Top 5 cricket captains who never won a World Cup in last decade

One of the most nerve-wrecking ordeals in sport is being the captain of a cricket team. As fortunes fluctuate with a wink of an eye, captains have no option but to expect the unexpected. The game of glorious uncertainties cricket, often pushes the captain into a quandary, but when the going gets tough, the tough get going and with a head sans muddle, the sailor (captain) guides the crew along tempestuous seas.In a sport where new captains are thrown into limelight week in and week out, some stand out conspicuous by absorbing the pressure and producing the goods. With a provincial view we often tend to judge a captain by his results and fail to recall those who undergo intolerable levels of hardship to resurrect a team from doldrums.Let us gaze through those captains who kept the flag flying high for their nations during testing times.

#5 Nasser Hussain

A pugnacious captain and a solid batsman who made the English look like the real lions. A captain par excellence, the lad from Chennai took over the reins from Alec Stewart in the year of 1999. A leader who curbed his volatile nature to lead his side with flair which was a rarity among English skippers. An intrepid and a stubborn leader who refurbished the English as a potent force in world cricket as he handed Michael Vaughan with a team which enabled the latter to regain the Ashes after almost two decades.

#4 Mark Taylor

An unruffled and a poker faced captain who took the opposition off guard with his unconventional tactics. A prolific slip fielder and an astute captain - 'Tubby' was responsible for Australia’s rise to Test cricket dominance. He nurtured a team with fresh faces, most of whom are legends of the game today. Under his reign the kangaroos won all the home and away Test series except in India from 1995-1999.

#3 Sourav Ganguly

An imperious Indian who revived Indian cricket from its nadir, after the match fixing allegations had tarnished the reputation of the game. Indomitable courage and an unflinching spirit were his allies as he led India to the most nail biting victories ever witnessed in cricket. He imbibed substance with flaunt as he taught the team to win abroad. ‘Dada’ brandishing the Indian gear in the Lord’s balcony was the defining moment of Indian cricket even though the purists considered it as an act which was a stain for the gentlemen’s game. Indian cricket owes a lot to this legend who re-envisioned the way ahead for a team which had nothing but hope left.

#2 Graeme Smith

A brash and a rustic young lad who took on the arduous job of captaining a nation of mixed races. At an age of 22, where undergraduates from India try to solve the jigsaw puzzles of programming, Smith took over the mantle of captaincy after Shaun Pollock renounced his crown owing a disastrous World Cup campaign. Allying ruthlessness with adept captaincy, he led the proteas to astounding victories which raised several eyebrows in world cricket. His gladiatorial effort at the SCG is part of modern day folklore, which has raised the bar for aspiring captains to follow. His leadership skills are second to none as he took the Saffers to numero uno position in Test cricket.

#1 Stephen Fleming

An elegant left handed opening batsman whose flick of the pads, cover drives and cut shots brought swoons of joy for cricket connoisseurs. His clever captaincy transcended his performance as a batsman. A captain whose field placements left the opposition to struggle for runs. Though not blessed with a team of match winners like Ganguly or Greame Smith, Fleming outwitted his opposition through his astute tactical abilities. He was a calm and a composed leader who pioneered in altering the dynamics of the game through his aggressive captaincy. The knight and the grandest thespian of a tiny nation, who is considered by many of his peers like Shane Warne and Mahela Jayawardene as the only ‘true leader’.