Captain (cricket)

In cricket, the captain is the most important member of the squad. It is he who calls the shots on the field marshalling his fielders and bowlers around. His acumen is vital to the team's success. As in other sports, the captain is usually an experienced player with good communication skills and whose place is usually guaranteed in the squad. The captain is aided by the Vice-Captain. The captain's shrewdness in the field is vital. Here are the roles of the captain.

Toss

Before the start of a match the captain calls the toss. If he wins the toss, he may either bat or bowl depending on the team's strategy.

Setting the field

The captain sets the field in consultation with the bowler and sometimes other senior players. He decides to place attacking or defensive field placements. The nature of bowling and the batsman's batting type decides the field positioning.

Shuffling the bowlers

The captain decides when a bowler bowls, and how many overs at a stretch he bowls. If a batsman is 'hammering' the bowler for runs, he may replace the bowler. If the bowler is bowling restrictively, he keeps him till his 10 overs are up in an ODI match. He can try and employ non regular bowlers to unsettle a batsman. He also juggles his bowlers around so that a batsman cannot get used to one bowler. The skipper has to make certain when each bowler has to bowl and keep some overs of his experienced bowlers to the end of a ODI innings, (as maximum runs are scored then).

Batting order

In batting the captain decides the batting order. If quick runs are needed, a batsman with the capability to 'hit over the top' (6's and 4's) is promoted up the order. A player 'in form' is promoted to a higher batting position. If a wicket falls near the end of a day's play, especially if the light is failing, the captain may choose to send in an inferior batsman in the hope that he can see out the session, rather than a specialist batsman. This will minimise the cost of losing a wicket due to the poor conditions. Such a batsman is referred to as a "night watchman".

Miscellaneous

The captain also uses his discretion to allow the use of a runner to an injured batsman. In Test cricket, the captain also has the power to declare his team innings, to take a new ball and impose the 'Follow On'.

English and Australian differences to Captaincy

English cricket has traditionally seen the Captain as a specialist role, in the same way as one would have a specialist batsman or bowler. This is based upon the idea that the Captain has special leadership qualities that prove invaluable to the team's overall success, even if the Captain's own batting or bowling skill is below par. In English cricket today, the Captain is often selected first, with the rest of the team selected with his direct input. The advantage of this leadership model is that it encourages Captains to act as leaders and motivators, as well as act as a bridge between players and administrators (since the captain is essentially both). The disadvantage with this model is that the Captain's own batting or bowling talent may, in fact, be lacking and any advantage the team may gain by having a fine leader is more than offset by the Captain's own limitations as a player.

Australian cricket has traditionally selected the captain only when the eleven best players are chosen to play the match. In this case, no captaincy skills or experience is even entered into - only each player's raw talent and ability to bat or bowl (or, in the case of the wicket-keeper, field). There is no recognition of captaincy as a specialist role. Once the eleven best players are chosen, one is then appointed captain. The advantage of this leadership model is that only the best players fill each position. Theoretically, therefore, the team is the strongest it could possibly be. The disadvantage with this model is that talented players may not have the necessary leadership abilities to build effective teamwork, nor does it recognise the importance that tactics have upon the game being played.