Strongest ODI playing XI featuring 11 captains

In the last 45 years, the game of cricket has seen several changes, but one prominent evolution has stood out - one day cricket.

Still, the format in which the all-important World Cup is played, one-day cricket is reaching new heights now - and several batting records are being broken within short periods.

For an ODI XI to be formidable, it has to have the right mix of aggressive and dependable batsmen, a healthy balance of pacers and spinners, along with a wicket-keeper who is a capable batsman and an additional blend of all-rounders.

The captain has to play an integral role - from team compositions to bowling changes; he has a say in everything.

Imagine an XI assembled out of skippers, each as proficient with their skills as they are with their captaincy tactics. We take a look at one such possible XI:

#1 Sanath Jayasuriya

Sanath Jayasuriya started his career as a slow left-arm spinner who can bat but finished his career as one of the legends of Sri Lankan cricket and one of his country's greatest captains.

He played 445 ODI matches in a career that spanned 22 years and has scored 13430 runs at an average of 32.36 and a strike-rate of 91.2, something that was unthinkable when he started to open the batting. He is equally good with the ball and has scalped 323 wickets at an average of 36, and he is someone on whom the captain can rely on to get ten overs.

As a captain, he has captained his team in 118 ODIs and has ended up on the winning side on 66 occasions with a result percentage of 58.26. Any team will want an explosive batsman at the top of the order and Jayasuriya fits the bill perfectly.

#2 Graeme Smith

Jayasuriya's opening partner, Graeme Smith, on the other hand, is an astute captain, in fact, the greatest captain South Africa has ever produced. After getting the responsibility of captaincy even before finding his feet in international cricket, Smith managed to excel both as a batsman and as a captain.

He has captained his side in 150 ODIs and has won 92 games at a result percentage of 61.33. He has amassed 6989 runs in 197 ODI matches at an average of 38 and he can be the perfect foil for Jayasuriya at the top of the order.

#3 Ricky Ponting

Without an element of doubt, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting is easily the greatest ever captain to have played for the side. Both in Tests and ODIs, he was the most successful captain and though he had a great team at his disposal, credit has to be given to him for leading them without any trouble, something that can be difficult in a team that has a lot of world-class players.

He has won 165 matches out of the 230 he captained, which is the most by any captain and has a brilliant win percentage of 76.14. Apart from his captaincy, Ponting has scored 13704 runs at an average of 42 in 375 ODIs. He has also led his team to two World Cup and two Champions Trophy wins and is the only one to do so far.

#4 Arjuna Ranatunga

He might not be among Sri Lanka's greatest ever cricketers but it was Arjuna Ranatunga, who showed the Asian island nation the right direction to achieve success in international success. The 1996-World Cup winning skipper has captained his team on 193 occasions and won 89 of them with a win percentage of 48.37.

One might wonder that the result percentage is very less compared to the other captains in the list but the Sri Lankan's influence in his team's rise to the top after his retirement is more than most of them. As a batsman, he has scored 7456 runs at an average of 35.84 and has taken 79 wickets with his medium pace.

#5 Clive Lloyd

One captain who can compete with Ricky Ponting, the leader, is Clive Lloyd. The former West Indian captain played a big role in uniting all the Caribbean islands and helping them win two consecutive World Cups in 1975 and 1979. The fact that he has captained his team in the 84 out of the 87 ODIs he played speaks volumes about how good he was as a leader.

His result percentage of 77.71 is the highest for any captain who has led at least 30 ODIs as he has led his team to victory on 64 out of the 84 matches he captained. Lloyd has scored 1977 runs in 87 games at an average of nearly 40 and a strike-rate of 81.22, which is very good for his day and age. The Windies team are missing a man like Lloyd in their team now.

#6 Hansie Cronje

Hansie Cronje, as a leader, deserves more credit as he gave the South African team a proper direction in the late 1990s. Though Graeme Smith has led the Proteas in more matches, Cronje is the best South African captain in terms of result percentage as he has won 73.7% of the 138 games (99 matches) he has led the Proteas.

Even as a player, Cronje is a reliable all-rounder as he has scored 5565 runs and has taken 114 wickets in 188 ODIs for his side. Unfortunately, no one will talk about his captaincy brains after his involvement in the match-fixing scandal.

#7 MS Dhoni

Is there a better wicketkeeper-batsman-captain than former Indian skipper MS Dhoni? The former Indian wicketkeeper is third in the all-time list of captains who have captained their team in most ODIs (199) behind Ricky Ponting and Stephen Fleming and is second in the list of matches won by a captain (110) with a result percentage of 59.57.

Dhoni is arguably the greatest captain to have led India and is the only captain to win a World T20, World Cup and ICC Champions Trophy. Even with the bat, he is brilliant and is arguably the world's best finisher. As a wicketkeeper, he is reliable and has the fastest hands in the business. The right-hander has scored 10773 runs in 297 innings at an average of 50.57 and a strike-rate of 88.13 and has effected 448 dismissals in the format.

#8 Imran Khan

Current Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was very influential in leading his team to World Cup glory in 1992 and has won 75 out of the 139 matches he captained with a win percentage of 55.92.

Pakistan has won 75 ODIs of the 139 they played under Imran, at a win percentage of 54.16. As a player, he is one of the greatest all-rounders to have played the sport, scoring 3709 runs at 33.41 runs an innings and has taken 182 wickets at 26.61 in the 175 ODIs he played between 1974and 1992.

#9 Kapil Dev

Along with Imran Khan, his companion from the Fab 4 all-rounders in the 1980s, Kapil Dev features in the XI as an all-rounder. If MS Dhoni is India's greatest captain, Kapil Dev was the one who changed the fortunes of cricket in India as he led the 1983 World Cup-winning Indian team. As a captain, Kapil has done a lot for Indian cricket.

Even after 25 years since his retirement, the Indian team is yet to find a replacement for him. This shows his quality as a player as he won matches for the team with both bat and ball. He has scored 3783 runs in 225 ODIs at an average and strike-rate of 23.79 and 95 respectively. With the ball, he has 253 wickets at 27.45 per wicket.

#10 Daniel Vettori

It is very difficult to find international captains who are also spin bowlers. Among the captains with at least 30 ODIs under their belt, no spinner is as successful as Daniel Vettori, as the Kiwi has captained his team in 82 matches and has won 41 out of it with a win percentage of 50.

Vettori might not be the most excellent captain to have come out of New Zealand as his former teammates Stephen Fleming, and Brendon McCullum had a better impact than the spinner as a captain. Still, he is easily one of the best spin bowlers in the world irrespective of the format as he has taken 305 wickets in 295 matches at an average of 31.71.

#11 Mashrafe Mortaza

Mashrafe Mortaza might have captained Bangladesh in just 58 matches, but the impact he had on the team and Bangladesh cricket during his reign is something that cannot be explained.

Bangladesh has benefitted a lot from his captaincy, and the right-arm pacer has taken his team to the ICC World Cup knockouts and the Champions Trophy semi-finals for the first time in their history. Also, the Tigers have started competing with more prominent teams in the format at home and even away from home.

He has helped Bangladesh win 32 out of the 58 matches he captained and is the only Bangladeshi skipper to have a result percentage of more than 50.

Despite undergoing numerous knee surgeries, Mashrafe continued playing for Bangladesh and is taking them to greater heights. With 245 wickets in 190 matches at an average of 30.87, he is Bangladesh's leading wicket-taker in the format.

Captain and 12th man

In a team that has 11 captains playing in it, it is challenging to name a captain who will be leading others. Ricky Ponting, Clive Lloyd and MS Dhoni are the names that were considered to lead the team that has the captains who have led their teams to World Cup wins on eight occasions combined.

Both Lloyd and Ponting have won two World Cups each as captains while Dhoni has won the World Cup and Champions Trophy once each. But, Ponting gets the nod over Lloyd, thanks to the two Champions Trophy titles Australia won under him.

Allan Border, who has captained Australia in 178 ODIs with 107 wins and a result percentage of 61.42, will be the team's 12th man. He missed out on a place in the XI to Cronje, thanks to the South African's superior bowling abilities that could come in handy if needed.

Check RCB Squad 2024 Details. Follow Sportskeeda for IPL 2024 Live Score, Schedule, Points Table

Edited by Vignesh Ananthasubramanian