The following are the most decorated captains in women’s ODI history. Everyone knows captains play a very important part in any sport from executing plans and making crucial game-changing decisions to taking the blame for losses and maintaining the team morale. These cricketers have been the most successful and experienced figures in Women’s cricket history.
1. Mithali Raj
Mithali Raj is probably the biggest name in Women’s cricket history and is the current captain of the Indian women’s ODI team. The right-handed opener is considered India’s greatest female cricketer ever. Mithali Raj became the Indian women’s team captain in 2005 and is still currently the ODI captain. Raj is the only player (male or female) to have captained India in more than one World Cup final. She has the most matches played as captain in ODI than any other women’s cricketer (2005-Present) to date.
Raj has been captain for 132 matches in which she has won 82 matches and lost 47, Her win percentage as captain is 63.56%
2. Charlotte Edwards
England’s most successful captain Charlotte Edwards retired from cricket for England in 2016 and completely left all forms of cricket in 2017. Edwards has had a 20-year illustrious international career. Captaining the side for 10 years, Edwards is considered as one of the greatest cricketers of all time.
Edwards captained England to World Cup victory in 2009, before leading them to the T20 Championship also. Edwards has also captained England to multiple Ashes victories and will go down as one of the greatest and most successful captains ever.
Edwards captained England from 2005-2016 playing 117 matches as captain, winning 72 and losing 38. Edwards win percentage as captain was 65.45%.
3. Belinda Clark
Belinda Clark is Australia’s most influential female cricketer, who played for Australian women’s national team from 1991 till her retirement in 2005. She had become the national team captain in 1994. She was the first-ever cricketer to score a double century in a women’s One Day International when she scored 229 against Denmark.
Clark made history when she became the first female player inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame. Her most important contribution is leading her team to World Cup victory in 1997 and 2005 and is considered the greatest captain in Women’s Cricket.
Clark first captained Australia in 1994 till 2005, Captaining 101 matches winning 83 and losing 17. Her win percentage as captain is an impressive 83%
4. Suzie Bates
Suzannah “Suzie” Bates is a New Zealand All-rounder and former captain of the national women’s cricket team. Bates was not only a cricket player, but she also represented her country in basketball at the 2008 Beijing Olympics but fully committed to cricket after taking over as national captain in 2011.
During the 2018 ICC Women’s WorldT20 in the West Indies, Suzie became the first cricketer, male or female, to score 3,000 runs in T20 international matches. She was also the top scorer for New Zealand for that tournament.
She has been the captain from 2011 until 2018 when she stepped down as captain of the White Ferns and was replaced by Amy Satterthwaite.
Bates played 76 matches as captain winning 40 and losing 35. Bates has a win percentage of 53.33% as captain.
5. Merissa Aguilleira
Merissa Aguilleira is a right-handed wicket-keeper batsman and former captain of the West Indies. She played for West Indies women’s cricket team as well as for Trinidad and Tobago.
Merissa played in over a hundred ODIs and captained the West Indies Women from 2009-2015. During her captaincy, she exceeded everyone’s expectations when she led the team to the final of the ICC Women’s World Cup in India 2013, and the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s World T20 in 2010, 2012 and 2014 and played an important part in the 2016 ICC Women’s World T20 in which West Indies was triumphant. In 2015, Stafanie Taylor replaced her.
Aguilleira played 74 matches as captain, winning 39, losing 32, and tying 1. Her win percentage as captain was 54.86%
Stats as on 9th June 2020
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