Meet the Captains…
the top seven in ODI Cricket

Cricket, like every other team sport, demands the input of every single squad member. A collective effort is required for the proper execution of the team's directives in order to realise objectives and ambitions.

Despite the emphasis on teamwork through complementary individual performances, the responsibility of one individual - the team captain - outweighs that of the others. The captain is the metaphoric "heart of the team", a symbol and embodiment of all that the team represents. He is a leader on and off the field of play, a comrade to his colleagues and at times a paternal figure to
younger players.

Our focus is on these men who call the toss, set the fielding positions, ring in the bowling changes and contemplate tough decisions in the heat of battle. They have earned the respect and admiration of the sport's pundits and fans.

A few of the world's top captains will be playing in their last International Cricket
Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup (CWC) tournament. One such captain is the West
Indies' front man Brian Lara.

Brian Lara
Lara will be carrying the hope and expectations of the region on his shoulders. The
masterful stroke player is widely considered to be one of best players ever to
grace the game. He is the holder of the two most coveted batting records - the highest individual Test score of 400 not out and the highest First Class score of 501 not out in English county cricket.

He is the region's most capped one day international (ODI) player with 290 games under his belt. He has scored 10,136 runs, including 19 centuries and 62 half centuries at a very healthy average of 40.54. The highest ODI score by this 17-year pro is 169 against Sri Lanka.

Ricky Ponting
Australia's Ricky Ponting is the lynchpin of his team. He has amassed an impressive 9856 runs in 260 ODIs at an average of 42.48. Ponting's record at CWC
tournaments is equally impressive, having hammered 998 runs in 28 matches at an average of 41.58. He has a top score of 164, which he made against South Africa.

The 33 year-old, who is currently considered to be one of the world's leading number three batsmen and fielders, made his debut in the 1995 series versus South Africa. To date, Pointing has recorded 22 centuries (3 in CWC) and 58
half centuries (2 in CWC) in ODI.