Australia has a knack for producing some of the greatest captains of all time. Australia has so far produced four such captains, under whose leadership the Australian team has been crowned world champions a staggering five times! All these captains, and many others, have made Australia one of the powerhouses in the cricketing world. Today, we shortlist some of the Australian captains with the most matches as captains in One-Day Internationals (ODIs).
1. Ricky Ponting (229 Matches)
Ricky Ponting was a right-handed top-order batter from Tasmania. Ponting has numerous records to his name. He is Australia’s best batter ever and their most successful captain. He captained Australia in 229 ODIs, most by any player in ODI history, and won 164, with a win percentage of 76.03. He is also one of the two captains in cricket history to have won the ODI World Cup twice as a captain.
2. Allan Border (178 Matches)
Allan Border was an all-rounder who played as a left-handed middle-order batter and used to bowl part-time left-arm spin. Allan was the captain of the World Cup winning Australian team in 1987. In total, he captained Australia in 178 ODI matches, winning 107 and losing 67, with a win percentage of 61.42.
3. Steve Waugh (106 Matches)
Australia hasn’t had a player like Steve Waugh until now and probably never will. There was nothing Steve Waugh could not do on a cricket field. He was a terrific batter, a wicket-taking part-time bowler, and an influential and excellent leader. From 1997 to 2002, he led the Australian ODI team in 106 matches, winning 67, losing 35, tying three, and one game ending in no result.
4. Michael Clarke (74 Matches)
Next on the list is Michael Clarke, a stylish and elegant right-handed middle-order batter from New South Wales who loved to play his shots and look for runs. Clarke was Australia’s captain in the 2015 50-over World Cup. During his ODI career, Clarke led the Australian team in 74 ODIs, winning 50 and losing 21, with three games resulting in no result. When he retired in 2015, he had a remarkable win percentage of 70.42 in ODIs.
5. Mark Taylor (67 Matches)
Mark Taylor, a left-handed opening batter from New South Wales, is next to show up on the list. Mark made his ODI debut in 1989 against Sri Lanka in Melbourne. He became one of Australia’s most trusted batters in the top order and was also given the captaincy in 1992. He captained the ODI team in 67 matches and won 36, lost 30 and tied one, with a win percentage of more than 50.
6. Steven Smith (51 Matches)
Steven Smith is one of the world’s best batters at present and is a right-handed middle-order batter from Sydney. He was Australia’s ODI captain from 2015 to 2018 in 51 matches, winning 25, losing 23, and three games ending with no result. In 2018, however, he was sacked as the captain due to his involvement in the sandpaper scandal in South Africa.
7. Greg Chappell (49 Matches)
Greg Chappell played the role of a right-handed top-order batter and used to bowl right-arm medium fast. From 1970 to 1984, Greg played 74 ODIs and scored 2,331 runs at an average of 40.18. In 1975, he was made the captain of the ODI team and captained the team in a total of 49 matches until 1983. The team won 21 and lost 25 matches under his captaincy reign.
8. Aaron Finch (49 Matches)
Next, we have Aaron Finch, an aggressive opening batter from Victoria and Australia’s current white-ball captain. Finch became a full-time ODI captain in 2018 when Steven Smith was banned from playing cricket. He has captained Australia in 49 ODIs so far, winning 26 and losing 23, with a win percentage of 53.06.
9. Kim Hughes (49 Matches)
Kim Hughes was a right-handed top-order batter from Western Australia. He made his ODI debut in 1977 against England. In 1979, he became Australia’s ODI captain and captained in 49 matches before resigning in 1984. Under his captaincy tenure, the team won 21, lost 23, and tied one game.
10. George Bailey (29 Matches)
George Bailey was a right-handed top-order batter and one of the hardest strikers of the cricket ball in his side. He was Australia’s ODI captain from 2013 to 2015 in a total of 29 matches. Out of the 29 matches he captained, the team won 26 and lost ten, with an impressive win percentage of 61.53.
