5 cricketers who played under most captains in International cricket

Captaincy is one of the most crucial aspects of cricket. Unlike in sports like football and basketball where the manager or coach assume greater importance during a game, in cricket on the field, the final shots are called by the captain. He acts on his instinct and his decision during a game is usually final. Usually, a player ends up playing under 3-4 captains in his career. But there are a few players who have played under several leaders in their career.

Here are 5 cricketers who played under most captains in International cricket

5. Shoaib Malik – 15 captains

Pakistan’s legendary all-rounder, Shoaib Malik who has had a career of more than 21 years and is still going strong, has played under a total of 15 international captains.  Malik himself was a fairly successful captain, leading Pakistan in a handful of ODIs and even in the famous 2007 T20 World Cup.

The Pakistan cricket team has always been volatile, and since 2000, they have had a number of changes in captaincy due to this very reason. These are the 15 captains Malik has played under in his glorious career:

Abdul Razzaq (1 ODI), Azhar Ali (25 ODIs), Babar Azam (5 T20Is), Inzamam-ul-Haq (13 Tests, 84 ODIs, 1 T20I), Misbah-ul-Haq (3 Tests, 24 ODIs, 8 T20Is), Mohammad Hafeez (2 ODIs, 20 T20Is), Mohammad Yousuf (5 Tests, 6 ODIs), Moin Khan (5 ODIs), Rashid Latif (1 Test, 12 ODIs), Salman Butt (3 Tests), Sarfaraz Ahmed (39 ODIs, 29 T20Is), Shahid Afridi (4 ODIs, 25 T20Is), Waqar Younis (2 Tests, 21 ODIs), Wasim Akram (5 ODIs), Younis Khan (5 Tests, 18 ODIs, 8 T20Is).

4. Abdul Razzaq – 15 captains

The mercurial all-rounder from Pakistan, Abdul Razzaq had a long career which went on for 18 years but ended up playing only 343 games. He played most numbers of games, 105, under Inzamam-ul-Haq.

Razzaq interestingly also played a game under former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, representing Asia XI against World XI in 2004 at the MCG during a Tsunami relief game. Here are the 15 captains Razzaq played under-

Aamer Sohail (3 ODIs), Sourav Ganguly (1 ODI), Inzamam-ul-Haq (19 Tests, 85 ODIs, 1 T20I), Misbah-ul-Haq (3 ODIs), Mohammad Hafeez (6 T20Is), Mohammad Yousuf (1 Test, 2 ODIs), Moin Khan (9 Tests, 31 ODIs), Ramiz Raja (2 ODIs), Rashid Latif (17 ODIs), Saeed Anwar (2 Tests, 3 ODIs), Shahid Afridi (25 ODIs, 18 T20Is), Shoaib Malik (2 ODIs, 2 T20Is), Waqar Younis (12 Tests, 53 ODIs), Wasim Akram (1 Tests, 26 ODIs), Younis Khan (2 Tests, 11 ODIs, 5 T20Is).

3. Shahid Afridi – 15 captains

Shahid Afridi is perhaps the most enigmatic and unpredictable individual to have played the game. He had 524 international appearances and despite playing under several captains, the most matches he played were with him being the leader – 83 matches.

Like Razzaq, Afridi too didn’t play under just Pakistan leaders. Interestingly he played under a South African captain, Shaun Pollock. This was when he represented World XI against Australia XI in 2005. Here are the rest of the captains Afridi played under-

Aamer Sohail (1 Test, 11 ODIs), Abdul Razzaq (1 ODI), Inzamam-ul-Haq (9 Tests, 55 ODIs, 1 T20I), Misbah-ul-Haq (70 ODIs, 6 T20Is), Mohammad Hafeez (26 T20Is), Mohammad Yousuf (1 Test, 5 ODIs), Moin Khan (4 Tests, 22 ODIs), Shaun Pollock (2 ODIs), Ramiz Raja (14 ODIs), Rashid Latif (9 ODIs), Saeed Anwar (1 Test, 7 ODIs), Shoaib Malik (32 ODIs, 14 T20Is), Waqar Younis (3 Tests, 53 ODIs), Wasim Akram (5 Tests, 58 ODIs), Younis Khan (2 Tests, 21 ODIs, 8 T20Is).

2. Chris Gayle – 16 captains

The Universe Boss made 462 international appearances in a career which saw plenty of highs and lows. His legacy especially in T20 cricket is unmatched.

In his career, he played under several captains. The greatest number of games, 113, came under Brian Lara. He too played under captains of different countries. While he played under Ricky Ponting representing ICC World XI against Asia XI, Shaun Pollock was his captain against Australia XI in the same year, 2005 while playing for the World XI. Here are all the captains Gayle played under-

Jimmy Adams (4 Tests, 13 ODIs), Carlos Brathwaite (6 T20Is), Dwayne Bravo (14 ODIs), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (10 Tests, 13 ODIs, 1 T20I), Daren Ganga (2 Tests), Jason Holder (42 ODIs, 2 T20Is), Carl Hooper (22 Tests, 44 ODIs), Ridley Jacobs (2 Tests, 4 ODIs), Brian Lara (26 Tests, 87 ODIs), Jason Mohammed (1 ODI), Kieron Pollard (2 ODIs), Shaun Pollock (2 ODIs), Ricky Ponting (1 ODI), Denesh Ramdin (4 Tests), Daren Sammy (11 Tests, 22 ODIs, 30 T20Is), Ramnaresh Sarwan (2 Tests, 3 ODIs, 2 T20Is).

1. Marlon Samuels – 17 captains

Marlon Samuels of West Indies holds the record of having played under most captains.  He is best remembered for the two scintillating knocks he played in the finals of 2012 and 2016 ICC T20 World Cups which helped his team lift the trophy.

In an international career that has spanned over 19 years, Samuels has made 364 international appearances. He has played the greatest number of games under Darren Sammy. He himself led during an ODI tour to Sri Lanka in 2015. The main reason Samuels has played under so many captains is that West Indies’ side has been undergoing a transition for quite some time and have changed their leadership group several times in the last half-decade or so.

Here are the captains Marlon Samuels played under in International cricket

Jimmy Adams (3 Tests, 10 ODIs), Carlos Brathwaite (18 T20Is), Dwayne Bravo (1 Test, 24 ODIs, 2 T20Is), Sherwin Campbell (1 ODI), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (2 Tests), Daren Ganga (1 Test), Chris Gayle (4 Tests, 11 ODIs, 2 T20Is), Jason Holder (12 Tests, 40 ODIs), Carl Hooper (10 Tests, 25 ODIs), Ridley Jacobs (2 Tests, 4 ODIs), Brian Lara (6 Tests, 50 ODIs), Jason Mohammed (1 ODI, 3 T20Is), Kieron Pollard (2 ODIs), Rovman Powell (3 ODIs), Denesh Ramdin (8 Tests, 1 ODI), Daren Sammy (22 Tests, 34 ODIs, 40 T20Is), Ramnaresh Sarwan (2 T20Is).