was expected to win. Indeed it was widely suggested that Dirk Wellham was brought into the side for the final Sydney Test of that series because he was considered a possible replacement for AB.

 

[subshakerz]

Wow surprised to see Border's captaincy rated so highly. Especially as he was known to be quite conservative.

For me, Taylor was easily the best, innovative, aggressive and a terrific man manager. He, like Border, was a transition captain, except he transitioned Australia from a competitive team to being the world's best team. His sides' victories against strong sides in West Indies, South Africa and Pakistan are proof to me of the ability he had to get the best out of his team.