5 best wicketkeeper captains of all time 

One of the toughest jobs in cricket is that of a captain. Almost every decision on the field is taken by the captain. Right from field placement to batting order, bowling changes and motivating the players (giving them a pep talk before they take the field) – everything is mostly done by the skipper.

If captaincy is the most difficult job, then the most strenuous one is wicket-keeping. He performs about 300 squats in an ODI and about 500+ squats on a single day of a Test match (if his team is on the field for 90 overs). Fitness, concentration, agility and quick reflexes are some of the attributes for effective wicket-keeping.

But the keeper also enjoys a unique position. He has the best view to oversee things on the field and thus, sometimes it beneficiary to have a captain who is a wicket-keeper. He has the best view of the proceedings and can keep an eye on every player on the field.

So, being the captain and the wicket-keeper can be a little tedious, but from the team’s perspective, it can be a very good combination to have a wicket-keeper captain as the man behind the stumps is often the best man to judge the proceedings of the game.

Thus, we look at 5 best wicket-keeper captains of all time.

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#5 Andy Flower

Andy Flower is easily the best batsman to have played for Zimbabwe. Often deprived of long tours due to Zimbabwe’s position in world cricket, the elder of the Flower brothers never got enough chances to prove his worth and talent which could have made him a bigger player.

Flower was neat and tidy behind the stumps making him a versatile player. With almost 300 catches, Flower was very safe behind the stumps as hardly anything went past him. As a captain, he was an adequate leader. He was the first Zimbabwean to lead his country for a Test tour to England.

Though he didn’t have much success as captain, he is their highest run-getter in both Tests and ODIs and certainly is one of the best players to have represented Zimbabwe.

#4 Moin Khan

Moin Khan was a witty player

For the most part of his career, Moin Khan competed with Rashid Latif for the wicket-keeper's role in the Pakistan team. Moin Khan’s batting often gave him the edge, even though Latif was a better keeper.

As a batsman, his quick footwork and improvisation helped him score at a very good rate. His aggressive batting helped Pakistan finish the innings with some big runs and gain momentum towards the end of the innings. Behind the stumps, he was one of the chirpiest keepers as he kept murmuring all the time. He has effected more than 500 dismissals in international cricket with the gloves.

As captain, Moin Khan led Pakistan in 13 Tests and 34 one-day internationals, emerging as winners in 4 Tests and 20 ODIs. Even though he won only 4 Tests as captain, he lost only a miserly 2. He also led Pakistan to victory in the Asia Cup in 2000, where he was also very good with the bat.

#3 Mushfiqur Rahim

Mushfiqur Rahim has improved a lot over the years

A short (in height) yet effective keeper and a live-wire behind the stumps, Mushfiqur Rahim is Bangladesh’s most successful Test captain. He has captained Bangladesh in 30 Tests and has led the team to victory in 6 games (out of total 8 Test wins).

Not only Tests, he was also a decent one-day skipper as he led his country in 37 games and emerged victorious on 11 occasions. In addition, he has captained Bangladesh for the most number of international games (including T20s) – 90.

For a keeper who is short, Rahim is very quick behind the stumps and his glove work is excellent. He has effected more than a 100 dismissals in both Tests and ODIs and is ranked among the safest keepers in the world at the moment.

His captaincy might have been a bit questionable at times, but Bangladesh’s recent success in Tests, where they’ve defeated England and Australia (at home) and Sri Lanka (away), show that he has what it takes to be a successful leader.

#2 Kumar Sangakkara

Kumar Sangakkara is perhaps the greatest wicketkeeper-batsman of all time

Kumar Sangakkara is one of the best wicket-keepers Sri Lanka have produced in their history. During his time, Sangakkara was almost on-par with some of the best keepers like Gilchrist and Boucher. An elegant stroke-maker, an ever-reliable keeper, an astute thinker and a crafty captain, Sangakkara played close to 500 international games for Sri Lanka.

He led the Lankans in 15 Tests, 45 ODIs and 22 T20Is after Mahela Jayawardene stepped down. Sangakkara was one of the instrumental figures who played a pivotal role in giving direction to Sri Lanka cricket.

He led them to the finals of the 2009 T20 World Cup (losing to Pakistan) and the 2011 World Cup final (losing to India). He had win percentages of 60 in both ODIs and T20Is. He stepped down as captain after the 2011 World Cup, but continued to play all forms before retiring from international cricket in 2015 altogether.

Sangakkara is the only wicketkeeper to have scored over 10,000 runs in both Tests and ODIs. He has taken over 600 catches and effected more than a 100 stumpings in international cricket. He remains as one of the best wicketkeeper captains the game has ever seen.

#1 Mahendra Singh Dhoni

MS Dhoni is the most successful ODI Indian captain ever

MS Dhoni’s arrival in international cricket ended India’s long search for a wicketkeeper who could also bat as he has the most number of runs by an Indian wicketkeeper and most number of dismissals in Tests, ODIs and T20Is.

His growing stature and cool head led to his appointment as the captain of the T20 side for the World T20 in 2007 in South Africa, where his calm and composed leadership helped India lift the title. Soon, he was appointed as the ODI skipper after Rahul Dravid stepped down and eventually became the full-time Test captain as well after Anil Kumble’s retirement.

His unorthodox-yet-effective keeping is one of the best in limited-overs cricket. With more than 500 catches and 150+ stumpings in international cricket, Dhoni by far is one of the best keepers to have played for India.

Today, he stands as the most successful Indian captain of all time. A total of 178 wins (27 Test wins, 110 ODI wins and 41 T20 wins) in 331 international games as captain ( a record for most number of games as captain in the world), Dhoni is surely one of the greatest captains to have stepped onto the cricket field.