5 best wicketkeeper captains of all time
One of the toughest jobs in cricket is that of a captain. Almost every decision on the field is taken by the captain. Right from field placement to batting order, bowling changes and motivating the players (giving them a pep talk before they take the field) – everything is mostly done by the skipper.
If captaincy is the most difficult job, then the most strenuous one is wicket-keeping. He performs about 300 squats in an ODI and about 500+ squats on a single day of a Test match (if his team is on the field for 90 overs). Fitness, concentration, agility and quick reflexes are some of the attributes for effective wicket-keeping.
But the keeper also enjoys a unique position. He has the best view to oversee things on the field and thus, sometimes it beneficiary to have a captain who is a wicket-keeper. He has the best view of the proceedings and can keep an eye on every player on the field.
So, being the captain and the wicket-keeper can be a little tedious, but from the team’s perspective, it can be a very good combination to have a wicket-keeper captain as the man behind the stumps is often the best man to judge the proceedings of the game.
Thus, we look at 5 best wicket-keeper captains of all time.
#5 Andy Flower
Andy Flower is easily the best batsman to have played for Zimbabwe. Often deprived of long tours due to Zimbabwe’s position in world cricket, the elder of the Flower brothers never got enough chances to prove his worth and talent which could have made him a bigger player.
Flower was neat and tidy behind the stumps making him a versatile player. With almost 300 catches, Flower was very safe behind the stumps as hardly anything went past him. As a captain, he was an adequate leader. He was the first Zimbabwean to lead his country for a Test tour to England.
Though he didn’t have much success as captain, he is their highest run-getter in both Tests and ODIs and certainly is one of the best players to have represented Zimbabwe.