5 players who remained in the team only because they were the captain

When the position saved the player from getting sackedAggressive, flamboyant and mercurial are some of the qualities that an ideal captain should possess. But most importantly, a good captain must perform consistently and lead the team by example.The worst instances are when a captain who everyone looks up to struggles and enjoys de facto selection privileges as he is the skipper. Let us look at 5 instances when great players stopped performing but remained in the team only because they were the captain.

#1 Mike Brearley

If there was ever an example of any player who made it to the team consistently simply because of his captaincy credentials, Mike Brearley has to be it. Though Brearley batted in the top seven and often opened the innings for England, he was never considered to be a specialist batsman.

Brearley's batting records were unimpressive to say the least - he was, at best, a mediocre batsman averaging just 22.88 in Tests and 24.28 in ODIs. But as a captain, he belongs to an elite club of cricketers with an enviable record which made him an integral part of the team.

Not selected for the England team because of his academic commitments until he was 34 - he was a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne - Brearley took on the captaincy in 1977.

Out of the 31 Test matches he had captained in, he won 17 and lost only 4. His reputation also rests on the two famous Ashes wins he led the team to in 1977 and 1981.