Women Cricketers with the Most Victories as ODI Captains

(Captains photoshoot during the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020)

In the world of women's cricket, it is not just the leadership that takes the team to victory; it's about the strategies and skill set that take the team to the ultimate win. Women's cricket is becoming popular day by day, gathering more cricket fans worldwide, which has made the role of a captain even more important. The ODI format holds significance in the realm of Women's cricket, as it requires various strategies for all the game sessions. In this format, some individuals have come out to be the best leaders, guiding their teams to the win in the maximum number of games. These women cricketers not only showed individual performances, but they also shaped the team's performance in such a way that it helped them secure wins.

1. Meg Lanning (Australia Women)

The captain of the Australia Women's team in the white ball format, Meg Lanning, has been the most successful captain across the ODI format. She was announced as the captain of the Australia Women's team in the year 2014 and had her last match as a captain during the year 2023. In almost a decade of captaincy, Meg Lanning led the Australia Women's team in 78 Women's ODI matches, out of which the team was able to win 69. The team lost just 8 matches while one match ended up in a tie, allowing Meg Lanning to have the highest win rate as a captain in the Women's ODI format, which is 88.46%.

(Meg Lanning with the World Cup trophy)

Being an opening batsman, Meg Lanning has scored 4602 runs in 102 innings across the ODI format, which includes 15 centuries and 21 half-centuries. She even led the team in the ICC Women's World Cup 2022, which was held in New Zealand. In the group stages, Australia Women came out undefeated in all seven games, which allowed them to be the first team to reach the semi-finals. The team dominated against West Indies Women in the semis, winning the game by 157 runs. The final match was against England Women, where Meg Lanning also played her 100th Women's ODI match. She led the team to victory, through which Australia Women were able to win the World Cup with no losses.

2. Karen Rolton (Australia Women)

Another dominant captain for the Australia Women's team, Karen Rolton, also has the best win rate when it comes to the Women's ODI format. She led the Australian Women's team from the years 2001 to 2009 and played 43 matches as the team's captain. Rolton was able to lead the team through 30 wins in 43 games while the team lost the remaining 13 games. Her all-round skills have helped the Australian women's team to dominate across the international format with ease, bringing out various new talents to the game. The ICC Women's World Cup 2005, which was played in South Africa, also showcased the dominance of Karen Rolton as a captain, as she led the team to win the title.

(Karen Rolton batting against India Women)

Australia Women's team finished at the top of the standings in the league stages, with 5 wins in their seven games. In the semi-final clash against England women, Karen Rolton guided Australia's women's team to a win of 5 wickets. Later, in the final match against India Women, Karen Rolton played an impressive innings of 107 runs, which helped Australia Women to lift the title. She was also the highest run scorer for the Australia Women's team in the World Cup.

3. Emily Drumm (New Zealand Women)

Former New Zealand captain Emily Drumm is known to be the most successful captain for the New Zealand Women's cricket team, with the highest win rate for the team. She has captained the New Zealand Women's cricket team from the years 2000 and 2003. Drumm played 41 matches as the captain of the team, leading the team to win 28 games while losing 12 of them. This shows that Emily Drumm has a win rate of 68.29% in the Women's ODI format. Being the captain of the team for a short period of time, Emily Drumm was able to push the New Zealand Women's team in the international format.

(Emily Drumm batting in an ODI match)

She even led the team to win the ICC Women's World Cup 2000. The team went on to finish at the second spot in the league stages with 6 wins in 7 matches. In the semi-final match against India Women, New Zealand Women won the game with 9 wickets. Although the final match against Australia Women's team was intense, the New Zealand Women's team won the game by 4 runs. This allowed Emily Drumm to be the most successful captain for the New Zealand Women's team in the ODI format.

4. Mithali Raj (India Women)

Mithali Raj, the most iconic women's cricketer of all time, holds the record for the highest number of wins in the Women's ODI format as a captain. She has been the captain of the India Women's team from the years 2004 to 2022, nearing almost two decades as a captain. Raj has captained the team in 155 Women's ODI matches, of which the India Women's team were able to win 89 of them. Although Mithali Raj holds less win percentage as compared to the other captains, she has been the only captain with 85+ wins in the Women's ODI format.

(Mithali Raj playing for India Women in the World Cup)

Mithali Raj has played 232 Women's ODI matches and scored 7805 runs with 7 centuries and 64 half-centuries. Being the highest run scorer for India in all three formats, Mithali Raj is also called the Lady Sachin Tendulkar. Another impressive record Mithali Raj holds is playing the most consecutive ODI matches for a team, as she played 109 matches consecutively, representing the India Women's cricket team. She even led the Indian Women’s team to the finals of the World Cup two times.

5. Charlotte Edwards (England Women)

Charlotte Edwards, former captain of the England Women's cricket team, has led the team across 117 Women's ODI matches, the second highest after Mithali Raj. She was announced as the captain of the England Women's cricket team in 2005 and remained the captain till 2016. Her performances have made her among the most successful captains of the England Women's cricket team, winning 72 out of 117 Women's ODI games, with a win rate of 61.53%.

(Charlotte Edwards celebrating her ODI century)

Charlotte Edwards played a total of 191 Women's ODI matches for the England Women's cricket team, scoring 5992 runs with seven half-centuries and 46 half-centuries. For the first time, Charlotte Edwards led the team to the ICC Women's World Cup, where they performed well, reaching the finals. Against New Zealand, the England Women's cricket team dominated by getting them all out at the score of 166 and chasing the target with 4 wickets left, allowing England Women to win the World Cup for the third time. In the first ICC Women's T20 World Cup, Charlotte Edwards even led the England Women's team to win the inaugural title by defeating New Zealand in the finals.