- May 5, 2016
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True enough
Best Australian test captain of the professional era
- Thread starter Daniel B
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True enough
Rabish Binney
Left out overnight
Agree 100%.
He inherited an Aussie side that was down and broken. Definitely became a better captain as the test team enjoyed more success, enabled him to back himself more I reckon. You can clearly see the linear improvement from around 1987/88 onwards. Lead by example, rather than the spoken word. A great Captain.
IMHO Mark Taylor is one of Australia's best ever captains. Had an ability (with the personnel at his disposal) to set fields that attacked whilst defending.
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- Jan 12, 2008
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As did Taylor.
Yeah its a hard one and it depends what you are looking for.
A captain that is ruthless...S Waugh/AB/punter
A captain that built a team from scratch AB
A captain that was a great tactician tubbs/clarkey
For me I would lean towards Tubbs as he inherited a good team but he made it into a great one when he handed it over to Tugga...yes he did have warne/mcgrath in there pomp but it was tubbs tactics that sways it for me. A great people person/manager.
2nd for me AB had nothing to work with at the start of his captaincy when Aussie cricket was at one of its lowest ebbs and built a team that the other captains benefited from ...the old saying "where would we be without AB" so true.
3rd S waugh ....just ruthless had a great side and was just ruthless didn't have to use much tactics as we where just flogging anyone.
Punter/Clarkey = for me thought Punter was more ruthless than clarkey but clarkey a better tactician. Thought the way Clarkey used Mitch Johnson was great short 3/4 over spells bowl quick while punter used to bowl Johnson too many overs in a row and he would get tired and start to spray it.
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Rabish Binney
Left out overnight
Great summary.
The hands of stone
Norm Smith Medallist
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I would pick Taylor , reckon his tactical nous and man management gets the best out of a low talent team and a great talent side.
Carbine Chaos
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Clarke should be in the poll, one of the best on-field skippers I've seen.
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S.waugh for me respected
AB same
Tubby/ punter
Clarke
AB same
Tubby/ punter
Clarke
I think Chappell always summed it up pretty well - there were essentially two halves to his captaincy career. One where he didn't want the job, was unsure of himself, and it showed. Poor results and were still a bit flaky away from Australia.
Then from 1989 onwards - he decided he did want the job, starting making decisions and rolling with them, and instantly became better.
Overall though from that list I can't go past Taylor.
Loved Warne as a cricketer but he would have an absolute disaster as captain. Cricket Australia had that bang on.
Imagine Clarke on steroids. Playing favourites etc. great tactician but that’s all.
Around the Wicket
Norm Smith Medallist
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LoL people actually picked Ponting.. was a shocking captain without Warne and McGrath
It isn't the only part, but it is the most important. Clarke was the best onfield captain we have had since at least Taylor.
He isn't the poll because the OP either forgot him or doesn't understand cricket.
Tubby had the remarkable knack of making the right decisions at the right time. He made things happen.
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Lost 3 Ashes series. That alone should've barred him from this poll.
Went for Taylor just ahead of Border, though we did develop a habit of "dead rubber syndrome" under Tubby.
I'm reserving judgement on Cummins but apart from him anyone since Border-Taylor hasn't been a captain's a-hole.
