Winning an ICC tournament is not an easy job to execute for any team in the world. And, leading the team and the country to their first win in an ICC tournament is a feat that only a handful of individuals have been able to get to over the years. So, here we will have a look at the names of the first Captain to win the ICC Trophy from each team.
West Indies – Clive Lloyd
The inaugural edition of the limited-overs cricket world cup in 1975, saw the men from the Caribbean lift the trophy and becoming the very first champions of any ICC Tournament, and the man at the helm of the affairs for the team was Clive Lloyd, who had been given the duty to lead the West Indies Cricket team.
Coming in at number 8 in the top run getters list of the tournament, with 158 runs in 3 innings, he made sure that he led the team by example and not only sitting on the sidelines expecting his team to execute the strategies devised by him.
India – Kapil Dev
The West Indies were seeming to be the dominant force of world cricket, as they won the first two editions of the Prudential Cup. But it was the ‘Haryana Hurricane’, Kapil Dev who made sure that he pumped in an underdog Indian team and led them to a win that no one believed the Indian team would get to.
That backwards running catch, the match winning and in a sense one of the greatest knocks in ODI cricket’s history against Zimbabwe and an excellent display of tactical prowess on the field meant that the Indian team were the ones playing against the Windies in the finals of the tournament. And, as history has it, they turned out to be the victors of the Prudential Cup in 1983, which was the one that got Kapil Dev’s name registered as the first Indian captain to win an ICC trophy.
Australia – Allan Border
The Aussies are the team with the most number of ICC Tournament wins under their belt. And, it was Allan Border the great Australian cricket player who saw the team through to their first win in ICC events way back in 1987. It was the first time the World Cup was being played in the 50 overs format and Border made sure that his team went through to the podium with ease.
Hailed to be one of the greatest stories in the world of cricket, this win meant that Australia announced their official arrival at the biggest stage of cricket. Ever since this win Australian captains who have won the cup in the following years have hailed Border’s 1987 conquest to be their inspiration for playing the class of cricket they do.
Pakistan – Imran Khan
What a year that was for the Pakistan cricket team! The team that came to be one of the underdogs, completely dominated the first colored jersey white-ball tournament, with its players topping the charts in all departments and Imran Khan becoming the Pakistani captain to win an ICC trophy.
As the players of the Pakistan team at that time recall, Imran Khan was a big source of inspiration for the team, and match winning performances time and again meant that the Pakistani team had their morales high enough to power to a win that no one predicted them to win.
England – Paul Collingwood
The man ending the dry run in ICC events for the first time was the ace English batsman Paul Collingwood who became the captain to win the team their first ICC trophy in the form of the World T20 in 2010.
Like many other teams of this list, the Englishmen were not one of the top contenders of winning the tournament. But, as it fate would have it, they managed to power through most of the bumps that came in their road to the finals, and emerged victors against the Aussies in the match that mattered the most, sealing their position on the podium. Collingwood’s personal stats were not that great in the tournament, but his strategic brilliance made the team the champions of 2010 World T20.
South Africa – Hansie Cronje
The Wills International Cup (Later renamed to become the ICC Champions trophy) of the year 1998 saw the South African cricket team, win their first ICC trophy with Hansie Cronje being the captain of the side.
As an ideal captain would, he made sure that his personal numbers were good enough for the team to get inspired and stage a performance that would get them to their first and only win in ICC tournaments till date. Cronje in the 3 matches that he batted in, had scored 148 runs at an average of 74.00 and a strike rate of 90.80.
New Zealand – Stephen Fleming
The New Zealand Cricket team has been one of those teams that is loved by every cricket fan through the years but has seldom managed to get to the top of the affairs in ICC Tournaments. But the captain to lead them to their first ICC trophy was Stephen Fleming, in the year 2000, as the team won the ICC Knockout Cup held in Kenya.
The Kiwis started on a really strong note with a win against Zimbabwe and powered through each team that came in their way. And, guiding the side from the front was their captain, who made sure that his team tactically stayed one step ahead of the opponents no matter which team they were playing against.
Sri Lanka – Arjuna Ranatunga
Arjuna Ranatunga, one of the best cricket players to have played cricket for the Sri Lankan cricket team, was the first captain to get home an ICC Trophy as he led the Sri Lankan cricket team to a phenomenal victory in the 1996 Cricket World Cup.
A cricket player of the highest order himself, Ranatunga made sure that the Sri Lankan cricket team gave its fans a memory that they would cherish fondly for the years to come. He himself rose the occasion whenever needed by the team and made sure that they crossed every hurdle that came their way with ease and grace.
