ODI World Cup 2023: Rating captains on performance of teams in tournament

The ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 has entered its last two weeks, with three of the semi-final spots confirmed, having the teams of India, South Africa and the five-time World Cup Champions, Australia. Apart from that, the contention and fight for the fourth spot is still on between three teams including the likes of New Zealand, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

Amidst the tough and interesting contention between the participating teams, the leadership of the captains of all the 10 teams has also been a big discussion among cricket experts and fans across the global cricketing fraternity.

With said that, here we’ll have a look at the performance of the captains by rating them on a scale of 1 to 10.

10. Jos Buttler – England (2/10)

The defending champions, England have endured a very poor and miserable run of form in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 as they have lost 6 out of the 7 matches, they played so far in the tournament. Meanwhile, the captaincy abilities of skipper Jos Buttler are also under scrutiny as England looked quite clueless with the strategies throughout the tournament. So, if it is about rating the captains in the ODI World Cup 2023, Buttler would be undoubtedly at the lowest spot.

9. Shakib Al Hasan – Bangladesh (3/10)

Bangladesh are also one of those teams in the tournament, who have disappointed their fans with a poor performance. They have won only two matches after playing 8 fixtures in the tournament, losing 6 matches and have also been knocked out of the tournament, alongside England. Meanwhile, skipper Shakib Al Hasan has also had a very poor time during his captaincy stint with Bangladesh in the ongoing prestigious cricket quadrennial.

8. Kusal Mendis – Sri Lanka (3.5/10)

The 1996 World Cup champions, Sri Lanka have also had a World Cup edition to forget as they have been eliminated from the tournament with 6 defeats in the 8 matches they played so far in the league stage. Amidst all this, the Islanders also faced an issue with their decision-making as they had to change the captain in the middle of the tournament when regular skipper Dasun Shanaka got injured; he was replaced by Kusal Mendis who failed to impress with his leadership for Sri Lanka in the tournament.

7. Babar Azam - Pakistan (4/10)

Pakistan lived up to their status of the most mercurial team in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 as well. After winning the first two matches, the men in green under the captaincy of Babar Azam, lost four consecutive matches in the tournament. However, they won against Bangladesh and New Zealand after the losses but still, the captaincy of Babar Azam and his decision-making abilities have emerged as a big concern for the 1992 World Cup Champions.

6. Scott Edwards – Netherlands (7/10)

The Netherlands have amazed and impressed everyone with their stunning performances in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023.  Above it, the skipper of the team, Scott Edwards has attracted the eyeballs of the cricketing fraternity with his brilliant captaincy and the way he led the team has also been one of the highlights of the tournament.

5. Hashmatullah Shahidi – Afghanistan (7/10)

Afghanistan have been one of the best-emerging teams in the ongoing 13^th edition of the ODI World Cup. They have enjoyed their best-ever performances in a World Cup edition since they arrived in the prestigious cricket quadrennial 8 years back in the year 2015. A big credit for Afghanistan’s stellar performance also goes to the captain Hashmatullah Shahidi has led the pack with his brilliant leadership abilities and played a crucial role in the team’s 4 wins in the tournament with exemplary performances.

4. Tom Latham – New Zealand (5/10)

The Kiwi played most of the matches in the ODI World Cup 2023 with Tom Latham in the role of skipper. Regular skipper Kane Williamson has played only a few matches in the tournament. When its about rating the captaincy of Tom Latham for the Blackcaps, it has been a mix of both good and bad owing to the performances of the team. New Zealand has lost 4 matches and won as many matches in the 8 matches, they played so far.

3. Temba Bavuma – South Africa (7/10)

South Africa’s performance has grabbed everyone’s attention with their masterclass performance, they have been the only team to score 350+ scores in the tournament. Skipper Temba Bavuma has also garnered praises for his captaincy throughout the tournament, he missed only two matches in which Aiden Markram led the side. He can be rated 7 out of 10 when it’s about assessing the captains in the tournament.

2. Australia – Pat Cummins (9/10)

Australians were on the receiving end of harsh criticism from their cricket fans and experts of the game after two consecutive losses at the beginning of the tournament. But the way the Aussies made an outstanding comeback has completely stolen the show; alongside this, the captaincy of skipper Pat Cummins has also been top-class, which was also visible in Australia’s historic win against Afghanistan, in which he firmly stood at one end to support star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell who scripted the history with his unforgettable double century.

1. Rohit Sharma – India (10/10)

The hosts India are yet to be defeated in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 as they have outmuscled all the teams against whom they played so far in the 8 matches of their World Cup campaign. Rohit Sharma’s men have registered 8 successive wins in 8 matches, securing the top spot in the points table with 16 points. Rohit Sharma’s captaincy has also been top-notch, including his leadership abilities, and his way of using the bowlers while defending the target.