Hello cricket enthusiasts! I know you guys love to talk about cricket and compare players, captains, and teams with each other. And I am sure most of you must have compared them based on the number of ICC trophies they have won. So to help you with your debates and comparisons, let’s introduce you to four captains to win the most ICC trophies in cricket history.
Captains to win most ICC trophies in Cricket history:
#1 Ricky Ponting – 4:
Ricky Ponting is one of the most successful captains in the history of International Cricket. He made sure that Australia remains the dominating force in International Cricket after the retirement of Steve Waugh. Ponting led Australia in 77 Tests, 230 ODIs, and 17 T20Is. He maintained a winning rate of more than 62% in Tests and more than 75% in ODIs during these matches.
Ricky Ponting led Australia to four ICC Trophy wins in his successful career as a leader. A fascinating thing about these four trophy wins is that they all came during just seven years, from 2003 to 2009. Under Ponting, Australia first retained the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2003. He came out as the third-highest scorer of the tournament with three centuries and won the man of the match award in the final.
Next up, Australia won the ICC Champions Trophy 2006 under Ponting by defeating West Indies in the final. In 2007, the third consecutive World Cup triumph by Australia increased his tally to three. With this win, Australia had won three out of their last four ICC tournaments. Ponting ended his ICC trophy streak by leading Australia to another ICC Champions Trophy title win in 2009. He also won the player of the series award in this tournament by finishing the tournament as the highest scorer.
Fun fact: Australia won both of their World Cup wins under Ricky Ponting undefeated.
#2 Mahendra Singh Dhoni – 3:
The leader who changed the face of Indian Cricket holds the second position in this list. From winning a T20 and an ODI World Cup to taking India to the top of Test Cricket, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has done it all for the Indian Cricket Team. Apart from test mace, India has won three ICC trophies under his leadership.
Dhoni’s journey of being a successful captain began when he led India to the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup win in 2007. However, his most significant achievement as the captain of the Indian Cricket team came in 2011. Under his leadership, India finally ended their 28-year World Cup drought and defeated Sri Lanka to lift their second ODI World Cup. Almost every one of you might remember Dhoni’s unbeaten 91 in the final, which was one of the factors that helped India win the trophy.
Finally, Dhoni also helped add ICC Champions Trophy 2013 to India’s trophy cabinet. They defeated England and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in the final.
#3 Darren Sammy – 2:
St. Lucian cricketer Darren Sammy took the third spot in the list of captains to win the most ICC trophies in Cricket history. He led West Indies to both of their ICC T20 World Cup titles in 2012 and 2016. Sammy took over Chris Gayle as West Indies’s captain in all-formats in 2012 after the former didn’t renew his contract with the WI Cricket board. In the same year, he led West Indies to their first T20 World Cup title.
The ICC T20 World Cup 2012 was a significant moment in the history of West Indies Cricket as it was their first World Cup title since 1979. A team that used to dominate World Cricket once had regained its glory. Darren Sammy also led West Indies to its second T20 World Cup title in 2016. West Indies defeated England in a nail-biting final to claim the crown of the shorter format once again.
#4 Clive Lloyd – 2:
No true cricket fan can ever forget the name of the first-ever World Cup-winning captain Clive Lloyd. Clive Lloyd is credited for leading West Indies to both of its ICC Cricket World Cup titles. He captained the West Indian side between 1974 to 1985 and moulded them into a dominant test-playing nation during his time.
West Indies won both the inaugural ICC Cricket World Cup in 1975 and the second Cricket World Cup in 1979 under Lloyd. He played a match-winning knock of 102 in the final of the 1975 World Cup final. His knock guided West Indies to 291/8 from 60 overs, to which Australia fell 17 runs short while chasing. On the other hand, the final of the 1979 World Cup was a one-sided affair for his side as they easily defeated England by 92 runs.
