There have been many outstanding captains in the history of the 50-over World Cup, including Clive Lloyd, Ricky Ponting, MS Dhoni, and many others. As such, this listicle shed light on the top three players with the most matches as captains in the history of the ODI World Cup.
3. Mohammad Azharuddin – 23 matches
Mohammad Azharuddin, a former captain of India, is listed in third place. Mohammad Azharuddin captained his team in three World Cup competitions: 1992, 1996, and 1999, the same as every other skipper on this list. In 23 World Cup games, the Hyderabadi player has been the captain of the Indian side. Under his leadership, India did not, however, experience enough success at the World Cups.
During his captaincy tenure, Team India only managed to win 10 games while losing 12 games in the World Cups. From 1992 through 1999, the Indian team, which was captained by Mohammad Azharuddin, only won 45.45% of its World Cup games.
2. Stephen Fleming – 27 matches
The second name on this list is former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming. The Southpaw, who made his World Cup debut in 1996, was given the chance to captain the Kiwis in the 1999 World Cup and held that position through the Caribbean event in 2007.
Stephen Fleming captained New Zealand in 27 World Cup games before leading the Kiwis to victory in the Champions Trophy in 2000. Under his direction, the Black Caps won 16 games while losing just 10. Under his leadership, New Zealand only managed to win 44.95% of their games.
1. Ricky Ponting – 29 matches
Ricky Ponting, who is the most successful skipper in World Cups overall, is unquestionably at the top of this list. Both in 2003 and 2007, the former Australian captain guided his country to victories. Additionally, Punter served as the team’s captain for the 2011 World Cup, where they lost to eventual champions India in the quarterfinals.
Overall, Ponting captained Australia in 29 World Cup games, and “the Kangaroos” won 26 of those games while tasting defeat only twice. Under the leadership of Ponting, Australia won 92.85% of their World Cup games.