SA Footy

... is not Punter!
I would have him down as our worst- he took over an Aussie side dominating world cricket, & lost the Ashes.
I would argue that AB, Tubby or Steve Waugh were our best Captains (they're the only captains I saw- too young to for the others)
89 series, we belted them, kept them under Tubby & Tugga.
Tugga (like Punter) had control of a dominant Aussie team.

Waugh. No hesitation.

Best 3 Aussie Captains I've seen IMHO, in order:

Mark Taylor
Ian Chappell
Steve Waugh

I can't believe the great man Richie Benaud went for Ponting.

Ian Chappell is the best captain by a mile. Allan Border is the best at leading by example in tough circumstances. Taylor was innovative and Waugh has one of the best records but I believe he is not as good as Chappell, Taylor and Border.

On the flip side Kim Hughes while a brilliant player at his best often played poor shots and set a bad example (particularly in 1981) and was eventually destroyed by the all conquering West Indians. Greg Chappell, while not a bad captain doesn't get the REB tick of approval as he picked and chose when he was going to play a bit too often. Ponting is a captain who is learning but he was well and truly pantsed by Vaughan in 2005. Ponting's field placement in that series was 5hite and the decision to bowl first on a good batting wicket immediately after losing Glenn McGrath is one of the biggest blunders in Test Cricket.

regards,

REB

Perhaps Richie thought Taylor was the best captain, but he didn't make his side and I guess you need to be considered good enough with bat or ball before you can be considered good enough to captain.

Rik E Boy wrote:Ian Chappell is the best captain by a mile. Allan Border is the best at leading by example in tough circumstances. Taylor was innovative and Waugh has one of the best records but I believe he is not as good as Chappell, Taylor and Border.

Last 30 years REB, 1976, Chappelli was gone by August 1975.

The best Captain in the last 30 years is out of: Greg Chappell, Grahan Yallop , Kim Hughes, Allan Border, Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting.

Taylor for mine alaways ahead of the game, never let it drifted, his decision to bat first on a green top at Old Trafford knowing that it would be hard early but will be a spinners paradise on days 4-5 set up the 97 ASHES win when we were 0-1, followed by Border for his leading from the front and ruthlessness in 89 and 93, then Steve Waugh who capitalised on the mental frailities of England inflicted by Taylor and Border....

Never saw the best captaincy of G Chappell in ASHES cricket as 77 his team was weakened and split by the Packer defections - no Lillee, 79 - 80 wasn't an ASHES series but "our late 70s dream team" was much too strong for England, 82-82 we played England Bs, no Gooch, Boycott, Underwood, Knott, Dilley etc as they were chasing Krugerands.....

1980 Tassie Medalist wrote:Last 30 years REB, 1976, Chappelli was gone by August 1975.

Not exactly true. He captained WSC Australia from 1977 to 1979.

Adelaide Hawk wrote:

1980 Tassie Medalist wrote:Last 30 years REB, 1976, Chappelli was gone by August 1975.

Not exactly true. He captained WSC Australia from 1977 to 1979.

Best ASHES captain in last 30 years......WSC didn't play for the ASHES and the Supertest do not appear in any of our bibles aka Wisden......As I said he was gone from test cricket captaincy by August 1975

I'd take Waugh over Taylor for the sheer ruthlessness ... Also think Taylor had the pleasure of Warney pre-surgery ... Tough call though, both champions!

Always difficult to assess who's the best skipper as certain things (players available, recent records/performances, ages etc) were different during their time at the helm ... I'd be inclined to lean toward AB as he took us out of some horror years (during which his own displays were sensational) and developed the younger types which Taylor and Waugh got to utilise in later years.

tubby gets the nod

I go for AB !!!

Took the job at Aussie crickets toughest time and led from the front in all aspects of Australian cricketing character in which paved the way for Tubbs and Tugger !!!

Only in my opinion is this where the legacy started !!!

Tubby gets my vote as best ASHES captain..I think he won/retained them three times.

Chappelli was a great leader of men and one of the boys (hated a beer) and probably the most popular Aussie captain of all time. But I reckon he bailed out too early - never having lost a series - after only 3 years in the job. He didn't really test his mettle fully. Also he can't take too much credit for that 74/75 Ashes victory. All he had to do was throw the ball to Thompson and Lillee and let them do their stuff.

Tubby gets my vote as best ASHES captain..I think he won/retained them three times.

Chappelli was a great leader of men and one of the boys (hated a beer) and probably the most popular Aussie captain of all time. But I reckon he bailed out too early - never having lost a series - after only 3 years in the job. He didn't really test his mettle fully. Also he can't take too much credit for that 74/75 Ashes victory. All he had to do was throw the ball to Thompson and Lillee and let them do their stuff.

westozfalcon wrote:Tubby gets my vote as best ASHES captain..I think he won/retained them three times.

Chappelli was a great leader of men and one of the boys (hated a beer) and probably the most popular Aussie captain of all time. But I reckon he bailed out too early - never having lost a series - after only 3 years in the job. He didn't really test his mettle fully. Also he can't take too much credit for that 74/75 Ashes victory. All he had to do was throw the ball to Thompson and Lillee and let them do their stuff.

I agree that Taylor is the best Aussie captain I've seen. However, I think your comments about Ian Chappell are way off the mark. For starters, he took over Australia at a time when Aussie cricket had experienced little success at Test level and took them to being the best team in the world.

He captained Australia from February 1971 to September 1975 which is the best part of 5 years, not 3 as you mentioned. For a lot of that time he had neither Lillee nor Thomson in his team. Lillee was missing due to a back injury, and Thomson was a veritable novice in the 1974-75 series.

Chappell didn't "bail out" as you suggested. He played at a time when cricketers were semi-professional. Has he have played in the era that Taylor and Waugh playerd in, he would have played for longer. It was difficult for cricketers to have long careers in the 1970s because of business pressures.

To say you can't give Chappell much credit for the 1974-75 series is ridiculous. He didn't just throw the ball to Thommo and Lillee as you mentioned. He was the person who ordered Thommo to bowl the sandshoe crusher for a start. Ian was a great leader, just ask any of the guys who played under him. Like Taylor, he was a great captain because he never allowed the game to roll on, he made things happen by taking educated risks. He made that 1974-75 team a great one.

I saw tubby, tugga and AB....all brilliant and agree with the descriptions reb gave of them....

Quite right Wrinkles what was I thinking LOL.

For mine it is AB, for toughing it out against the scariest attack I've ever seen and dominating during the tough 1985 series when we expected Simon O'Donnell and Dave Gilbert to take wickets in English conditions.

regards,

REB

It's hard to even include Ponting at all when his career isn't finished.
I could easily captain another handful of Ashes campaigns which could make or break him.

Some fair points there Adelaide Hawk.
I do stand corrected. Ian Chappell was at the helm nearly 5 years. I only had in mind his first Ashes tour as captain in 1972 and the last one in 1975 in arriving at my 3-year calculation.

He quit the Test captaincy before the 75/76 series against the Windies and his brother Greg took over. Just seemed strange to quit at the height of his powers. I mean he obviously wasn't a spent force as a captain because he came back 2 years later and captained the World Series Cricket team. Not to mention his captaining of SA to the Shield in that 75/76 season!