Cricket World Cup History: 4 great ODI captains who never won the World Cup

No other sport in the world emphasizes the importance of captaincy as much as cricket. It is widely considered as the most important job in a cricket field as the decisions taken by a captain can have a huge impact on the outcome of a game. We have seen many legendary players take up the role of a captain and excel at it while some great players have crumbled under the immense pressure that comes with the job.

Some other captains were largely successful throughout their career but failed to get their hands on the Cricket World Cup. In spite of being consistent and dominant in the group stages their teams failed to come up big against strong opponents in knockout games.

Here's a look at four such great ODI captains who could not win a World Cup:

#4 Stephen Fleming

Stephen Fleming

The talismanic southpaw captained his side for 10 years from 1997 to 2007. Only Ricky Ponting has captained in more matches than him. His ice cool character and able man management skills were admired around the world. He never had 3 or 4 match winners in his team but mastered the art of extracting the best out of each and every player in his team.

His first World Cup as a captain came in 1999 when the Black Caps finished in the top four. The highlight of that campaign was the resounding victory against Trans-Tasmanian rivals Australia in the group stage. In the 2003 World Cup, they were knocked out in the Super Six stage after collapsing badly against Australia and India. In his last World Cup, Fleming led his team to the Semi-Final where they lost to Sri Lanka. Since his retirement, Stephen Fleming has enjoyed a lot of success as the coach of Chennai Super Kings.

Matches:218 Won:98 Lost:106 Tied:1 Win percentage:48.04%

#3 Hansie Cronje

Hansie Cronje

Hansie Cronje’s immense achievements as the captain of South Africa were stained by his stunning admission to match-fixing in 2002. But throughout his career, he was considered as one of the most hardworking and disciplined players in the world and his calculated field settings brought a lot of limited overs success to the Proteas.

In the 1996 edition, he captained his side to the Quarter Finals of the tournament where they were knocked out by West Indies. In the 1999 World Cup, The Proteas side led by him finished at the top of their group above India and Zimbabwe. In the Semi Final, they took on Australia and needed 9 runs off the last over to qualify for the finals. Lance Klusener hit two consecutive boundaries but a mix up between Allan Donald and him resulted in a tie. South Africa was heartbroken as the Aussies went through to the finals because of their superior run rate.

Matches: 138 Won: 99 Lost: 35 Tied: 1 Win percentage: 73.70%

#2 Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly

When Sourav Ganguly took over as the captain of the Indian cricket team, the game had lost a lot of pride in India due to the match-fixing scandal. Ganguly injected a sense of ruthless aggression into the team and under his captaincy, the Indians played fearless cricket.

The team was in prime form going into the 2003 World Cup and they finished second in the group stage behind Australia. In the Super Six stage, India was undefeated as they registered easy victories against Kenya, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka. In the Semifinal, they once again encountered Kenya and defeated them 91 runs. In the final against Australia, Ganguly won the toss and contrary to popular opinion he chose to bowl first on a flat track. The decision backfired and Australia decimated India by 125 runs to clinch their 3rd title.

Matches: 147 Won: 76 Lost: 66 Tied : 0 Win percentage: 53.52%

#1 Graeme Smith

Graeme Smith

Graeme Smith was just 22 when he was given the difficult job of captaining a South African team that was stunned by the death of Hansie Cronje. He brought a lot of respect for the South African team as they evolved into a very strong outfit in all formats of the game under his leadership.

In the 2007 World Cup, South Africa scraped through to the semifinals after finishing fourth in the “Super 8” stage. In the semifinals, they once again came up short against Australia as they crumbled against the pace bowling duo of Glenn Mcgrath and Shaun Tait. In the 2011 edition, Graeme Smith led South Africa to the top of the table in their group and they clashed with New Zealand in the Quarterfinal. They crashed out of the tournament after collapsing badly in a chase of 222.

Matches: 150 Won: 92 Lost: 51 Tied: 1 Win percentage: 64.23%