Cricket in 2018: Top 5 best captains of the year

4. Joe Root – England

The current English Test captain was destined for big things straight away as he walked into the Test team in 2012. He made his Test debut against India in 2012 and showed excellent composure and technique with the bat as England cruised to a series win in India after 28 years.

The Yorkshire born took over captaincy reigns from Alastair Cook in the year 2017. The year 2018 started with Root’s men being humbled by Australia and they surrendered the urn with a 4-0 defeat down under. England, under Root, endured yet another Test series defeat, this time against New Zealand in March.

In May 2018, they toured Pakistan for a two-Test series. The first match ended in a crushing defeat at Lord’s. Dominic Bess, who had made zero impact in the first Test proved to be the big difference in the second Test. The off-spinner was involved in a partnership of 62 with David Malan as England took an insurmountable lead of 189. Persisting with the off-spinner was a brilliant move as it paid off rich dividends. 

England faced a daunting challenge when they hosted India in the five-match Test series in the month of August. Though Root couldn’t make each of his chance count but his crucial innings at Southampton in 2nd innings and at the Oval in fourth and fifth Test respectively batted India totally out of the game. England romped to a 4-1 series win, with Root scoring 319 runs across five Tests.

The English team’s next assignment in the longest format was in the subcontinent against Sri Lanka – a three-match series. It was here that the 27-year-old cemented his legacy as one of the greatest English captains in history. The visitors soared to a rare clean sweep in an away Test series.