7 Great cricketers who were not so good captains

Captaincy in cricket is more demanding than in any other team sport. Not only does the captain has to be a consistent performer for the team, but also needs to have the motivational skills to get the best out of others. Captaincy records, though, do not always give the correct picture. The quality of the team can be a major factor in a captain’s record.

Here’s a look at 7 Great cricketers who were not so good captains:

1. Brian Lara:

The batting genius from West Indies had a poor record as a Test captain. He led the team in 47 Test matches winning only 10 and losing 26. The sad decline of West Indies cricket didn’t help the great man and left him with a winnings percentage of only 21.28. The two heaviest series defeats were against South Africa (5-0) in 1998 and England (4-0) in 2004. In 1999, the Windies lost 2-0 away to New Zealand and 3-1 to Australia at home in 2003. The year 2003 also saw the team lose a 4-match away series 3-0 to South Africa. England came to the Caribbean in 2004 and won a 4-match series by the same margin of 3-0 against the home side.

Lara scored runs consistently however the team failed to live up to the expectations. The 2 memorable series under his captaincy were the ones in 1998 when the visiting English side was beaten 3-1 in a 5-match series and other visitors, Australia were held 2-2 in the famous series of 1999 when Lara was at the peak of his prowess. Lara’s ODI captaincy record is far better with a winning percentage of 47.20 from 125 matches. He also led his country to the ICC Champions Trophy Title win in 2004.

Also Read – Top 10 Most successful captains in international Cricket