History Tells Us There's No Perfect Captain

It was an announcement that snuck under the radar. Last week ESPNcricinfo, the sports news website, published its annual awards. The categories were mainly as you’d expect – best bowling, best batting across the formats, split down gender lines. However, tucked towards the bottom were a couple of generic ones, applicable to all. One is for ‘Captain of the Year’.

- Isabelle Westbury

In a year in which the male titans of the game all captain their countries (Smith, Kohli, Root and Williamson are the world’s top four-ranked Test batters), it is significant that Heather Knight, captain of England women, lesser known and less experienced, should prevail. Captaincy requires a subtle skillset, honed over time, which delayed professionalism of the women’s game means is often lacking. Not only is it a landmark for women but Knight, who bats at four, sits comfortably outside the top 10 batters in both the ICC-ranked women’s formats of ODIs and T20Is.

 

Cricket is unique in having captains not always as the best player, but Knight is not unusual amongst her World Cup-winning side in failing to feature amongst the top 10 ICC rankings. Only Sarah Taylor and Natalie Sciver appear amongst the batters, while there is room only for two England players in the bowling equivalent. This is two fewer than New Zealand, who failed to reach last year’s semi-finals. When it comes to the team rankings however, England are top – and World Cup winners.

This is a team far greater than the sum of its parts. Quietly composed, Knight, intelligent yet a pragmatist, maintains an understated public presence. It was once said of the famously reserved British Prime Minister, Clement Attlee, that “an empty taxi arrived at 10 Downing Street and Attlee got out of it.” Attlee is now viewed as one of Britain’s most successful Prime Ministers. Knight isn’t as unassuming as Attlee, but her ability to quietly accumulate accolades is comparable.