listento_me
U19 Captain
I've been working on this series for a while now, probably a year and I have finally put together a list the five greatest cricketing captains in the history of this sport. I have tried to be as objective as possible and considering the limit of only five names, the true upper echelon of the game, there are many names that will be excluded. This list is not to say that the likes of Ponting, Richards, Dhoni, Tayor, Miandad, Fleming and co were not great captains. It is essentially an exercise in sorting the wheat...from the other wheat.
The criteria used looks into how successful said captain, how they defined their team and team culture, their influence and ultimately their legacy, i.e. did they leave their national cricket team in a better position than they found it.
We start off with number 5:
The last three words, from the above tribute by Bowes, a terrific first class cricketer in his own right, describe Jardine and his captaincy to a tee. Body line is what Jardine is defined by and his tour to Australia in 1932-33 is quite possibly the most iconic Ashes tour in history. Over a period of four months, Jardine showed he was more than just a regular captain; he was an “unforgiving enemy”.
However, before we get to Australia it is important to consider Jardine’s first series as captain. Against a mediocre yet challenging New Zealand side, Jardine went about instilling a hard, gritty mentality into his batsmen. They would score runs and they would get them ugly if need be. The English were not a team of flashy cavaliers; they were a team of technically astute batsmen. Jardine was one such man. His team would be built in his image, long before he utilised pace and fire.
After beating the Kiwis, Jardine would turn his attention to India and with the help of Voce (who would become key against Australia) he would rout the Indian batsmen for less than two hundred in both innings. Larwood was absent but once he joined Voce down under, all hell would break loose but these series of matches were already helping Jardine formulate his famous plan.
Once in Australia, Sydney to be exact, Jardine would turn the screw. Voce and of course Larwood, would become his weapons of choice. What follows is history and a 4-1 drubbing of a genuinely good, genuinely adept Australian side. The fall out would change cricket, new restrictions on the bouncer and catchers would follow and the game would be forever changed but it was Jardine who was unforgiving enough to do whatever it took to win the series. The one that always mattered most. He would follow it up with two successes against India. By then, he had solidified himself as one of the most important captains in the history of the game and certainly England’s fiercest tactical operator.
It would not be inaccurate to say that the employment of fast bowling by Jardine would influence generations of West Indian and Australian fast bowlers. Like any great, Jardine was an innovator and as a captain could be a shrewd skillful leader of men. Unlike any other captain on this list, his single tactical decision decided the fate of an entire series.
The criteria used looks into how successful said captain, how they defined their team and team culture, their influence and ultimately their legacy, i.e. did they leave their national cricket team in a better position than they found it.
We start off with number 5:
Douglas Jardine
“To me and every member of the 1932-33 MCC side in Australia, Douglas Jardine was the greatest captain England ever had. A great fighter, a grand friend and an unforgiving enemy.”
W.E. Bowes
“To me and every member of the 1932-33 MCC side in Australia, Douglas Jardine was the greatest captain England ever had. A great fighter, a grand friend and an unforgiving enemy.”
W.E. Bowes
The last three words, from the above tribute by Bowes, a terrific first class cricketer in his own right, describe Jardine and his captaincy to a tee. Body line is what Jardine is defined by and his tour to Australia in 1932-33 is quite possibly the most iconic Ashes tour in history. Over a period of four months, Jardine showed he was more than just a regular captain; he was an “unforgiving enemy”.
However, before we get to Australia it is important to consider Jardine’s first series as captain. Against a mediocre yet challenging New Zealand side, Jardine went about instilling a hard, gritty mentality into his batsmen. They would score runs and they would get them ugly if need be. The English were not a team of flashy cavaliers; they were a team of technically astute batsmen. Jardine was one such man. His team would be built in his image, long before he utilised pace and fire.
After beating the Kiwis, Jardine would turn his attention to India and with the help of Voce (who would become key against Australia) he would rout the Indian batsmen for less than two hundred in both innings. Larwood was absent but once he joined Voce down under, all hell would break loose but these series of matches were already helping Jardine formulate his famous plan.
Once in Australia, Sydney to be exact, Jardine would turn the screw. Voce and of course Larwood, would become his weapons of choice. What follows is history and a 4-1 drubbing of a genuinely good, genuinely adept Australian side. The fall out would change cricket, new restrictions on the bouncer and catchers would follow and the game would be forever changed but it was Jardine who was unforgiving enough to do whatever it took to win the series. The one that always mattered most. He would follow it up with two successes against India. By then, he had solidified himself as one of the most important captains in the history of the game and certainly England’s fiercest tactical operator.
It would not be inaccurate to say that the employment of fast bowling by Jardine would influence generations of West Indian and Australian fast bowlers. Like any great, Jardine was an innovator and as a captain could be a shrewd skillful leader of men. Unlike any other captain on this list, his single tactical decision decided the fate of an entire series.
Captained 15 tests
Won 9
Lost 1
Draw 5
Won 9
Lost 1
Draw 5
