| Ultimately, team performance is the measure of a | | | | in conjunction with team management- should have a |
| good cricket captain. However, a good cricket captain | | | | clear view of the overall direction of the cricket |
| is not merely a captain of a good team. Captains | | | | team.iv) Resilience |
| must have inherent characteristics and qualities that | | | | When the chips are down, a good captain needs to |
| allow them to get the most out of their teams. | | | | believe. Otherwise, he would be hard-pressed to get |
| Although the Australians from 2003-2009 were a | | | | his teammates believing that they could overcome |
| dominant team, Ricky Ponting is not considered a | | | | on-field adversity. Chris Gayle of the West Indies |
| good captain in some quarters. Cricket pundits regard | | | | was a perfect example of a lack of resilience. When |
| Stephen Fleming as a good captain, despite the | | | | the chips are down, Gayle waits for something to |
| ordinary New Zealand team that he led. Good cricket | | | | happen and may appear to be resigned to fate. |
| captains require more than 'good' results; they must | | | | Steve Waugh, on the other hand, had a steely |
| have some or all of seven attributes.i) Astute | | | | reserve that reflected in his batting. Australia was |
| tactician | | | | able to convert weak positions into strong ones |
| Cricket is a thinking game and the cricket captain | | | | because Waugh believed.iv) Communication and |
| must guide his team on the field. Field placing and | | | | conflict resolution skills |
| strategies to get batsmen out or win/save a game | | | | A good captain must be able to dialogue with players |
| are the purview of the captain. Good captains have a | | | | both on and off the field. In any teams, problems |
| grasp on tactics and apply them in the right situation. | | | | may arise from time to time. Even if the captain is |
| They know when to take a gamble and when | | | | the cause of the problem, he or she should be able |
| defence is the best form of attack. A good captain is | | | | assist with resolving any dispute or grievance |
| usually positive and pragmatic with his tactics.ii) | | | | amicably. |
| Motivator and Influencer | | | | In addition to those basic attributes, a good cricket |
| A good cricket captain can motivate players on and | | | | captain should also be:a) A sporting statesmanb) |
| off the cricket field. Not all captains are admired but a | | | | Skilled in interacting with the mediac) A student of |
| good one should be respected. Players should be able | | | | the game with a grasp of cricket historyd) An |
| to get a lift from their captain- a lift that enables | | | | enforcer of the spirit of cricket |
| them to elevate their on-field performance. By dint of | | | | It may seem useless to have all these fine attributes |
| this, good captains should be self-motivators as well.iii) | | | | if your team never wins. What these attributes do is |
| Vision | | | | help a captain to get the most out of his team. A |
| Ideally, a captain should have a vision about what he | | | | captain- like a good manager- has to work through |
| wants the cricket team to become. Is the emphasis | | | | others. Whether he is a batsman, bowler or |
| on rebuilding a team or solidifying a strong team? A | | | | all-rounder, a captain cannot dismiss all the batsmen |
| good captain goes beyond a day-to-day role by | | | | or score all the runs. Being a good cricket captain just |
| adopting the role of leader and visionary. The captain- | | | | elevates team performance. |