Most tied matches as an ODI captain

504 runs were scored in an ODI game and the match ended in a tie - those were the scenes from the Dubai International Stadium after the Super Four fixture between India and Afghanistan.

The India-Afghanistan encounter had all the right ingredients to make it a complete blockbuster - MS Dhoni captaining in his 200th ODI game, Mohammad Shahzad taking it to the cleaners, and an exciting climax to the match.

Not the end that MS Dhoni would have hoped for, but he would be quite happy to end his international captaincy career (presumably) in the most dramatic way. Interestingly, Dhoni's international captaincy career came full circle with this result. He kicked-off his captaincy career with a tie against Pakistan (result was decided by a bowl out) in the inaugural edition of World T20 and presumably ended his captaincy career with the same result.

The India-Afghanistan encounter became the only 36th ODI to end in a tie. Besides, it was only the 8th of its kind for India in the history of ODI cricket. It is worth noting that out of these 8 ODI games, five came under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.

Let us have a look at the list of players with most tied ODI matches as a captain.

#1 MS Dhoni (India)

MS Dhoni does top the list here as well. He is the only one to have as many as five tied matches as an ODI captain. His first tied match as an ODI captain came against England during India's victorious 2011 World Cup campaign. Moreover, this was only the fourth of its kind in the history of World Cup and also the most recent.

Here is the complete list:

MS Dhoni's ties as a captain

All the other three captains on the list are in second place with three ties. The three captains are Richie Richardson of West Indies, Steve Waugh of Australia, and Shaun Pollock of South Africa.

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#2 Richie Richardson (West Indies)

Richie Richardson holds the second place (placed on the list chronologically) on the list. Interestingly, Richardson was the first captain ever in the history of ODI cricket to have as many as three tied matches as a captain. His first one came against Pakistan when West Indies toured Pakistan in 1991.

Richardson's tally of ties as an ODI captain

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#3 Steve Waugh (Australia)

Steve Waugh, one of the greatest Australian captain ever, takes the third spot on the list. He was the first ever captain to have a tie in the history of the World Cup. However, his first tie as a captain came against West Indies. It was a rain-curtailed match which allowed only 30 overs per side.

Steve Waugh's tied matches as an ODI captain

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#4 Shaun Pollock (South Africa)

Fourth on the list is South Africa great, Shaun Pollock. Coincidentally, Pollock was also involved in a tie in a World Cup fixture. It was against Sri Lanka in 2003 World Cup. Nonetheless, his first tied match as a captain came against Australia in 2000 when South Africa toured Australia.

Shaun Pollock in tied matches as an ODI captain

*Rain affected game

+World Cup Fixture