The captain of a cricket team, often referred to as the skipper, is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of the other players. As in other sports, the captain is usually experienced and has good communication skills, and is likely to be one of the most regular members of the team, as the captain is responsible for the team selection. Before the game the captains toss for innings. During the match the captain decides the team's batting order, who will bowl each over, and where each fielder will be positioned. While the captain has the final say, decisions are often collaborative. A captain's knowledge of the complexities of cricket strategy and tactics, and shrewdness in the field, may contribute significantly to the team's success.
Due to the smaller coaching/management role played out by support staff, as well as the need for greater on-field decision-making, the captain of a cricket team typically shoulders more responsibility for results than team captains in other sports.
Captain's responsibilities
During a match
The toss
Starting from team selection and then toss
Before the start of a match the home captain tosses a coin and the away captain call heads or tails. The captain who wins the toss is given the choice of whether to bat or bowl first.
Fielding positions
The captain decides where the fielders will stand, in consultation with the bowler and sometimes other senior players. The fielding positions will usually be dictated by the type of bowler, the batsman's batting style, and the captain's assessment of the state of the match (and hence whether to set an attacking or a defensive field). This often occurs in cases of injury, miscommunication, or unsportsmanlike conduct, and is considered to uphold the spirit of cricket and fair play within the game.
Miscellaneous
The captain is also consulted on whether an injured batsman from the opposing team may use a runner when batting. Permission is usually given if the batsman has become injured during the course of the match, but if the batsman was carrying the injury at the start of the match then the captain may refuse. (As of 2012, runners are not allowed in Test cricket and injured batsmen are required to continue batting with the injury or retire hurt.)
Other duties
As well as decisions taken either immediately before or during a match, captains also often have some responsibility for the good running of the cricket club. For instance, they may decide when the team is to practice, and for how long. In professional cricket the captain often has some say in who will form the squad from which teams are selected, and may also decide how young up-and-coming players are to be encouraged and improved, and how members of the squad who are not regularly selected for first-team matches are to gain match practice.
Vice-captain
thumb|right|Vice-captains are sometimes considered the full-time successor to the incumbent captain. [[Michael Clarke (cricketer)|Michael Clarke was Australia's vice-captain for three years before succeeding Ricky Ponting as captain in 2011.]]The captain may be assisted by a vice-captain or in some instances joint vice-captains. This is particularly useful if the captain is forced to leave the field of play during fielding. Some teams also allocate the vice-captain a more or less formal role in assisting with team selection, discipline, field-setting and so on. Sometimes the role of vice-captain is seen as preparation for the player(s) becoming the captain of the side in future.
Current men's international captains
ICC Full Members
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
!Nation
!Format
!Captain
!Vice-captain(s)
|-
| rowspan="3" |
|Test
| rowspan="2" |Hashmatullah Shahidi
| rowspan="2" |Rahmat Shah
|-
|ODI
|-
|T20I
|Ibrahim Zadran
|Vacant
|-
| rowspan=3|
|Test
| rowspan="2" | Pat Cummins
|Steve Smith / Travis Head
|-
|ODI
| Mitchell Marsh
|-
|T20I
| Mitchell Marsh
| Travis Head
|-
| rowspan=3|
|Test
|Najmul Hossain Shanto
|Mehidy Hasan Miraz
|-
|ODI
|Mehidy Hasan Miraz
|Najmul Hossain Shanto
|-
|T20I
| Litton Das
|Saif Hassan
|-
| rowspan=3|
|Test
| Ben Stokes
| Harry Brook
|-
|ODI
| rowspan="2" |Harry Brook
|Vacant
|-
|T20I
|Jacob Bethell
|-
| rowspan=3|
|Test
|rowspan="2"|Shubman Gill
|rowspan=“1”|Rishabh Pant
|-
|ODI
| rowspan="1" |Shreyas Iyer
|-
|T20I
| rowspan="1" |Suryakumar Yadav
|Axar Patel
|-
| rowspan="3" |
|Test
|Andrew Balbirnie
|Paul Stirling
|-
|ODI
|Paul Stirling
| rowspan="2" |Vacant
|-
|T20I
|Vacant
|-
| rowspan=3|
|Test
|Tom Latham
|Mitchell Santner
|-
|ODI
| rowspan="2" |Mitchell Santner
| rowspan="2" |Michael Bracewell
|-
|T20I
|-
| rowspan="3" |
|Test
| rowspan="1"| Shan Masood
| Saud Shakeel
|-
|ODI
|Shaheen Afrdi
|Salman Ali Agha
|-
|T20I
|Salman Ali Agha
|Shadab Khan
|-
| rowspan=3|
|Test
| rowspan="2" | Temba Bavuma
| rowspan="2" |Aiden Markram
|-
|ODI
|-
|T20I
|Aiden Markram
| rowspan="1" |Keshav Maharaj
|-
| rowspan=3|
|Test
| Dhananjaya de Silva
| rowspan="3"|Kamindu Mendis
|-
|ODI
| rowspan="2"|Kusal Mendis
|-
|T20I
|-
| rowspan=3|
|Test
|Roston Chase
| rowspan="3" |Vacant
|-
|ODI
|rowspan="2"|Shai Hope
|-
|T20I
|-
|rowspan=3|
|Test
| rowspan="2" |Richard Ngarava
| rowspan="2" |Brian Bennett
|-
|ODI
|-
|T20I
| rowspan="1" |Sikandar Raza
| rowspan="1" |Vacant
|}
Associate Members
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
!Nation
!Captain
!Vice-captain
|-
|
| Pedro Baron
|Hernán Fennell
|-
|
|Aqib Iqbal
|
|-
|
|Marc Taylor
|
|-
|
|Ahmer Bin Nasir
|
|-
|
| Ali Raza
| Sheraz Sheikh
|-
|
| Jermaine Pook
|
|-
|
| Terryn Fray
|
|-
|
| Thinley Jamtsho
|
|-
|
| Karabo Motlhanka
| Thatayaone Tshose
|-
|
| Greigor Caisley
| Yasar Haroon
|-
|
| Prakash Mishra
|
|-
|
| Faustin Mpegna
|Abega Nyoma
|-
|
| Luqman Butt
|
|-
|
| Saad Bin Zafar
| Harsh Thaker
|-
|
| Ramon Sealy
|
|-
|
| Ma'ara Ave
|Cory Dickson
|-
|
| Alexander Carthew
|
|-
|
| Wei Guo Lei
|
|-
|
|Christopher Prasad
|
|-
|
|Scott Burdekin
|Roshan Siriwardena
|-
|
|Dylan Steyn
|
|-
|
| Hamid Shah
| Taranjit Bharaj
|-
|
|Arslan Amjad
|
|-
|
|Adil Butt
|Mancoba Jele
|-
|
| Peni Vuniwaqa
|
|-
|
|Nathan Collins
|
|-
|
| Dawood Ahmadzai
| Gustav McKeon
|-
|
| Musaddiq Ahmed
|
|-
|
|Obed Harvey
|
|-
|
| Avinash Pai
| Iain Latin
|-
|
| Aslam Mohammad
|
|-
|
| Oliver Nightingale
| Martin-Dale Bradley
|-
|
| Yasim Murtaza
| Babar Hayat
|-
|
| Ximus du Plooy
|
|-
|
| Dad Dahani
|
|-
|
| Oliver Webster
|
|-
|
| Eshkol Solomon
| Josh Evans
|-
|
| Wayne Madsen
| Harry Manenti
|-
|
| Dosso Issiaka
|
|-
|
| Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming
| Reo Sakurano-Thomas
|-
|
| Charles Perchard
|
|-
|
| Shem Ngoche
| Lucas Oluoch
|-
|
| Yasin Patel
| Bilal Tahir
|-
|
| Maaz Khan
| Chachole Tlali
|-
|
| Shiv Gill
|
|-
|
| Donnex Kansonkho
|Sami Sohail
|-
|
| Yacouba Konate
|
|-
|
| Syed Aziz
| Virandeep Singh
|-
|
| Azyan Farhath
| Umar Adam
|-
|
| Varun Thamotharam
|
|-
|
| Shantanu Kaveri
| Shoaib Rafiq
|-
|
| Filipe Cossa
|
|-
|
| Gerhard Erasmus
| JJ Smit
|-
|
| Rohit Paudel
| Dipendra Singh Airee
|-
|
| Scott Edwards
| Max O'Dowd
|-
|
| Sylvester Okpe
| Ademola Onikoyi
|-
|
|Khizer Ahmed
|
|-
|
| Jatinder Singh
| Vinayak Shukla
|-
|
| Anilkumar Ahir
| Yusuf Ebrahim
|-
|
| Assad Vala
| Charles Amini
|-
|
| Matthew Spry
|
|-
|
|Henry Tyler
|
|-
|
| Carlos Nunes
|
|-
|
| Muhammad Tanveer
| Mohammed Rizlan
|-
|
| Vasu Saini
| Shantanu Vashist
|-
|
| Didier Ndikubwimana
|
|-
|
| Sean Solia
|Caleb Jasmat
|-
|
| Hisham Shaikh
|
|-
|
| Richie Berrington
| Matthew Cross
|-
|
| Mark Pavlovic
|
|-
|
| Tim Horpinitch
|
|-
|
| Lansana Lamin
|Abubakar Kamara
|-
|
| Manpreet Singh
| Janak Prakash
|-
|
| Jun Hyunwoo
|
|-
|
| Christian Munoz-Mills
|
|-
|
| Arun Gokoel
|
|-
|
| Imal Zuwak
|
|-
|
| Kassim Nassoro
|
|-
|
| Austin Lazarus
|
|-
|
| Gokhan Alta
| Ali Turkmen
|-
|
| Riazat Ali Shah
|
|-
|
| Muhammad Waseem
| Aayan Khan
|-
|
| Monank Patel
| Saiteja Mukkamalla
|-
|
| Joshua Rasu
| Ronald Tari
|}
Current women's international captains
ICC Full Members
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
!Nation
!Format
!Captain
!Vice-captain
|-
| rowspan="3" |
|Test|| rowspan="3" |Sophie Molineux|| rowspan="3" |Ashleigh Gardner<br>Tahlia McGrath
|-
|ODI
|-
|T20I
|-
| rowspan=3|
|Test
| rowspan="3" |Nigar Sultana || rowspan="3" |Nahida Akter
|-
|ODI
|-
|T20I
|-
| rowspan="3" |
|Test || rowspan="3" |Nat Sciver-Brunt || rowspan="3" |Charlie Dean
|-
|ODI
|-
|T20I
|-
| rowspan=3|
|Test
| rowspan=3|Harmanpreet Kaur
| rowspan=3|Smriti Mandhana
|-
|ODI
|-
|T20I
|-
| rowspan=3|
|Test
| rowspan=3|Laura Delany
| rowspan=3|Gaby Lewis
|-
|ODI
|-
|T20I
|-
| rowspan=3|
|Test
| rowspan=3|Amelia Kerr
| rowspan=3|Vacant
|-
|ODI
|-
|T20I
|-
| rowspan="3"|
|Test
| rowspan="3"|Fatima Sana
| rowspan="3"|Vacant
|-
|ODI
|-
|T20I
|-
| rowspan="3"|
|Test
| rowspan="3"|Laura Wolvaardt
| rowspan="3"| Vacant
|-
|ODI
|-
|T20I
|-
| rowspan=3|
|Test
| rowspan=3|Chamari Athapaththu
| rowspan=3|Anushka Sanjeewani
|-
|ODI
|-
|T20I
|-
| rowspan=3|
|Test
| rowspan=3|Hayley Matthews
| rowspan=3|Shemaine Campbelle
|-
|ODI
|-
|T20I
|-
| rowspan=3|
|Test
| rowspan=3|Mary-Anne Musonda
| rowspan=3|Josephine Nkomo
|-
|ODI
|-
|T20I
|-
|}
Associate Members
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
!Nation
!Captain
!Vice-captain
|-
|
| Laura Mophakedi
|
|-
|
| Roberta Moretti Avery
|
|-
|
| Jeannette Gonzalez
|
|-
|
| Huang Zhuo
|
|-
|
| Marie Violleau
|
|-
|
| Anuradha Doddaballapur
| Christina Gough
|-
|
| Kary Chan
|
|-
|
| Nasimeh Rahshetaei
|
|-
|
| Rosa Hill
|
|-
|
| Queentor Abel
| Sharon Juma
|-
|
| Boitumelo Phelenyane
|
|-
|
| Mary Mabvuka
|
|-
|
| Caroline Owen
|
|-
|
| Fatima Guirrugo
|
|-
|
| Irene van Zyl
| Yasmeen Khan
|-
|
| Indu Barma
| Puja Mahato
|-
|
| Samantha Agazuma
|
|-
|
| Kaia Arua
|
|-
|
| Sarah Uwera
|
|-
|
| Regina Lili'i
|
|-
|
| Linda Bull
|
|-
|
| Shafina Mahesh
|
|-
|
| Inyeong Oh
|
|-
|
| Elspeth Fowler
|
|-
|
| Fatuma Kibasu
|
|-
|
| Naruemol Chaiwai
| Nannapat Koncharoenkai
|-
|
| Rita Musamali
|
|-
|
| Chaya Mughal
|
|-
|
| Sindhu Sriharsha
|
|-
|
| Selina Solman
|
|}
See also
- The Art of Captaincy, a 1985 book by former England captain Mike Brearley