The 11th edition of the ICC World Cup is set to take place in Australia and New Zealand. Except India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni and William Porterfield of Ireland, none of the other sides had their captains leading them in the previous edition of the tournament in 2011. Here is a look at the top 5 captains to watch out for in this tournament:
1) Brendon McCullum: There is something special about New Zealand cricket. In a small nation where sheep and cows outnumber humans, where cricket is not the primary sport people indulge, the number of talented cricketers is extremely large. Even the captains who have come out from the Cindrella nation have been among the finest in the business.Also Read: ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Schedule in IST: Time Table, Fixture & Venue Details of all WC 2015 Matches
When the attacking wicketkeeper-batsman took over the reins of New Zealand cricket from Ross Taylor, things weren’t looking too good for the Kiwis. However, with the same set of players, McCullum formed one of the most potent teams in the world. Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor and Luke Ronchi struck good form as New Zealand enjoyed their most successful cricketing year in 2014. McCullum has been aggressive, attacking and creative. His leadership has helped New Zealand dominate across formats and in all conditions. Undoubtedly, he is currently the best skipper in the world of cricket.
2) Michael Clarke: Michael Clarke is daring, is innovative and a fine leader of men. However, unlike his predecessors, he does not have the luxury of world-class players to dominate across the world. Nonetheless, slowly, alongside Coach Darren Lehmann, he has developed a world beating unit. His injury might keep him out of the World Cup or maybe the responsibility of captaincy will fall in the laps of Steve Smith. Whatever it be, if fit and in fine form, he is one of the most daring captains going around in the world of cricket currently.
3) MS Dhoni: The Jharkhand player presents a curious case. Even as his Test captaincy left a lot to be desired, he continued to be one of the finest captains in limited-overs cricket. Dhoni uses bizarre tactics to outdo his opponents, sometimes baffling his own men. However, whenever there is a crisis, the Indian skipper is a reliable go-to man. He is a fine finisher – be it with the bat or as captain while defending totals. His reign of over seven years as the captain of the Indian cricket team has seen him win all the major limited-overs tournament – ICC World T20, ICC World Cup and ICC Champions Trophy. Even as India’s chances aren’t the best in 2015, Dhoni is still the best man to lead their charge.
4) Angelo Mathews: One noticeable change in Angelo Mathews, since taking over the captaincy of the Sri Lankan cricket team has been his rise in form with the bat. Along with the evergreen trio of Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan, he has formed the core of their strong batting. More importantly, he has inherited the skills of leadership well from Jayawardene and Sangakkara – two of the wiliest men in the business. The 2015 ICC world Cup is the first big platform for Mathews to deliver. So far, he has had immense success with leadership, but the World Cup will be a true test of the all-rounder. Also Read: ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Schedule: Complete Fixtures & Time Table of all Cricket World Cup 2015 Matches
5) AB de Villiers: The South African skipper is arguably the best batsman in the world currently. There is no shot in the book he can’t play. There are few which only he can. But beyond his own skills as a fielder- be it with the bat, ball or field, he is an exceptional leader of men and highly respected among his teammates and opponents. The 2015 Cricket world Cup brings along with it the heightened responsibility of helping South Africa to its first world Cup win and ridding them of the ‘chokers’ tag which has haunted them for long.
When the attacking wicketkeeper-batsman took over the reins of New Zealand cricket from Ross Taylor, things weren’t looking too good for the Kiwis. However, with the same set of players, McCullum formed one of the most potent teams in the world. Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor and Luke Ronchi struck good form as New Zealand enjoyed their most successful cricketing year in 2014. McCullum has been aggressive, attacking and creative. His leadership has helped New Zealand dominate across formats and in all conditions. Undoubtedly, he is currently the best skipper in the world of cricket.
2) Michael Clarke: Michael Clarke is daring, is innovative and a fine leader of men. However, unlike his predecessors, he does not have the luxury of world-class players to dominate across the world. Nonetheless, slowly, alongside Coach Darren Lehmann, he has developed a world beating unit. His injury might keep him out of the World Cup or maybe the responsibility of captaincy will fall in the laps of Steve Smith. Whatever it be, if fit and in fine form, he is one of the most daring captains going around in the world of cricket currently.
3) MS Dhoni: The Jharkhand player presents a curious case. Even as his Test captaincy left a lot to be desired, he continued to be one of the finest captains in limited-overs cricket. Dhoni uses bizarre tactics to outdo his opponents, sometimes baffling his own men. However, whenever there is a crisis, the Indian skipper is a reliable go-to man. He is a fine finisher – be it with the bat or as captain while defending totals. His reign of over seven years as the captain of the Indian cricket team has seen him win all the major limited-overs tournament – ICC World T20, ICC World Cup and ICC Champions Trophy. Even as India’s chances aren’t the best in 2015, Dhoni is still the best man to lead their charge.
4) Angelo Mathews: One noticeable change in Angelo Mathews, since taking over the captaincy of the Sri Lankan cricket team has been his rise in form with the bat. Along with the evergreen trio of Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan, he has formed the core of their strong batting. More importantly, he has inherited the skills of leadership well from Jayawardene and Sangakkara – two of the wiliest men in the business. The 2015 ICC world Cup is the first big platform for Mathews to deliver. So far, he has had immense success with leadership, but the World Cup will be a true test of the all-rounder. Also Read: ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Schedule: Complete Fixtures & Time Table of all Cricket World Cup 2015 Matches
5) AB de Villiers: The South African skipper is arguably the best batsman in the world currently. There is no shot in the book he can’t play. There are few which only he can. But beyond his own skills as a fielder- be it with the bat, ball or field, he is an exceptional leader of men and highly respected among his teammates and opponents. The 2015 Cricket world Cup brings along with it the heightened responsibility of helping South Africa to its first world Cup win and ridding them of the ‘chokers’ tag which has haunted them for long.
Source: India.com
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