Sportskeeda Cricket Awards 2017: Top 5 ODI captains of the year

In a year when Test cricket was going through an identity crisis and a blasphemous format such as T10 was introduced, 50-overs cricket continued to quietly survive like the intermediate sibling in a family, showering love with the odd treats, like the Champions Trophy.

The 2019 World Cup is less than a year and a half away, and each side has identified the core set of players who'll line up to be part of the preliminary squads. With the squads, each nation has identified the men who'll lead the sides out in the months leading up to the tournament.

Here are five of the best ODI captains of the year gone by:

#5 Kane Williamson

In his autobiography, Brendon McCullum, Kane Williamson's predecessor wrote that he had used T20 captaincy to experiment in Tests: his way of handling captaincy was clearly unique. While Baz breathed life into a laconic New Zealand outfit with his firebrand captaincy, Williamson is cut from finer cloth. A thinking captain, he is known to be astute with his field placements and bowling changes.

While percentage-wise, New Zealand were the third most successful ODI side this year, 2017 was a mixed bag for the Blackcaps. They started on the right note, cleaning up the series against Australia in January, but lost out to South Africa 3-2 in a closely-fought series thereafter.

The preparation for the Champions Trophy was ideal, as they clinched the tri-series (Bangladesh and Ireland) without breaking a sweat, but stumbled in the ICC tournament, bowing out in the group stages.

The India series got off to a perfect start, as they managed to flatten the hosts in the first ODI (courtesy Tom Latham) to take a lead, but were yanked out of their dream when they suffered back-to-back defeats thereafter. A three-nil win over a hapless West Indian outfit helped them end 2017 on a good note.

#4 AB de Villiers/Faf du Plessis

Du Plessis has taken over the captaincy from de Villiers full time

The tough-as-nails du Plessis was thrust into the Test captaincy pit as a filler for the injured AB de Villiers. However, the more he captained, the more it became clear that he was the perfect choice to lead the side in all three formats. And, with de Villiers slowly wriggling out of the captaincy armband, du Plessis established his stronghold as the first choice skipper.

However, throughout the first half of 2017, de Villiers remained the ODI captain, while du Plessis was in prime form as a batsman, scoring a career-best 185 against Sri Lanka in the side's first ODI series of the year, where the Proteas effectively whitewashed the tourists.

A topsy-turvy series against South Africa followed, with the side emerging victorious by winning the decider (3-2).

Another ICC tournament came, and went, despite assurance from the captain that the side were well-oiled and prepared to break their trophy jinx. It began on the right note, with a big win against Sri Lanka, but back-to-back losses to Pakistan and India ended their campaign even before it had properly begun. Before that, they had lost out to England in the three-ODI series.

The captaincy changed hands, and du Plessis took over full-time, leading the side to a 3-0 whitewash against Bangladesh in October.

#3 Eoin Morgan

Captain Morgan is one of the most experienced captains in world cricket

He might not be in the scheme of things when it comes to Test cricket, but Eoin Morgan has built his own brand when it comes to limited-overs. Not quite away from the original Captain Morgan, who engaged in maritime warfare in the 17th century, Eoin shook the English one-day team out of their self-imposed slumber two years back and has relentlessly carried the outfit forward, and away from the drapes of tradition that had lullabied the country into playing a dull, defensive game in the changing times of 50-overs.

From bland, they became blithe.

Now, the top-order spits venom and the middle-order is equally pyrotechnical: from Jason Roy to Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes, the larder of attacking batsmen is well-stocked.

The right results, however, still elude them: despite winning series on both sides of the Champions Trophy, the endless dry spell of title wins was still not done away with. Wins against Bangladesh, New Zealand and Australia raised more than mere hopes of a title win, but Pakistan turned out to be party poopers in the semi-finals.

Apart from the 2-1 loss to a rampaging Indian side in early 2017, as well as an odd loss to South Africa, England remained unbeaten throughout the year.

#2 Virat Kohli

With MS Dhoni in the background, Kohli has been running the ODI ship adroitly

The year started with the shock resignation of MS Dhoni as limited-overs captain: while Kohli was primed for the job for a while, it took a while for fans to get used to the 36-year-old not calling the shots from behind the stumps. It was a call taken well ahead of the next World Cup, and Kohli had ample time to prepare for his first ICC tournament. He did not disappoint throughout the Champions Trophy, although the team did in the finals.

Having captained the Test team for more than three years now, Kohli is completely immersed in his role and knows it inside out. He throws his weight behind his bowlers and is well-versed with the strengths and weaknesses of each. With some help from Dhoni, his field placings turn out to be right more often than not.

For India, the year started after a happy home season, and after the first ODI series against England that year, where the side emerged winners 2-1, they did not play a single 50-over game till June. Starting as hot favourites to defend their Champions Trophy title, India did everything right, until their inexplicable collapse in the finals against Pakistan.

Post that, it was India all along, as West Indies, Sri Lanka and Australia were gobbled up with ease, despite a skirmish or two. What stood out was the way Kohli never let the intensity drop, rubbing off his good form on his teammates as they went about winning in ruthless fashion.

#1 Sarfraz Ahmed

Sarfraz brings to the table old-fashioned leadership

Barring the 2009 World T20 win, the last decade for Pakistan has been as inconsistent as the side itself. Filled with talented, but seemingly directionless individuals, the side have lacked the galvanizing power of an Imran Khan in their ranks. Azhar Ali's departure as ODI captain has been, perhaps, a silver lining.

The vociferous Sarfraz Ahmed knows a thing or two about winning, he led the U-19 team to an unforeseen World Cup win in 2006, but could never become a mainstay in the national side in the last decade. The fortunes have turned again, and Sarfraz is now one of the most dependable cricketers in the country, with the ability to get work done out of his men when the situation demands.

The results have been there for all to see, but none has been as symbolic as the Champions Trophy victory, over arch-rivals India in the finals, in the process obliterating a humiliating record in ICC events, and more importantly, making the team click as a whole. A major credit goes to the captain for empowering the youth to make the biggest stage its own.

A plant doesn't become a tree overnight, and Pakistan continue to blow hot and cold, as they did throughout 2017, although the CT win did them a world of good. The year started on an ominous note as they hurtled to a 4-1 humiliation at the hands of Australia, but steadied the ship with a series win against West Indies. Post the Champions Trophy, they did not play much, but ended the year after having flattened Sri Lanka 5-0 at their adopted home in the United Arab Emirates.