Top 10 Captains with the Highest Average in ODI Cricket

Captaincy is not just about keeping an eye on every player, but the captains have to strategize the game plans to win it. Well, if the captaincy cap is worn by a batsman, then comes an added duty to that player with the bat as well. And these are the concepts for measuring the abilities of the batting captains. Though the batting skills are not the course of measuring the abilities of a captain, instead these are the auxiliary concepts. But that is something which really matters, bringing in some batting captains that did very well with the bat. Based on these all mattering facts, we created a list of 10 batting captains that maintained a good average in their last 50 innings. 10. Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pakistan) - 43.89 Haq was the player of the team that bettered his batting style and abilities, making it possible for him to score 11,000 runs in the One Day games and maintain 39.52 runs averaged per match. While as a captain he averaged 43.89, making it lucky for him to be a captain. He was often runout as running between the wickets never fancied him at all, but bashing the ball out of the park, hitting 144 sixes rising his strike rate amid 70 to 84% was one of his fine skills. During the captaincy period, he managed to score a couple of hundreds and 19 half centuries. 9. Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan) -44.82 Misbah-ul-Haq maintained a slightly better average than the other Haq, but he never scored a century. From 87 games he pocketed 3,003 runs at an average of 44.82 runs per inning. While he scored 27 50s while his best remained 99 (not out). Well, his scores without the captaincy cap are not much different, but the way he led his team was certainly an inspiration. An inspiration not just for the cricketers but also the industrial engineers, as he is a mechanical engineer turned cricketer who became an inspiration for all those lurking individuals striving to fix the machines. In many games, Haq appeared as the Messiah for his team and he took them out of the losing situation. Though his batting was just fine, the caliber of his captaincy is really appreciable. 8. Steve Smith (Australia) - 45.09 The short span of Smith's captaincy period made him get better average than his standard scoring rate of 41.84. Soon after the end of World Cup 2015, Smith took over as Clark had to leave because of his backache. During that period, Smith successfully scored 1984 runs from 50 games. Along with that, he scored 5 centuries and even made his career best of 164. Besides, he ranks as the stylish batsman in the present age, but as a captain, he hardly became an inspiration. But he is indeed a fantastic player to see, who started off as a bowler but later sparked through his batting skills. 7. Michael Clarke (Australia) - 45.75 Smith's predecessor, Clarke began his captaincy career after the World Cup of 2011, succeeding Ponting. His batting skills included various niches to play the spinner as well as the pacers in a stylish way. While the way he performed he appeared as a born leader. Well, he took Australia's lead in 72 games and scored 2,745 runs with an average of 45.75 pocketing 5 centuries. Though his average as the Australian skipper remained slightly higher than his standard average, his most records were compiled as a non-captain. In his entire career, he had been suffering from backaches, that troubled him at every corner, but his stringent efforts earned Australia another World Cup title in 2015. 6. Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka) - 45.97 Mathews joined the Sri Lankan national cricket side as a bowler, but later he developed as an all-rounder who could change the course of the game. Soon after he was given the captaincy cap, he gripped his team firmly in 104 games. While from those games, he got 3,264 runs aside at an average of 45.97 runs per game. And this record is 3 runs higher than his standard average. As a captain he improved his batting skills and showed his abilities in almost every match he played, shouldering every possible victory. Before he took this responsibility, the cricketing legends, Sangakkara and Jayawardene had already captained the side. They did their part, but Mathews is appreciated more than many other Sri Lankan captains. Some injuries and the issues with the Sri Lankan cricket board winded-up his path as the captain and brought him back to just an all-rounder. 5. Eoin Morgan (England) - 46.12 Morgan began his cricketing career in the ground of Ireland, where he appeared as a bright star. But the English side attracted him, making his forlorn the Irish cricket team that might have sparked with his skills. Soon as the World Cup in 2015 reached its end, the debate for a new captain initialized and Morgan was the one found the most eligible candidate. Morgan is certainly the lucky English captains who got a fully prepared team that ranks at number 1 in the ODI ranking. Even it is one of the favorite teams in the Cricket World Cup 2019. He has captained the English side in 99 games in which he scored 3,736 runs at an average of 46.12 pocketing 7 centuries. His batting style has always been inspirational for the teams he had represented, and presently he adds the needed fuel to the scorecard. 4. Kane Williamson (New Zealand) - 47.52 Williamson was just 17 when he took over the responsibility to captain the Under-19 cricket side in the U19 Cricket World Cup 2008 in Malaysia. This born leader has a brilliant batting style that suitably fits as the solo performer. Before he took over the duty to captain the New Zealand national side, he was doing a fantastic job with the bat averaging 46.50. But after McCullum left the game, Williamson was called for the duty. As a captain, Williamson added 2,946 runs to his resume averaged at 47.52 runs per inning with 5 centuries. The plethora of the Cricket World Cup 2019 did not bother his stream of wise captaincy. Instead, he shines in every game and led his side to success in every other situation. Even after the commencement of the mega tournament, Williamson led his side pretty firmly, winning every game and putting New Zealand at the top position. And in every match, he played his part with the bat as well as his wisdom to put New Zealand in the leading role, such in the last fighting game with South Africa that was much like a 50/50 situation for both sides, WilliamsonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s sixer in the last over brought everything in their favor. 3. MS Dhoni (India) - 53.55 Indian cricket side appeared lucky when Dhoni took over the captaincy from Dravid. He formulated some doctrines that serve as a manual for the present Indian cricket captain and all those who will come next. Certainly, he reinvented the Indian cricket by qualifying better bowlers, improving the field performance and the batting quality. And most of his decisions were good enough to bring a return on investment. Further, Dhoni scored 6,641 runs from 196 One Day matches that he captained at an average of 53.55 with 6 centuries on the stand. But his standard average as a batsman is 3 runs lower than what he did as a captain. While his 10,000 runs are certainly good enough to catch him a healthy amount of fans. Under his captaincy, India won the World Cup after 28 years in 2011 and just a couple of years later he brought the Champions Trophy home. The way he patronized his team was really much like a professional approach that resulted in ever increasing victories with an effort made in every match to convert the result into favor. 2. AB de Villiers (South Africa) - 63.94 The batting often seems a walk in the park after watching de Villiers play. During the captaincy period, he appeared in 102 games scoring 4,796 at an average of 63.94 runs per game. Further, he got 13 hundreds to his name during that tenure. Well, some unexpected happened a few months before the start of the Cricket World Cup 2019, when de Villiers announced to surcease his career as he was unable to take any further burden. While the experts say, that a man like de Villiers should have gone ahead with the spear and knock down all his foes, rather than retiring from the field. He generally averages 53.50, which is almost 10 runs short to what he made as a captain, and pockets multiple records, like the fastest century, and highest average in a series. But his retirement has certainly grieved many cricket lovers and his fans. Well, he has 9,577 runs from 228 games with 25 hundreds, which he could have increased if he had played on. 1. Virat Kohli (India) - 80.84 Kohli is the record breaker and one of the finest batsmans in cricketing history. At a very young age, he scores over 10,000 runs with 41 hundreds, just sitting 8 less to the Little Master, Tendulkar. His standard average rates 59.57 runs per game with a hefty strike rate of 92.96 earned through 227 games. Presently, Kohli is the captain of the India side participating in the Cricket World Cup 2019, appearing entirely different than the previous captain, Dhoni. As a captain, Kohli has scored 4,153 runs at an average of 80.84 from 65 games. While with these scores he certainly remains the best among all the captains. Further, he pocketed 19 hundreds and maintained a strike rate of 99.42 while performing as the skipper. The finest stuff is his approach towards the game as he takes batting as motivational stuff for his colleagues.

7. Michael Clarke (Australia) – 45.75