Captaining your nation for one time in an ODI match is considered a great honor for any player but to be a captain for a long period of time is something extraordinary for any player. There are only a few players who have played a lot of matches as a captain for the country.
There are a handful of players who have held the record for playing most number of matches for their nations. Let’s look at the top 5 captains who have played the most number of matches for their country.
1. Ricky Ponting (230 Matches):
He holds the record for playing the most number of matches for his country. He has played a record 230 matches for Australia and he has won 165 matches out of those. He is one of the most extraordinary captains in the history of ODI cricket. He has won 2 World Cups in 2003,2007 and he made the Australian team the most dominant team in the world. He was also the best batter in the Australian team during his captaincy tenure and he led from the front and was very aggressive.
Also Read | Highest opening partnerships in ODIs
2. Stephen Fleming (218 Matches):
He is New Zealand cricket’s best ever captain and one of the best ever batters as well for the nation. He led New Zealand in 218 matches and won 98 of those matches. He was a young captain who was given the responsibility of leading his country and led then for 10 years and made New Zealand into a cricketing powerhouse. His contributions will always be remembered and he will be a true tof New Zealand cricket.
3. MS Dhoni (200 Matches):
He is one of India’s greatest ever captains to have ever played the game of cricket. He was a revolutionary for Indian cricket and he has given India so much success over the years . MS Dhoni has won all Three ICC tournaments including the 2011 World Cup in India where in the final he made a match winning 91 and won India the World Cup. MS Dhoni is one of the most beloved cricketers to have ever played the game of cricket. His legacy is unparalleled and his contributions to Indian cricket will always be remembered. He won 110 matches out of those.
Also Read | Highest partnerships by Wicket in ODI History
4. Arjuna Ranatunga (193 Matches):
He was the finest Sri Lanka captains Sri Lanka ever produced. He was a once in a generation leader and revolutionised Sri Lanka cricket and even won the the World Cup in 1996 and gave Sri Lanka it’s proudest cricketing moment in history. Since then , no other captain has since had his legacy and ne won 89 matches out of those he captained for Sri Lanka.
5. Allan Border (178 Matches):
Allan Border is one of the greatest captains in Australia history. He made Australia the world beaters they are today. He was one of the greatest Australia batters ever and he was a very aggressive captain and made match winners out of everybody. He won the World Cup of 1999 easily with his Australia tram and won 107 matches out of the total matches he played in .
Must Read | Most Man of the match awards in ODIs
