World Cup 2019: Rating the captains of all the teams

Cricket is a battle of two minds and they are often that of the captains. If it was MS Dhoni’s decision to bat ahead of an in-form Yuvraj Singh in 2011 final that won India the World Cup, it is Eoin Morgan’s captaincy that has transformed England’s limited overs set-up into one of the most dangerous looking sides. Cricket has two parts to it and that is practice and execution. The practice is what everyone does but the execution is what everyone cannot do. It is the captain who often inspires his troops to execute at the right time and it’s his decision making that allows his team to excel in those high-pressure scenarios. Leading a side is always stressful and to lead a side at a World Cup is by no means an easy task. World Cup 2019 is now nearly four weeks away and like we established, it’s going to be a battle among 10 captains who will fight it out against each other to reach the semis. Here we rate the captain of each team ahead of the tournament: Gulbadin Naib – 4/10 Gulbadin Naib. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images,) Gulbadin was appointed as the skipper of the Afghanistan ODI team recently in a shock move when their cricket board decided to sack Asghar Afghan from the helm. Asghar had led the team well during his tenure and was one of the main reasons behind the team’s rapid rise in the International circuit. This move drew a lot of criticism and flak, especially from their key players in Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi who were of the opinion that a captaincy change months before the World Cup could affect their performance. Gulbadin Naib is a decent all-rounder but the pressure of captaincy might affect his show on the field. Though with a dangerous side at his disposal and the privilege of starting as the underdogs, Afghanistan can do well under him. However, his lack of experience and unproven leadership skills find him with a rating of 4/10. Dimuth Karunaratane – 6/10 Dimuth Karunaratne. (Photo by Rob Jefferies/Getty Images) Perhaps the most shocking move made by Sri Lanka cricket in recent times. Dimuth hasn’t featured in an ODI for his country since 2015 and he is all set to lead the island nation in the upcoming event. He has been a fine Test captain for Sri Lanka though, having led them to a series victory against South Africa, away from home. His excellent leadership skills during that series made him the left-field choice and that led in Malinga being sacked as a skipper. Karunaratane’s strike rate has improved in recent times and his batting coupled with his leadership skills makes him an obvious choice for the marquee event. However, considering the fact that he hasn’t featured in an ODI for nearly 4 years now and his inexperience in leading his national side in white-ball cricket leaves him with a rating of 6/10. Jason Holder – 6.5/10 Jason Holder. (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images) The downfall of West Indies Cricket is one of the most well-documented slides in the history of cricket. It is a known fact that there is a clear communication gap between the players and the board and the team has suffered due to that. Jason Holder is still very young and he has been the captain of the Windies for a while now, learning a lot in the process. While winning against the top-ranked teams remains his ultimate goal, Holder has done well to carry the team on his shoulders to the point where they are now being looked at as a team to beat. Holder has been leading from the front in recent times and has certainly proven that he can be a source of inspiration for his team. With the return of some big stars of the Windies Cricket, Holder’s patience will hopefully be awarded. He led the team in the previous edition of the tournament as well and looks more equipped now at the position with his even more polished all-round skills. Sarfaraz Ahmed – 7/10 Sarfraz Ahmed. (Photo Source: Twitter) The Pakistan skipper’s recent run with the bat and results hasn’t been great. However, he is one of the most experienced captains going around at the moment and he led Pakistan to the Champions Trophy title against India. Sarfaraz has a proven track record but as we established, a poor run of results has left him under pressure and with him being a world-class player, he is bound to deliver soon enough. While Ahmed isn’t known to keep a calm head on the field, often letting out expletives whenever his troops commit a mistake, his ability to seal those crunch moments with his captaincy has come under the radar. It is evident that his recent form is affecting his leadership skills as well but once he gets going with the bat, his side will be the team to beat. Mashrafe Mortaza – 7.5/10 Mashrafe Mortaza. (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images) The revival of Bangladesh Cricket post the 2015 World Cup had Mashrafe Mortaza playing a major role in it. Inspiration for the entire country, Mashrafe and his men created history when they knocked England out of the World Cup four years ago and made it to the quarter-finals for the first time. After the tournament, they enjoyed a dream run when they entered the record books by beating India and South Africa (2-1 margin in both the series) at home and since then, the Tigers haven’t looked back. Mortaza never let his injuries get in the way of his captaincy and his leadership has certainly benefited Bangladesh and their rise in the International circuit. They lost three finals (2 Asia Cup and Nidahas Trophy 2018) against India and it is clear that they have the capability to win on the big stage and not just cause ‘upsets’. Mortaza has come a long way to deserve a rating of 7.5/10. Virat Kohli – 8.5/10 Virat Kohli. (Photo by Kerry Marshall/Getty Images) Still very new in his captaincy career, Virat is the best batsman in the world but he is still learning from one of the most successful captains in the business, MS Dhoni. Kohli has tasted immense success in his captaincy career so far but his inability to field a settled playing XI and to seize those crunch moments is what puts a minor spot on him. No doubt, when you have to fill a void left by someone as big as MS Dhoni, the expectations will be huge and it is totally natural. Virat has a decent record as a captain but just the fact that he has taken over the reins from Dhoni translates to ‘he can do better’. However, it can be seen that in the absence of MS Dhoni, Virat’s captaincy has been questionable (losing a series by a margin of 3-2 from a position of a 2-0 advantage against a depleted Aussie Side). Still, in his learning curve, Virat has a long way to go as a captain and so far he has been good but has the potential to be the best. Leading India in the World Cup is an altogether different experience and he will surely come out as a better skipper after the tournament. Aaron Finch – 9/10 Aaron Finch. (Photo Source: Twitter) Aaron Finch took over the mantle in the ODI format when his side was in a dire need of inspiration and despite his barren run with the bat in the initial matches against India, his captaincy was on point. Australia lost two of its biggest stalwarts in recent times post the ball-tampering episode in Newlands. Finch was left to lead a depleted and an underperforming side which had lost a majority of its ODIs in 2018, home and away. However, his captaincy in the away series against India at the start of 2018 which saw his team fall into a 2-0 trail and then rising back up to defeat the hosts by a 3-2 margin is what really gave the confidence to his team. His winning run as a captain continued when the Men in Yellow whitewashed Pakistan in the five-match ODI series and are currently on a nine-match winning streak. Finch was awarded the captaincy for the upcoming World Cup and now, he will also have Steve Smith and DavidWarner’s assistance on the field. Finch’s astute leadership skills have fetched him a rating of 9/10. Kane Williamson – 8.5/10 Kane Williamson. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images) Considered as the next calm head after MS Dhoni, Kane Williamson is one of the best batsmen and captains going around at the moment. Williamson is deceptive in his captaincy as given his nature, one would expect him to be defensive in his approach. But the Kiwi is one of the most aggressive captains at the moment in his field settings and bowling changes. Williamson has got a good crop of bowlers and his ability to rotate them is even better. Williamson is known to lead from the front and he is no alien to England conditions. Rather he thrives in demanding circumstances like he did in IPL 2018 leading SRH to the finals. Williamson has been a blessing for New Zealand and no doubt, he has been the perfect replacement for Brendon McCullum. Eoin Morgan – 9/10 Eoin Morgan. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) The best captain going into the World Cup 2019 is Eoin Morgan. Following their shock exit at the hands of Bangladesh in the 2015 ICC event, the English ODI set-up garnered a lot of heat and rightly so, because of the team that they had and the reputation with which they walked into the World Cup. However, since 2015, we have seen Eoin and the ECB making a few tough calls, particularly, axing some of the long-standing senior players and totally remodelling their limited overs set-up. In fact, some of the moves were flabbergasting as they decided to go ahead and sack the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad who were considered the best in the country then. Those were some brave calls and England have attained the number one ranking thanks to some brave and aggressive captaincy. Eoin Morgan has totally changed the dynamics of England in the coloured jersey and has done well to earn an excellent rating of 9/10 and not to forget, the tagline of the favourites for the upcoming World Cup. Faf du Plessis – 8/10 Faf du Plessis. (Photo Source: CHRISTIAAN KOTZE/AFP/Getty Images) With Hashim Amla struggling, Faf du Plessis becomes everything for South Africa going into this World Cup. He bats mostly at number four and more often than not, bails the team out of trouble. Du Plessis will be carrying a lot of expectations to England this year and most importantly, should stay away from injuries. His captaincy is always on point and have the players like Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada up his sleeve for the mega event. It will be important for him to manoeuvre his troops properly throughout the tournament. He has done it for so many years at the helm and will be tested to the hilt in the World Cup. Join CricTracker on Telegram. Match Predictions, Fantasy Guides and other handpicked stories every day. Subscribe to our Telegram channel.

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World Cup 2019: Rating the captains of all the teams

Captaincy is an important aspect in a tournament like the World Cup and these players will be tested to the hilt.

Sarfaraz Ahmed – 7/10

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