Captains with MOST ICC titles, it's not MS Dhoni or Ricky Ponting at top
With Steve Waugh as the captain, Australia won the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1999 and ICC KnockOut Trophy (currently known as the Champions trophy) in 2000. His emphasis on mental toughness and team cohesion laid the foundation for Australia's dominant era and served as a blueprint for future captains.
Pat Cummins brought Australia to unprecedented success in 2023, when the team won ICC World Test Championship and ICC Cricket World Cup. The global prominence with the red ball and white ball in such a short period is one of the most unlikely aspects of the contemporary cricket game, and it makes the Cummins leadership outstanding.
Darren Sammy wrote history as he became the first captain to clinch two ICC T20 World cups in 2012 and 2016. A leader by all means, he also inspired and made the ceremony after the 2016 final contain all emotions, with tears, and happiness, and dancing being remembered as one of the most recognised moments in cricket.
The first skipper to lift an ICC title was Clive Lloyd and the West Indies won the ICC Cricket World Cup back to back in 1975 and 1979. His side had a ferocious batting and bowling combination, explosive, awe-inspiring and nearly unstoppable and that solidified the Caribbean influence in international cricket. A genuine cricketing star, Lloyd made a match winning 102 in the inaugural 1975 final to establish the tone of a West Indian dominance.
Some of the achievements of MS Dhoni as a captain involve the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011 and ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. His influence is not confined to the silverware, however, and it is characterised by his ability to quietly remain calm in crunch situations, faith in the youth and a radicalisation of the white-ball game in India.
Ricky Ponting has led Australia to win two ICC Cricket World Cups in 2003 and 2007 as well as ICC Champions Trophy titles in 2006 and 2009. Captaining the troops of a star-studded team comprising of the likes of Warne, McGrath and Gilchrist; Ponting transformed them into an invincible bowling team which believed in being aggressive, precise and an invincible and undying spirit. There is a record in his name as his team did not lose during the 2003 and the 2007 ODI World Cups.
Among all women and men in the cricketing world, no captain has been able to conquer as many ICC titles as Meg Lanning. During her tenure, Australia won four world titles of the ICC Women T20 World cups (2014, 2018, 2020 and 2023) and the ICC Women Cricket World Cup in 2022.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
All Hail The Queen! Divya Gets A Royal Homecoming
Nagpur: Orange City erupted with scenes of jubilation and pride on Wednesday night as its chess queen Divya Deshmukh returned home after scripting history at the FIDE Women's Chess World Cup in Batumi, Georgia. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The 19-year-old Divya, who went to Batumi as an International Master (IM), came home as a Grandmaster — the third from the city after Raunak Sadhwani and Sankalp Gupta. In the final, Divya defeated India No.1 Koneru Humpy to win the World Cup and also secure a spot in the Candidates tournament. With a hat-trick of achievements in just 27 days, Divya made every Nagpurian feel proud and was deservingly accorded a rousing welcome at Nagpur International Airport on Wednesday night. Hundreds of school students, her classmates, friends, relatives, sports administrators, and fans gathered at the airport long before the arrival of her flight. Many held banners and placards bearing her name and achievements, while others played dhols and drums, ready to welcome the champion with unmatched enthusiasm. As Divya stepped out of the arrival gate, chants of 'Divya, Divya', and 'Nagpur ki shaan' filled the air. She was immediately surrounded by her fans, who showered her with rose petals and draped her in garlands. The young champion, who couldn't stop smiling from ear to ear at the love showered on her, appeared visibly moved by the thunderous welcome. Humbled by the love and admiration pouring in from every corner of the city, Divya thanked her city and her parents, who stood by her at all times, inspiring her to give it her all and never back down. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Massive banners with her image and congratulatory messages adorned the airport premises. Chants of 'Jai Hind!' rang out as her supporters marched alongside her. She was flanked by her proud family and several dignitaries, including MLC Parinay Fuke, who is also president of Maharashtra Chess Association, former mayor Dayashankar Tiwari, former MP Ajay Sancheti, former MLC Girish Vyas, and district sports officer Pallavi Dhatrak. As Divya met relatives near the exit gate, many embraced her with teary eyes, celebrating both the victory and the pride she brought to Nagpur. Divya's journey — from playing chess in small local competitions to becoming a World Cup winner — has now become an inspiration for thousands of young minds across the country. Her win not only marks a personal triumph but has firmly placed Nagpur on the global chess map. The state govt has announced a grand felicitation for the champion at the Suresh Bhat Hall on August 2, where chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union minister Nitin Gadkari, and other bigwigs of the state are expected.
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- The Hindu
Divya Deshmukh returns home after historic victory
Chess prodigy Divya Deshmukh on Wednesday (July 30, 2025) received a warm welcome upon her return to India after winning the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025. The 19-year-old from Nagpur achieved the biggest milestone of her career by defeating fellow-Indian Koneru Humpy in the tiebreakers of the World Cup final held in Batumi, Georgia. On her arrival at 2.20pm at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Mumbai (CSMIA) airport to take a connecting flight to Nagpur, her hometown, she received a warm welcome from the airport staff. CSMIA spokesperson said, 'Mumbai International Airport had the honour of welcoming home Ms. Divya Deshmukh, the newly crowned FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 Champion. She is the first Indian woman to win this prestigious title. Her arrival was met with warmth and pride, as the airport marked her historic achievement on the global chess arena.' At just 19, Divya etched her name in history by winning the prestigious FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 Champion and securing the esteemed Grandmaster title, becoming India's 88th Grandmaster and only the fourth Indian woman to accomplish this remarkable feat. Her triumph stands as a shining example of India's rising prominence in global chess, and Mumbai International Airport was privileged to celebrate her return. The Maharashtra state cabinet on Tuesday formally congratulated Mr. Deshmukh for her landmark achievement of becoming the youngest winner of the Women's Chess World Cup. The congratulatory resolution was tabled and unanimously passed during the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, along with other ministers, in attendance. The cabinet praised Ms. Deshmukh's victory as a moment of pride for the state and the nation.
Indian Express
5 hours ago
- Indian Express
England vs India: Visitors raise red flag after umpires gave 30-overs-old replacement ball after 10 overs at Lord's
India's team management is not happy with the ball-change protocol during the ongoing Test series in England and has conveyed its concerns to the ICC match referee. The management also believes that England got preferential treatment when it came to choosing balls at the start of the crucial third Test of the series at Lord's earlier this month. The Indian Express has learnt that during England's first innings at Lord's, when the second new ball went out of shape after 10 overs, the replacement turned out to be 30-35 overs old. The protocol states the replacement needs to be as old as the original but it is learnt that the umpires told the team there was no ball in stock that was 10 overs old. The Indians feel that since they got a softer and older replacement for a harder ball, which had been swinging and getting seam movement in the first 10 overs, it put them at a disadvantage in the Test that England eventually won by 22 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the series. The fourth Test ended in a tense draw with the last match starting on Thursday. 'At Lord's, after about 10 overs, the Dukes ball lost its shape, something that has been happening so often in the series. The ball failed to pass through the rings that the umpires carry on the field to check if the ball is uniformly spherical. However, the umpires didn't have a ball that was 10 overs old, so the Indian team at a crucial moment of the match got a ball that was 30-35 overs old,' said an Indian team official. 'Check the scoreboard to see how the game changed after that. The bowlers lost their swing and England scored with ease,' the official said. On getting the much older ball, the Indian team management appealed to the match referee to allow them to switch back to the original that had gone out of shape. That's when they were shown the rule book. 'When you ask for a ball change, you aren't told about the age of the replacement you will be getting. At Lord's, we weren't told that the replacement would be 30 to 35 overs old. If we were told, we would have continued with the deformed ball that was used for 10 overs. The ICC needs to intervene. This rule needs to be changed,' he said. At Lord's, before the ball went out of shape, India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was getting it to talk, pocketing three wickets in 14 balls. Bumrah first got England captain Ben Stokes bowled with one that snaked in between bat and pad. After that, Joe Root couldn't read a fast incoming ball that took his bat's edge and shattered the stumps. Following Root, all-rounder Chris Woakes edged his first ball, a swinging delivery that straightened after pitching, to the wicketkeeper. It was at this moment that the ball got changed as also the flow of the Test. 'The second new ball… swung 1.869 degrees and seamed 0.579 degrees on average. The replacement ball swung 0.855 degrees on average and seamed 0.594 degrees,' reported. From wickets falling in clumps, the Indians started to struggle with the benign replacement. The next two batsmen – wicket-keeper Jamie Smith and all-rounder Brydon Carse – enjoyed an easy ride as the replacement ball didn't swing. This helped them compile a late-order game-changing partnership. Smith scored a 56-ball 51 and Carse an 83-ball 56, as the two took the score from 271 for seven to 355 for eight. In a match that India lost by 22 runs, this was a significant partnership. At the end of Day 2, Bumrah's displeasure was evident but he didn't speak on the issue. 'The ball changes, I don't really control that. Obviously, I don't want to lose out on money because I work very hard and play a lot of overs. So, I don't want to say any controversial statements and get my match fees deducted,' he said. According to the Indian team official, there is an urgent need to take a fresh look at the process to pick balls for every Test. According to convention, the fourth umpire, who is from the host country, comes to the dressing room with a box of balls and asks the team to pick two that they will bowl with during the Test. 'The match referee, the neutral chief judge of the Test, is not present,' said the official. During the ongoing series, there have been instances of the fourth umpire coming to the Indian dressing room with a box that had just one ball that had a darker shade of red and the rest pure red. It is said that the balls with darker shade swing more. 'I am not alleging anything but when we asked for the darker ball, we were told that was the ball England had selected as their second new ball,' said the official. He went on to say that the system can easily be manipulated by the home team since there is no involvement of match referees. 'The right thing would be to have this ball selection in the match referee's room and not in the dressing room with the local umpire as the only official present,' he said.
