The ICC tournaments bring a different set of challenges for captains. Every match in these multi-nation events is crucial. And a loss or two can put their team’s campaign in danger.
So it’s quite a steep task for anyone to lead a team in such high-stakes tournaments. But there have been a few captains who led their teams with finesse, winning a significant number of matches.
And this article will list the top 10 captains with the most wins in ICC tournaments.
10. Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka): 17 Wins
It’s quite impossible to forget the moment when Kumar Sangakkara had a smile on his face despite getting beaten by India in the 2011 ODI World Cup. The Sri Lankan legend couldn’t take his team to the World Cup triumph, but he had a decent outing in ICC tournaments.
Sangakkara led Sri Lanka in four consecutive ICC tournaments, winning 17 games out of 26. He took them to knockouts three times but couldn’t cross the final line to win a trophy.
9. Brian Lara (West Indies): 18 Wins
Brian Lara guided the West Indies to 18 victories in global cricketing events. He was a skilled batter in his days, alongside being a decent skipper.
Lara first led the Caribbean side in an ICC event in 1998, taking them into the final of the Champions Trophy. Six years down the line, he was back at the helm of the team. And this time, Lara handed them their first Champions Trophy title by beating England in the final.
8. Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka): 18 Wins
Sangakkara’s fellow countryman, Mahela Jayawardene, occupied the eighth spot with 18 wins. He led Sri Lanka in 28 matches in four ICC tournaments from 2006 to 2012.
The major highlights of his captaincy stints were Sri Lanka reaching the finals of the 2007 ODI World Cup and the 2012 T20 World Cup. They were pretty close to winning both tournaments but lost to Australia and the West Indies, respectively.
7. Eoin Morgan (England): 20 Wins
Eoin Morgan gets credit for bringing a transformation in England’s white-ball setup, and rightfully so. The Englishmen won their first-ever ODI World Cup under his captaincy at home in 2019.
But before tasting major success, he had a tough start. In his first stint, England crashed out of the 2015 World Cup with only two wins.
Then Morgan brought out the best out of his men, leading them to 20 wins across five ICC tournaments.
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6. Kane Williamson (New Zealand): 23 Wins
Kane Williamson, who recently gave up New Zealand’s captaincy, was at the helm of the team in eight ICC events. He led the Kiwis in 39 matches, winning 23 of them.
In his first captaincy assignment as a captain Williasom took New Zealand to the semi-final in the 2016 T20 World Cup. Then in the 2019 ODI World Cup, he went a step further as New Zealand stormed into the final but lost out to England.
The cool captain took the Kiwis to the inaugural World Test Championship final where they beat India to lift the Test mace. Williamson came close to another title triumph in 2021, but Australia defeated his side in the T20 World Cup.
He further led the team in three events but couldn’t find major success despite having a competitive squad. A poor outing in the 2024 T20 World Cup brought an end to his captaincy run.
5. Rohit Sharma (India): 24 Wins
Rohit Sharma’s stature as a skipper is on the rise in ICC tournaments. In just four years, he has led the Indian team to 24 wins and counting.
Sharma took over the reins from Virat Kohli in 2021, and since then, he has captained the team in four competitions. Within a short period, he managed to take India to their second T20 World Cup triumph in 2024.
Sharma came well within the distance of winning the ODI World Cup at home, but Australia spoiled the party in the final.
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4. Stephen Fleming (New Zealand): 24 Wins
Stephen Fleming is the other captain who won 24 matches in ICC tournaments. The cricketer-turned-coach found significant success while leading New Zealand.
He led the Black Caps in 40 matches in eight competitions between 1998 and 2007. Fleming’s captaincy hit its peak in 2000 as he guided the Kiwis to their first-ever ICC title. He captained the New Zealand unit that defeated India in the final of the 2000 Champions Trophy.
3. Graeme Smith (South Africa): 26 Wins
Graeme Smith comes third on the list with 26 victories. He was at the helm of the South African team in 42 matches across seven global events.
Smith’s stint started in the 2004 Champions Trophy, which saw him winning only one game. But then he took the Proteas to 25 more victories, though he couldn’t help them win any of these trophies.
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2. Ricky Ponting (Australia): 40 Wins
It’s almost impossible to imagine this list without Ricky Ponting. The former Australian skipper is the most successful captain in ICC tournaments.
Ponting guided the Aussies to four title triumphs alongside the 40 wins in ICC events. These are the joint-most wins by a captain in all ICC tournaments.
Ponting captained Australia in 51 matches in nine competitions between 2002 and 2011. Out of those, he won two ODI World Cups and as many Champions Trophies.
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1. MS Dhoni (India): 40 Wins
MS Dhoni sits at the top of this list. He is level with Ponting, having won 40 matches as the Indian captain in ICC tournaments.
Captain Cool led India in 58 matches across 10 white-ball tournaments. And he was successful in leading Men in Blue to three trophies.
It all started in 2007 when Dhoni got the reigns of the T20 side. He showed his exemplary leadership skills to hand India the inaugural T20 World Cup that year.
Later in 2011, he brought an end to India’s 28-year-long quest of winning the ODI World Cup in front of the home crowd. Then MSD added the Champions Trophy to his portfolio by taking the team over the ropes in 2013.
