Most matches played as captain

Leadership plays an important role in the success of a team in any sport, including cricket, and getting to lead their country is arguably the most important achievement in a cricketer’s career. Ever since the first game of cricket back in the 19th century, we have witnessed some of the finest masterminds of the game, who, through their class and genius, captained their national teams to great heights. Even though the position is filled with pressure and responsibility, some players have fulfilled these duties with flying colors and have taken their teams to the next level. From MS Dhoni to Allan Border, here’s the list of players with the most matches played as captain.

Also Read: Most Test wickets as captain

Most matches played as captain

5# Allan Border | 271 Matches

Allan Border is regarded as one of the greatest Australian captains and batters of all time. He too scored more than 15,000 runs in an illustrious career spanning over 15 years. Border Played 271 matches while leading the Australian team. 

Coming in at a time when Australian cricket was enduring a tough phase after Kim Hughes' resignation as skipper in 1984/85, Border led his team to glory in the 1987 World Cup, followed by Ashes success. Allan Border also holds the record for leading a side in the most consecutive Test matches (93) between December 1984 and March 1994. 

Border also holds a record of being the only player in the history of the game to score 150 runs in each innings of a Test match, when he achieved the feat in the drawn third Test of the Australia tour of Pakistan 1979/80.

4# Graeme Smith | 286 Matches

Former South African opener Graeme Smith became the Proteas’ youngest-ever captain when he was given the role at the age of 22, with an experience of just eight Test matches. Smith played 289 matches as a captain and won 163 out of them.

Under his leadership, South Africa was recognized as one of the best touring teams. Smith holds the record of being the only captain to play over 100 Test matches and register the highest number of wins in Test matches as a captain with 53 victories.

The major highlights of Smith's glittering career are the two double centuries that he smashed in back-to-back Tests against England at Edgbaston and Lord’s during the South Africa Tour of England in 2003. His glory as captain came when he led the South Africa cricket team in 2008-2009 in Australia and added glitter to his name when they again won in the 2012-20 tour.

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3# Stephen Fleming | 303 Matches

Stephen Fleming, the successful New Zealand captain, predominantly played his cricket in the pre-T20 era, especially when it comes to the international stage. Fleming led his team to their only ICC trophy at the Knockout Trophy in 2000. He also captained New Zealand to victory in their first-ever T20 international against Australia. 

Fleming played 303 matches when he captained New Zealand including 80 Test matches, 218 ODIs, and 5 T20Is, a New Zealand record and the third highest ever. Out of 303 matches, he managed to win 128 matches, which is a whopping 42.24 percent.

Fleming also led from the front during his captaincy stint and scored over 5196 runs as captain in Test cricket while as ODI skipper, Fleming scored 6295 runs. 

2# Ricky Ponting | 324 Matches

Former Australian cricket team captain Ricky Ponting is one of the most uncompromising cricket players in the world. He played 324 matches as a captain, winning 220 matches, which is a whopping 67.9 percent. Ponting led Australia to two consecutive 50-over World Cup triumphs in 2003 and 2007, in addition to twin Champions Trophy wins in 2006 and 2009. 

Known for his aggression on the field, Ponting is the leading scorer in ODIs and Tests for Australia, scoring 10,000+ runs in each discipline. Moreover, he is the only player to win more than 100 Test matches.

After Steve Waugh, Ponting was clear on working and taking forward Steve's legacy, which was evident in his success rate and dominance. His wittiness and leadership skills were visible in both Test and ODI cricket.

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1# MS Dhoni | 332 Matches

MS Dhoni who is fondly called as captain cool by his fans and followers had a stellar record of most matches played as captain. Dhoni had a long span of career around 9 years to captain the team in all 3 formats. Even now Dhoni remains to be the only captain to win 3 different ICC events as captain. From showing his skill in pressure situations and Indian team domination in 2007/8 - 2011 WC would always be considered as great period for the Indian team. 

MS Dhoni has captained Team India in 332 international games which is the most for any player. MS Dhoni is one of the best captains in the world, with an overall win percentage of 53.61 across formats, winning 178 of the 332 matches while leading his team.

Including the 3 ICC trophies, Dhoni also has won 5 other multi-tours as captain of Team India. Interestingly, under his leadership in 2009, Team India attained the best Test cricket ranking of No. 1 for the first time in their history.