Who is the best captain in the world?

[Karthik]

Who is the best captain in the world in your choice?

[sittingduck]

Fleming. Has achieved a lot with out always having the best players available and even when these players are available the team is generally the underdog.

Innovative in his field placings and use of bowlers, always trys new things and new strategies.

[Lemming]

It can only really be between Fleming and Vaughan in my opinion. Except for the Ashes where Vaughan did for him, Ponting has had success, but he inherited the best team ever and really does rely too much on the likes of Gilchrist and Warne's help. Smith was picked - from an early age - to be South Africa's captain, but whilst being pretty solid, he continues to confuse on the field.

I went for Vaughan, although I could easily have gone for Fleming. No one else in the world, currently, is in their league. Fleming is really imaginative and, as someone pointed out, has really performed with New Zealand, taking them to top three or four in the world on occasions.

[mojojojo]

Fleming is the best. Imaginative and inspiring. Would have gone for Hussein if he were around. Hussein-Waugh, the best I've seen. Flem is next.

[greg]

I went for Fleming as he gets steady results with a team that isn't as gifted as some others and has managed to do this for a long time as well.

[Cricketboy]

It's obviously between vaughn and Flemming. I would say vaughn however. Mainly because of his amazing unorthodox fielding strategies that always work.

[Mongoose]

Vaughan for me. I think his influence in getting England to where they are now shouldn't be understated. He sets the tone for the way the team plays - they enjoy their cricket, they are positive but they are also tough characters who will make life difficult for the opposition. I think his field placings in the Ashes were immaculate at times, from the unorthodox attacking positions such as the cover catchers for Hayden, to the sqaure sweepers that cut out the boundaries and frustrated and pressurised the Aussie batsmen so much, leading the likes of Martyn to fail to live up to their billing. He also stayed calm and positive in the face of pressure, particularly at Edgbaston, where Harmison couldn't speak more highly of the way the skipper kept the team focussed and avoided any signs of panic. He has also got the best out of all of his bowlers - in the Ashes, the four quicks and Giles, and has used them wisely to get maximum effect.

Other good captains:
- Fleming obviously. He has generally done well with a team with no superstars, and has been praised for his tactics and field placings.
- Inzamam was very impressive against England. He got all the Pakistan players to play for each other, something that has been lacking in the past. He was sound in his tactics, and was a model of calm and confidence, as we've come to expect him to be over the years.

Ponting blotted a good record and made some serious errors in the Ashes - bowling first at Edgbaston, leaving Warnie in the slips until England had 130-150 runs on the board for the loss of 0/1 wicket, then compounding the error by bowling Warne for too long until he was tired.

Smith was supposed to be the saviour of South African cricket. Initially I was impressed, but he has been distinctly unimaginative at times, and often downright negative in his field placing. He is also the opposite of the calm presence Vaughan is for England. I've seen Smith on several occasions losing his temper when it gets tough, often rounding on his own players. I've never seen a player pick up his game because his captain has just rounded on him. Smith comes across more like a pampered overgrown schoolboy than the savious of South African cricket.

[Quagmire]

Fleming or Ponting, Fleming for his style of captaincy and Ponting for his record as captain.

Vaughan shouldnt even be in the English side.

[Lemming]

Originally Posted by Rowan

...Ponting for his record as captain.

Yes, Ponting does have a good record, but he has the best team. You don't have to be the best captain in the world to have his record with Australia.

I'll give him credit where it's due though. Although his captaincy actions are far from great, he has led with the bat perfectly well during the period of his captaincy.

He does have one major blot on his record though, he lost the Ashes. Something that Taylor and Waugh would bend over backwards not to do. Ponting was undoubtedly behind Vaughan in controling the series. Warne had a great series, but was not always used correctly - as Mongoose explained. He looked into the Birmingham weather too early, too deeply, and upon inserting England (without McGrath on a featherbed), he let them dictate the play to him and his team. Later in the series we see an amazing outburst from a guy under pressure, over substitute fielders, something his predesessors would not have allowed to affect their team as much. Then he eventually brings in the idea of sweepers, early on, to stop the likes of Trescothick and Strauss scoring too quickly, I wonder who gave him that idea? On top of this, for probably a quarter to a third of the time, Warne has the ball in his hand and Ponting can sit back as the greatest never captain runs the show. Now Warne really does know what he's doing.

Ponting has a job do to over the next few years. He has to get together, captain and win games with a side lacking the likes of Warne, McGrath, Langer, Hayden, Martyn, Gillespie at his best and maybe Gilchrist. This might be a tough ask and will give the opportunity to see what he can really do as a captain. He'd better pull his socks up in my opinion.

Originally Posted by Rowan

...Vaughan shouldnt even be in the English side.

He should. Because he's the world best captain currently.

On Smith, Mongoose has hit the nail on the head. He's just over defensive, too often.

[Quagmire]

Ok on form if Vaughan was not captain would he be in the side just as a batsman? What English batsman have made alot of runs in county cricket that cant make the test side but are easierly good enough? Trescothick has the ability to be a top captain and Flintoff leads from the front as a player that inspires his team (where Vaughan really doesnt have that aspect to his cricket that he use to).