10 Most successful Captains in ODI Cricket – 2024

A good captain can change the setup, the environment, the culture, and the style of gameplay of a team and help the team reach new heights through his/her leadership, skills, and vision.

Cricket has seen lots of astute and inspiring captains over the years. Here are the top 10 most successful captains in ODI cricket.

Criteria used for Ranking the most successful captains in ODI cricket

1. The player must have captained at least 100 ODI matches.
2. The number of ICC Trophies (World Cup and Champions Trophy) won as a captain has been given more importance than the win percentage.
3. World Cup has been given more preference over the Champions Trophy, that is, for example, a captain with just 1 World Cup win will be ranked higher than a captain with just 1 Champions Trophy win.
4. In case 2 captains have won the same number and type of ICC Trophy, the one with a higher win percentage is ranked higher.

Sl. No.	Captain	Country	Span	Matches as Captain	Won	Lost	Tied/NR	Win %
1	Ricky Ponting	Australia	2002 – 2012	230	165	51	14	76.14 %
2	MS Dhoni	India	2007 – 2018	200	110	74	16	59.52%
3	Eoin Morgan	England	2011- Present	126	76	40	10	65.25%
4	Steve Waugh	Australia	1997 – 2002	106	67	35	4	65.23%
5	Allan Border	Australia	1985 – 1994	178	107	67	4	61.42%
6	Imran Khan	Pakistan	1982 – 1992	139	75	59	5	55.92%
7	Arjuna Ranatunga	Sri Lanka	1988 – 1999	193	89	95	9	48.37%
8	Hanse Cronje	South Africa	1994 – 2000	138	99	35	4	73.70%
9	Sanath Jayasuriya	Sri Lanka	1998 – 2003	118	66	47	5	58.26%
10	Saurav Ganguly	India	1999 – 2005	147	76	66	5	53.52%

Special Mentions – Due to the 1st criterion of captaining for at least 100 matches, 2 very special captains – Clive Lloyd and Kapil Dev are not on the list.

Clive Lloyd has captained West Indies for 84 ODI matches and won the first 2 World Cups as captain in 1975 and 1979. Kapil Dev has captained India for 74 ODI matches and led India to 1982 World Cup glory, revolutionizing cricket in India. Thus, both any day perfectly fits into the list of most successful captains in ODI cricket, and hence mentioned specially.

Here is a further in-depth look at each of the 10 captains mentioned above in the table –

1. Ricky Ponting

Win % – 76.14% ICC Trophies won – 4 ( 2003 and 2007 World Cup, 2006 and 2009 Champions Trophy)

Ricky Ponting is undoubtedly the best captain going by records in the league of most successful captains in ODI cricket with as many as 4 ICC trophies and a massive win percentage of 76.14! He and his troops were unstoppable, to say the least during the 2000s and his hunger to win each and every game was one to savor.

2. Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Win % – 59.52% ICC Trophies won – 2 ( 2011 World Cup, 2013 Champions Trophy)

“Dhoni finishes off in style” is something that will remain forever evergreen for each and every Indian fan! Under the leadership of Dhoni, India became a powerhouse in cricket. His brilliant spot tactics and super cool nature is what stood for all. He is definitely the most successful captain of India and 2nd on the list of most successful captains in ODI cricket.

3. Eoin Morgan

Win Percentage – 65.25% ICC Trophies Won – 1 ( 2019 World Cup)

Captain Morgan completely changed the team culture and brand of cricket of England in limited overs cricket post an early disappointing exit in the 2015 World Cup. His philosophy and vision yielded the perfect result when the game’s inventors finally grabbed the World Cup in 2019! With a very high win percentage of 65.25%, Morgan ranks 3rd among the most successful captains in ODI cricket.

4. Steve Waugh

Win % – 65.23% ICC Trophies won – 1 (1999 World Cup)

Steve Waugh follows Morgan at the 4th spot in the list of most successful captains in ODI cricket with a World Cup victory to his credit in 1999. His win % is just 0.02% less than that of Morgan! Waugh marshaled the side which later produced legends of world cricket and was completely dominant in the 2000s.

5. Allan Border

Win % – 61.42% ICC Trophies won – 1 (1987 World Cup)

The Australian legendary batsman is 5th when it comes to the most successful captains in ODI cricket. Australia currently has the most number of World Cup victories – 5, but it was Allan Border who started the proceedings as he led Australia to their 1st ever World Cup triumph in 1987.

6. Imran Khan

Win % – 55.92% ICC Trophies won – 1 (1991 World Cup)

Imran Khan has been perhaps the most influential captain of Pakistan. His command and leadership abilities earned Pakistan their maiden World Cup glory in 1991, and still, Imran Khan remains to be the only captain of Pakistan to have won an ODI World Cup. He makes it to the 6th place with respect to the most successful captains in ODI cricket.

7. Arjuna Ranatunga

Win % – 48.37% ICC Trophies won – 1 ( 1996 World Cup)

Sri Lanka has reached the finals of many ODI World Cups, but only once they were able to cross the final hurdle and that happens to be under the leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga. With a win % of just under 50%, Ranatunga grabs the 7th spot of most successful captain in ODI cricket.

8. Hanse Cronje

Win % – 73.70% ICC Trophies won – 1 (1998 Champions Trophy)

Hanse Cronje made South Africa a force to be reckoned with and his staggering win % of 73.70% is the best evidence of it. Under him, the Proteas won the 1998 Champions Trophy, and had he not been involved in unwanted sandals, he could have finished a lot higher in this table of most successful captains in ODI cricket.

9. Sanath Jayasuriya

Win % – 58.26% ICC Trophies won – 1 ( 2002 Champions Trophy)

The flamboyant left-handed batsman captained the Sri Lankan side which boasted many legends of the game like Sangakkara, Jayawardene, Muralitharan, Malinga, Vaas, and so on. Under his captaincy, Sri Lanka reached the finals of the Champions Trophy 2002, and since the final got washed out, the trophy was shared between Sri Lanka and India. So, Jayasuriya earned Sri Lanka their first ICC Champions Trophy win.

10. Sourav Ganguly

Win % – 53.52% ICC Trophies won – 1 ( 2002 Champions Trophy)

Sourav Ganguly, popularly called ‘Dada’ completes this elite list of most successful captains in ODI cricket. Ganguly is one of the most influential captains cricket has ever seen as he changed the complexion of Indian cricket and made India play with pride, aggression, and without fear. Apart from the 2002 Champions Trophy glory, taking the 2003 Indian team to the World Cup final was another huge achievement.

That wraps up the list of most successful captains in ODI cricket.

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