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

#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%