Skippers in control – only time will tell!

Leave Bangladesh and Zimbabwe out of the equation and observe the credentials of the other captains leading the test playing nations currently and there are some mighty powerful cricketing names. Next month it’s the ICC Champions trophy, then back to a few months of regular international cricket and on to the World Cup, in March next year.

Stephen Fleming the most experienced captain among the present lot

Should form and fitness prevail, Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid, Brian Lara, Mahela Jayawardena, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Graham Smith, Stephen Fleming, Andrew Flintoff, make-up the party. One common feature is that they are among the best in the world. All above mentioned are batsmen barring Flintoff who is a genuine all rounder.

In fact the England Captain is the new kid amongst the lot. He has spent half of the English season recovering from injury. A distinct character of the man is his unshakeable temperament. It has helped him immensely in tough situations as a player and no doubt is a strong ally when captaining. Like all other aspects of the game it is with experience that a player learns and develops. In that respect Flintoff has much to catch-up when comparing with the rest of his peers.

One common characteristic of these leaders is that they possess undemonstrative manners. Hardly ever have any of them seem to lose their cool. Inzamam-ul-Haq is on top of the list. His laid back attitude did not suggest that he would ever be a leader of the temperamental Pakistani outfit. Now, having got there he is providing the calming influence and the guiding light, being the senior citizen amongst a young talented batch of players.

For a captain to be accepted he must be a performer. Yet again, another characteristic that is common with all these men. They have thrived under the responsibility of scoring runs in varied conditions and situations, the world over. In Flintoff’s case taking wickets too and Dravid had a stint behind the stumps as India’s ODI keeper. This has made the added responsibility much easier to handle.

Out of this lot Graeme Smith was the youngest when the captaining mantle was thrust upon him. He was selected after South Africa’s poor showing in the last World Cup, on their own soil. He has grown in the job. His performances with the bat have also progressed steadily. Of recent times he has displayed more aggression, than at the beginning of his captaincy stint. It is an area he needs to strike a balance.

New Zealand’s Stephen Fleming has been the longest around continuously. Brian Lara of course started on the job before them all. His in-out, in-out, captaincy career indicates the tough demands of the job. The need to be mentally tough yet totally balanced. The need to motivate and get the best of one’s self and the rest of the team; the need to plan and plan precisely with the support staff and then implement every plan; it takes a lot out of the man in that hot seat.

The two captains of the neighboring nations India and Sri Lanka have a similar approach. Both Mahela Jayawardena (the current skipper) and Rahul Dravid got accustomed to the position like ducks to water. They are accepted and respected in all quarters. Both have had their ups and downs but have handled it all satisfactorily.

Ricky Ponting has had the fortune of inheriting a champion team in the best organized cricketing set-up in the world. He follows a line of successful captains from Alan Border to Mark Taylor to Steve Waugh. Perhaps all of that has made his task easier than for most of the others. Still, he has to deliver the goods and to date he has done just that.

Every national captain would consider it an ultimate dream to lift the World Cup. Ricky Ponting has done it! Whose turn will it be next? Time will tell.