5 famous coach-captain relationships in cricket

#2 John Buchanan and Ricky Ponting

John Buchanan and Ricky Ponting

Being appointed in 1999, John Buchanan had the task of coaching an extremely strong Australian team. Along with Ricky Ponting as captain, Buchanan led the team well and earned the tag of the most intimidating and dominant side. The two were competent individuals and their bond helped the team’s cause in a great way.

The duo led the team to many victories, including a world-record 16 consecutive Test match victories and 23 ODI wins in World Cup tournaments. Their impeccable record consists of Ashes victories in 2002 and 2006, Test Series victory against India in 2004, a Champions Trophy title in 2006 and two consecutive World Cup titles in 2003 and 2007. During this period, Australia enjoyed unprecedented success as the best ODI and Test team.

Buchanan, who was famous for unconventional methods of training, was however, criticised by some cricketers including Shane Warne, who played under him. The most common criticism is that he had to coach a very strong team and his presence just coincided with their victories. However, Ricky Ponting credits him as one of the main reasons behind Australia’s phenomenal World Cup record.