Arguably Australia’s most composed captain, Steve Waugh started his reign in 1999-00, embarking on Australia’s dominance in world cricket. He captained 163 matches for Australia between 1999 and 2004. He holds the highest win record percentage in Test cricket history, of 71.92%, winning 41 matches out of 57. Under his captaincy, the Aussies won 16 consecutive Test matches, including the famous 5-0 victory over the West Indies.
In 1999, the Australian team captained by Waugh clinched their second ICC World Cup. The team had a slow start, holding off Scotland and advancing to the next rounds. Waugh pulled Australia out from under the jaws of South Africa, playing his famous innings of 120* in the Super Sixes knockout round. Finally, the team had a comfortable victory over Pakistan to lift the trophy.
In the cabinet of individual achievements, Waugh is only the second male cricketer to lift two World Cups. He scored over 10,000 runs in Test cricket, some of them coming in a very memorable innings in which he scored 157* in the fifth Test of The Ashes of 2001. Ignoring all medical advice, Waugh played this unbelievable knock limping on one leg. All of the above makes him a great contender for the best captain in the world.
