5 Captains With Highest Win Percentages in World Cups

World Cup is the biggest event for any sport and leading a nation in a World Cup is a huge honour.

The previous eleven editions of the cricket World Cups have seen some great leaders come and conquer the world like Ponting and Lloyd, while some equally impressive leaders end up without a trophy like Ganguly and McCullum, showing the game is not equally kind to everyone.

Also, irrespective of the trophy counts, there have been captains who have left a lasting impression in the limited games in which they have led their teams in the World Cups. As the twelfth edition of the World Cup nears, we look at the top 5 captains with highest win percentages in World Cup games:

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#5 Sourav Ganguly (81.81%)

Known for his aggressive and expressive captaincy, Ganguly is someone can be credited for the change in Indian cricket from the disappointing 90s to the glorious 2000s.

One of India's finest skippers, however, did not have the fortune of lifting the World Cup. Ganguly was a part of three World Cups and led India in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.

In the 11 games Ganguly captained India in the World Cups, he lost only two. Coincidentally, both the losses came against Australia, one of them being the all-important final.

Ganguly's team beat Netherlands, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, England, Namibia, Kenya, Sri Lanka and New Zealand en route their way to the finals. They finished second in the group stage.

With nine wins from 11 games, Ganguly stands fifth in the list with a win percentage of 81.81%.

#4 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (85.29%)

MS Dhoni's six sealed the victory for India as they won the World Cup after 28 years

The only skipper in the world to have all the ICC trophies in his kitty, MS Dhoni led India to victory in the 2011 World Cup.

The 28-year long wait was ended in style with a magnificent hit into the crowd by the skipper himself, and India became the first team to win a World Cup on home soil.

Dhoni led India in the 2015 World Cup as well, where India finished as the semi-finalists. Like 2003, Australia was the only team who could have stopped the rampaging Indian side and once again, India managed to find Australia.

In 17 matches across two World Cups, Dhoni won 14, lost two and had one tied game against England in 2011.

One of the most successful ODI skippers, Dhoni always raised his bar in big tournaments as evident from the 2015 World Cup.

The 2011 win remains the silver lining in his career, and with a win percentage of 85.29%, Dhoni stands fourth in the list.

#3 Clive Lloyd (88.23%)

Clive Lloyd won consecutive World Cups in 1975 and 1979

The skipper of the most fearful side to have played the game, Lloyd led West Indies to two World Cup triumphs in 1975 and 1979, while finishing as the runner-ups in the third edition in 1983.

The golden period of West Indies cricket saw them thrashing opponents at will, possessing a fearsome pace attack and a merciless batting lineup.

Starting as firm favorites in all three editions, West Indies remained unbeaten in the first World Cup in 1975, beating Australia in the finals by 17 runs. The unbeaten run continued in the second edition too, and this time England were at the receiving end in the finals.

The third edition saw the invincible West Indies lose two games, surprisingly both against underdogs India.

The league stage loss was considered as a fluke by many, but all those doubts were put to rest by Kapil's devils in the finals, as India won their maiden title.

Despite the two losses, West Indies remained the most successful side in the World Cups until the Aussies broke their records in the 2000s.

In 17 matches that Lloyd captained in World Cups, he won 15 and hence with a win percentage of 88.23%, he stands third in the list.

#2 Brendon McCullum (88.89%)

McCullum led New Zealand to their first ever World Cup final

One of the finest cricketers from the Kiwi soil, McCullum led the Kiwis to their first ever finals in the World Cups.

Known for revolutionising modern day batting with his pyrotechniques, Baz was equally aggressive on the field as a skipper.

He played a key role in the smooth transition of the Kiwi side after the retirements of the likes of Fleming.

New Zealand started the 2015 World Cup as one of the favourites and it was McCullum's captaincy that had transformed New Zealand from being the perennial dark horses.

In the 2015 World Cup, New Zealand ended the group stages unbeaten, the only close game being against Australia which they won by one wicket.

Playing all their games till the finals at home, the Kiwis had to face the Aussies in the finals at Melbourne.

Despite having an outstanding tournament as a team, the Kiwis faltered in the all-important finals as Australia won their fifth title.

McCullum won eight of the nine games in the 2015 world cup and hence with a win percentage of 88.89%, stands second in the list.

#1 Ricky Ponting (92.85%)

Ricky Ponting with his two world cup trophies

The skipper of the invincible Aussies and the most successful captain in World Cups, Ponting led the Aussies to two consecutive World Cup wins in 2003 and 2007.

The skipper with most international wins also holds the record of most wins in World Cup games. Taking over the mettle from the legendary Steve Waugh, Ponting led Australia to victory in 2003, where they remained unbeaten and performed way better than other teams.

The hat-trick of World Cups for Australia was won in West Indies in 2007 when once again the Aussies remained unbeaten. This was the period after which the transition took place. In 2011, stalwarts like Hayden, Gilchrist and McGrath were missing.

Australia were still going strong until Pakistan broke their 34-match unbeaten streak in World Cups in their last group stage game.

Following that, Aussies were humbled by the hosts India in the quarter-finals despite a gritty hundred by Ponting. As a result, Australia crashed out after two consecutive defeats which followed a world record 34 match unbeaten streak.

With two World Cups, and 26 wins from 29 games, Ponting stands as the most successful skipper in world cups, both in terms of the number of wins as well as percentage (92.85%) of win.

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Source- Espncricinfo