Captain (cricket)

Member of a cricket team

Ricky Ponting (left) is the most successful ICC tournament-winning captain, having won 2 Cricket World Cups and 2 Champions Trophies as captain. MS Dhoni (right) is the only captain to win all 3 ICC limited-overs tournaments - The Cricket World Cup, the Champions Trophy and the T20 World Cup.

Clive Lloyd (left) is the first captain to win 2 Cricket World Cups alongside being the tournament's first ever victorius captain, while Darren Sammy (right) is the only captain to win 2 T20 World Cups.

Graeme Smith (left) holds the record for most Test matches as captain, as well as most Test wins.[1] Steve Waugh (right) is the most successful Test captain, with a winning ratio of 72%.[2]

Some countries opt for a split captaincy, with different captains for different formats to manage workload. Pat Cummins (left) captains Australia in Tests and ODIs, while Mitchell Marsh (right) leads the team in T20Is.

The captain of a cricket team, often referred to as the skipper,[3] is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of the other players. As in other sports, the captain is usually experienced and has good communication skills, and is likely to be one of the most regular members of the team, as the captain is responsible for the team selection. Before the game the captains toss for innings. During the match the captain decides the team's batting order, who will bowl each over, and where each fielder will be positioned. While the captain has the final say, decisions are often collaborative. A captain's knowledge of the complexities of cricket strategy and tactics, and shrewdness in the field, may contribute significantly to the team's success.

Due to the smaller coaching/management role played out by support staff, as well as the need for greater on-field decision-making, the captain of a cricket team typically shoulders more responsibility for results than team captains in other sports.[4]

## Captain's responsibilities

[edit]

### During a match

[edit]

#### The toss

[edit]

Starting from team selection and then toss Before the start of a match the home captain tosses a coin and the away captain calls heads or tails. The captain who wins the toss is given the choice of whether to bat or bowl first.[4] The decision usually depends on the condition of the pitch and whether it is likely to deteriorate, the weather conditions and the weather forecast.

The decision also depends on the relative strengths of the team's batting and bowling. For instance in Test cricket, a side with only fast bowlers may choose to bowl first to try to take advantage of any early moisture in the pitch, knowing that it will be harder to take wickets later in the match. Similarly a side with a weak opening batting pair may choose to bowl first in order to protect their batsmen.[5]

#### Fielding positions

[edit]

The captain decides where the fielders will stand, in consultation with the bowler and sometimes other senior players. The fielding positions will usually be dictated by the type of bowler, the batsman's batting style, and the captain's assessment of the state of the match (and hence whether to set an attacking or a defensive field).[4]

#### Bowling

[edit]

The captain decides when each bowler will bowl. If a batsman is seeking to dominate the current bowler, the captain may ask someone else to bowl; alternatively, keeping the bowler on may be deemed the best chance of getting the batsman out or restricting the scoring rate. If the regular bowlers are not achieving the desired results, the captain may decide to use non-regular bowlers to attempt to unsettle the batsmen. The captain may also change the bowlers around to introduce variation, and to prevent the batsmen getting "set".[4]

In limited overs cricket the captain additionally has to make certain that bowlers bowl no more than their allotted maximum number of overs, and that experienced bowlers are available at the end of the batting side's innings, when the batsmen are usually looking to take risks to attack and score quickly.[4]

In the longer forms of cricket, when a new ball becomes available the captain decides whether to use it, and when given that it can be taken any time after it becomes available.[4]

#### Batting order

[edit]

See also: Batting order (cricket)

When the team bats, the captain decides the batting order. In professional cricket the captain usually changes the established batting order only for exceptional reasons, because batsmen tend to specialise in batting at certain positions. However, in certain circumstances it may be in the team's interest to change the batting order. If quick runs are needed, a naturally attacking batsman may be promoted up the order. A player who is 'in form' may be promoted to a higher batting position, at the expense of a player who is 'out of form'.[4]

If a wicket falls near the end of a day's play, especially if the light is failing, or if the bowlers seem particularly confident, the captain may choose to send in a non-specialist batsman, referred to as a nightwatchman. If the nightwatchman does not get out before the end of that day's play then the specialist batsman will have been protected, and will not need to bat until the following day when conditions are likely to have improved. If the nightwatchman does get out, the cost of losing a late wicket will have been minimised, because the specialist batsman is still available to bat.[4]

#### Declarations

[edit]

The captain may declare the team's innings closed at any time, but usually only does so as an attacking ploy, for instance if the captain thinks the team has enough runs to win the match, or if a sudden change in conditions has made it advantageous to bowl rather than bat.[4]

#### Follow-on

[edit]

In a two-innings match, if the situation arises the captain decides whether to impose the follow-on.[4]

Appeals

Fielding captains may withdraw appeals with consent of the umpires.[6] This often occurs in cases of injury, miscommunication, or unsportsmanlike conduct, and is considered to uphold the spirit of cricket and fair play within the game.

#### Miscellaneous

[edit]

The captain is also consulted on whether an injured batsman from the opposing team may use a runner when batting. Permission is usually given if the batsman has become injured during the course of the match, but if the batsman was carrying the injury at the start of the match then the captain may refuse. (As of 2012, runners are not allowed in Test cricket and injured batsmen are required to continue batting with the injury or retire hurt.)[7]

### Other duties

[edit]

As well as decisions taken either immediately before or during a match, captains also often have some responsibility for the good running of the cricket club. For instance, they may decide when the team is to practice, and for how long. In professional cricket the captain often has some say in who will form the squad from which teams are selected, and may also decide how young up-and-coming players are to be encouraged and improved, and how members of the squad who are not regularly selected for first-team matches are to gain match practice.[4]

Prior to July 2015, the captain was responsible for deciding when to take batting and bowling powerplays in limited overs matches.[8]

## Vice-captain

[edit]

Vice-captains are sometimes considered the full-time successor to the incumbent captain. Michael Clarke was Australia's vice-captain for three years before succeeding Ricky Ponting as captain in 2011.[9]

The captain may be assisted by a vice-captain or in some instances joint vice-captains. This is particularly useful if the captain is forced to leave the field of play during fielding. Some teams also allocate the vice-captain a more or less formal role in assisting with team selection, discipline, field-setting and so on. Sometimes the role of vice-captain is seen as preparation for the player(s) becoming the captain of the side in future.[10]

## Current men's international captains

[edit]

### ICC Full Members

[edit]

Nation  | Format | Captain  | Vice-captain(s)

|
|
|

Afghanistan[11] | Test | Hashmatullah Shahidi | Rahmat Shah
ODI
T20I | Rashid Khan | Ibrahim Zadran
Australia[12][13][14][15] | Test | Pat Cummins | Steve Smith / Travis Head
ODI | Mitchell Marsh
T20I | Mitchell Marsh | Travis Head
Bangladesh[16][17][18][19] | Test | Vacant
ODI | Mehidy Hasan Miraz | Vacant
T20I | Litton Das
England[20][21][22][23] | Test | Ben Stokes | Ollie Pope
ODI | Harry Brook | Vacant
T20I
India[24][25] | Test | Shubman Gill | Rishabh Pant
ODI | Rohit Sharma | Shubman Gill
T20I | Suryakumar Yadav | Axar Patel
Ireland[26] | Test | Andrew Balbirnie | Paul Stirling
ODI | Paul Stirling | Vacant
T20I | Lorcan Tucker
New Zealand[27][28] | Test | Tom Latham | Mitchell Santner
ODI | Mitchell Santner | Michael Bracewell
T20I
Pakistan[29][30][31][32] | Test | Shan Masood | Saud Shakeel
ODI | Mohammad Rizwan | Salman Ali Agha
T20I | Salman Ali Agha | Shadab Khan
South Africa[33][34][35][36][37][38] | Test | Temba Bavuma | Aiden Markram
ODI
T20I | Aiden Markram | Rassie van der Dussen
Sri Lanka[39][40] | Test | Dhananjaya de Silva | Kusal Mendis
ODI | Charith Asalanka | Vacant
T20I
West Indies[41][42][43] | Test | Roston Chase
ODI | Shai Hope | Brandon King
T20I | Vacant
Zimbabwe[44] | Test | Craig Ervine
ODI | Sean Williams
T20I | Sikandar Raza | Vacant

### Associate Members

[edit]

Nation  | Captain  | Vice-captain

|
|

Argentina | Pedro Baron  | Hernán Fennell
Austria | Aqib Iqbal  |
Bahamas | Marc Taylor |
Bahrain | Ahmer Bin Nasir  |
Belgium | Ali Raza  | Sheraz Sheikh
Belize | Jermaine Pook  |
Bermuda | Terryn Fray |
Bhutan | Thinley Jamtsho  |
Botswana | Karabo Motlhanka |
Brazil | Greigor Caisley  | Yasar Haroon
Bulgaria | Prakash Mishra  |
Cameroon | Faustin Mpegna  |
Cambodia | Luqman Butt |
Canada | Nicholas Kirton |
Cayman Islands | Conroy Wright | Ramon Sealy
Chile | Alexander Carthew  |
China | Wei Guo Lei  |
Costa Rica | Christopher Prasad  |
Cyprus | Scott Burdekin  | Roshan Siriwardena
Czech Republic | Dylan Steyn  |
Denmark | Hamid Shah | Taranjit Bharaj
Estonia | Arslan Amjad  |
Eswatini | Adil Butt  | Mancoba Jele
Fiji | Peni Vuniwaqa |
Finland | Nathan Collins  |
France | Gustav McKeon |
Germany | Venkatraman Ganesan |
Ghana | Obed Harvey |
Gibraltar | Avinash Pai  | Iain Latin
Greece | Aslam Mohammad  |
Guernsey | Oliver Nightingale | Tom Nightingale
Hong Kong | Yasim Murtaza  | Babar Hayat
Hungary | Ximus du Plooy  |
Iran | Dad Dahani  |
Isle of Man | Oliver Webster  |
Israel | Eshkol Solomon  | Josh Evans
Italy | Marcus Campopiano  |
Ivory Coast | Dosso Issiaka  |
Japan | Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming |
Jersey | Charles Perchard |
Kenya | Shem Ngoche | Lucas Oluoch
Kuwait | Mohammad Aslam | Bilal Tahir
Lesotho | Maaz Khan  | Chachole Tlali
Luxembourg | Shiv Gill  |
Malawi | Moazzam Baig  |
Mali | Yacouba Konate  |
Malaysia | Syed Aziz | Virandeep Singh
Maldives | Azyan Farhath  | Umar Adam
Malta | Varun Thamotharam  |
Mexico | Shantanu Kaveri  | Shashikant Laxman
Mozambique | Filipe Cossa  |
Namibia | Gerhard Erasmus | JJ Smit
Nepal | Rohit Paudel | Dipendra Singh Airee
Netherlands | Scott Edwards | Max O'Dowd
Nigeria | Sylvester Okpe | Ademola Onikoyi
Norway | Raza Iqbal |
Oman | Jatinder Singh |
Panama | Anilkumar Ahir  | Yusuf Ebrahim
Papua New Guinea | Assad Vala | Charles Amini
Peru | Matthew Spry  |
Philippines | Daniel Smith |
Portugal | Najjam Shahzad  |
Qatar | Muhammad Tanveer | Mohammed Rizlan
Romania | Vasu Saini  | Shantanu Vashist
Rwanda | Clinton Rubagumya  |
Samoa | Caleb Jasmat  |
Saudi Arabia | Hisham Shaikh  |
Scotland | Richie Berrington | Matthew Cross
Serbia | Mark Pavlovic  |
Seychelles | Tim Horpinitch  |
Sierra Leone | Lansana Lamin  |
Singapore | Manpreet Singh | Janak Prakash
South Korea | Jun Hyunwoo  |
Spain | Christian Munoz-Mills  |
Suriname | Arun Gokoel  |
Sweden | Imal Zuwak  |
Tanzania | Kassim Nassoro |
Thailand | Austin Lazarus  |
Turkey | Gokhan Alta  | Ali Turkmen
Uganda | Riazat Ali Shah |
United Arab Emirates | Muhammad Waseem | Aayan Khan
United States | Monank Patel | Aaron Jones
Vanuatu | Joshua Rasu | Ronald Tari

## Current women's international captains

[edit]

### ICC Full Members

[edit]

Nation  | Format | Captain  | Vice-captain

|
|
|

Australia | Test | Alyssa Healy | Tahlia McGrath
ODI
T20I
Bangladesh | Test  | Nigar Sultana | Nahida Akter
ODI
T20I
England | Test | Nat Sciver-Brunt | Vacant
ODI
T20I
India | Test  | Harmanpreet Kaur | Smriti Mandhana
ODI
T20I
Ireland | Test  | Laura Delany | Gaby Lewis
ODI
T20I
New Zealand | Test  | Sophie Devine | Amelia Kerr
ODI
T20I
Pakistan | Test  | Nida Dar | Fatima Sana
ODI
T20I
South Africa | Test  | Laura Wolvaardt | Vacant
ODI
T20I
Sri Lanka | Test  | Chamari Athapaththu | Anushka Sanjeewani
ODI
T20I
West Indies | Test  | Hayley Matthews | Shemaine Campbelle
ODI
T20I
Zimbabwe | Test  | Mary-Anne Musonda | Josephine Nkomo
ODI
T20I

### Associate Members

[edit]

Nation  | Captain  | Vice-captain

|
|

Botswana | Laura Mophakedi |
Brazil | Roberta Moretti Avery |
Chile | Jeannette Gonzalez |
China | Huang Zhuo |
France | Marie Violleau |
Germany | Anuradha Doddaballapur | Christina Gough
Hong Kong | Kary Chan |
Iran | Nasimeh Rahshetaei |
Jersey | Rosa Hill |
Kenya | Queentor Abel | Sharon Juma
Lesotho | Boitumelo Phelenyane |
Malawi | Mary Mabvuka |
Mexico | Caroline Owen |
Mozambique | Fatima Guirrugo |
Namibia | Irene van Zyl | Yasmeen Khan
Nepal | Indu Barma | Puja Mahato
Nigeria | Samantha Agazuma |
Papua New Guinea | Kaia Arua |
Rwanda | Sarah Uwera |
Samoa | Regina Lili'i |
Sierra Leone | Linda Bull |
Singapore | Shafina Mahesh |
South Korea | Inyeong Oh |
Spain | Elspeth Fowler |
Tanzania | Fatuma Kibasu |
Thailand | Naruemol Chaiwai | Nannapat Koncharoenkai
Uganda | Rita Musamali |
United Arab Emirates | Chaya Mughal |
United States | Sindhu Sriharsha |
Vanuatu | Selina Solman |

## See also

[edit]

* The Art of Captaincy, a 1985 book by former England captain Mike Brearley

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Records / Test matches / Individual records (captains, players, umpires) / Most matches as captain". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
2. ^ "Records / Test matches / Individual records (captains, players, umpires) / Most matches as captain". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
3. ^ ""skipper" Definitions". Wordnik. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "The Role of the Captain". DangerMouse. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
5. ^ "Numbers Suggest the Toss Has Never Been More Important in Test Cricket". Bleacher Report. 22 February 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
6. ^ "Appeals Law | MCC". www.lords.org. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
7. ^ "Runners abolished, ODI and run-out laws tweaked". ESPN Cricinfo. 27 June 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
8. ^ Gollapudi, Nagraj (26 June 2015). "Bowlers benefit from ODI rule changes". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
9. ^ Brettig, Daniel (8 August 2015). "Clarke announces retirement after Ashes". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
10. ^ "Enfield Cricket Club – Captains & Player Responsibilities". Enfield Cricket Club. Archived from the original on 1 February 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
11. ^ "Asghar Afghan sacked as Afghanistan opt for split captaincy". espncricinfo.com. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
12. ^ "Cummins confirmed as Test captain, Smith his deputy". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
13. ^ "Cummins named Australia's ODI captain". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
14. ^ "Ready to captain Australia as long as long as the team needs me: Mitchell Marsh". India Today. 22 August 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
15. ^ "Travis Head announcement delights cricket fans in huge Pat Cummins captaincy call". Yahoo! Sports. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
16. ^ "Najmul Hossain Shanto appointed Bangladesh captain for all formats". Cricbuzz. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
17. ^ "Injured Shanto and Mushfiqur ruled out of West Indies Tests". ESPNcricinfo. 12 November 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
18. ^ "Litton Das named Bangladesh T20I captain; Mahedi Hasan to be his deputy". ESPNcricinfo. 4 May 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
19. ^ "Mehidy Hasan Miraz appointed as Bangladesh's new ODI captain, replacing Najmul Hossain Shanto". Mint. 13 June 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
20. ^ "Ben Stokes appointed as England's new Test captain". skysports.com. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
21. ^ "Buttler confirmed as England's new white-ball captain following Eoin Morgan's retirement". Sky Sports. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
22. ^ "Ollie Pope confirmed as England's full-time Test vice-captain". The Cricketer. 16 May 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
23. ^ "Harry Brook confirmed as England's new white-ball captain". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
24. ^ "Suryakumar Yadav named India T20I captain for Australia series". NDTV Sports. 20 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
25. ^ "Shubman Gill named India Test captain before England tour, Pant his deputy". BBC Sports. 24 May 2025. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
26. ^ "Balbirnie appointed Ireland T20I captain". 29 November 2019.
27. ^ "Latham replaces Southee as New Zealand Test captain". BBC. 1 October 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
28. ^ "Santner named New Zealand's interim captain for white-ball series against Sri Lanka". Asian News International. 23 October 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
29. ^ "Shan Masood appointed Test and Shaheen Shah Afridi T20I captain". Pakistan Cricket Board. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
30. ^ "New vice-captain named as Pakistan reveal Test squad to face Bangladesh". International Cricket Council. 7 August 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
31. ^ "Mohammad Rizwan calls it 'great honour' to be captain of Pakistan's ODI side". India Today. 28 October 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
32. ^ "Salman Ali Agha has been named as the replacement for Rizwan". Instagram. 6 March 2025. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
33. ^ "South Africa name Dean Elgar Test captain and Temba Bavuma ODI and T20I captain". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
34. ^ "Bavuma replaces Elgar as Test captain, relinquishes T20 captaincy". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
35. ^ "Aiden Markram Appointed New Captain Of South Africa Men's T20I Team For West Indies Series". ABP News. 6 March 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
36. ^ "ODI World Cup 2023: Having IPL experience within the camp helps us as a team, says Markram". Sportstar. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
37. ^ Tsotsi, Athenkosi (15 October 2024). "Captaining Proteas in a Test match a dream come true for Markram: 'It's the ultimate for me'". News24. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
38. ^ "Nortje injured again, Van der Dussen to lead newish-looking South Africa T20I side". ESPNcricinfo. 26 June 2025. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
39. ^ "Dhananjaya de Silva named vice-captain in Sri Lanka Test squad". Daily FT. 14 July 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
40. ^ "Hasaranga named Sri Lanka's T20I skipper, Mendis to lead ODI side". Sportstar. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
41. ^ "Shai Hope and Rovman Powell take charge as West Indies white-ball captains". ESPNcricinfo. 15 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
42. ^ "King to be named Windies vice captain for limited overs series against England". RJR News. 28 October 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
43. ^ "Roston Chase Appointed West Indies Test Captain Following Implementation of Groundbreaking Selection Process". Windies. 16 May 2025. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
44. ^ "Zimbabwe name Craig Ervine as limited overs captain; Sean Williams to continue leading in Tests". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 7 March 2022.

## External links

[edit]

* v
* t
* e

Current captains of national cricket teams with full Test status

| Afghanistan|

* Hashmatullah Shahidi (Test, ODI)
* Rashid Khan (T20I)

|

Australia|

* Pat Cummins (Test, ODI)
* Mitchell Marsh (T20I)

Bangladesh|

* Najmul Hossain Shanto (Test)
* Mehidy Hasan Miraz (ODI)
* Litton Das (T20I)

England|

* Ben Stokes (Test)
* Harry Brook (ODI, T20I)

India|

* Shubman Gill (Test)
* Rohit Sharma (ODI)
* Suryakumar Yadav (T20I)

Ireland|

* Andrew Balbirnie (Test)
* Paul Stirling (ODI, T20I)

| New Zealand|

* Tom Latham (Test)
* Mitchell Santner (ODI)
* Michael Bracewell (T20I)

|

Pakistan|

* Shan Masood (Test)
* Mohammad Rizwan (ODI, T20I)

South Africa|

* Temba Bavuma (Test, ODI)
* Aiden Markram (T20I)

Sri Lanka|

* Dhananjaya de Silva (Test)
* Charith Asalanka (ODI, T20I)

West Indies|

* Vacant (Test)
* Shai Hope (ODI)
* Rovman Powell (T20I)

Zimbabwe|

* Craig Ervine (Test, ODI)
* Sikandar Raza (T20I)

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template