Border picks his top three Cup captains

Legendary batsman Allan Border dragged his Australian side from the doldrums of the 1980s to the cusp of global domination as one of the fiercest and most respected captains the game has seen.

Along the way, he led an unheralded squad that was completely written off before it set foot on the subcontinent for the 1987 World Cup in India, only to leave a month later with the trophy and a maiden world championship for Australia.

So there is perhaps no better judge of leadership than Border, who has picked his top three ODI captains ahead of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup in the United Kingdom.

Border, who captained Australia in 178 ODIs, doesn’t rank his three chosen skippers but is impressed by one who has driven his team to the apex of ODI cricket with a dashing, daring game plan.

"England, I think they're doing exceptionally well," Border told cricket.com.au. "They've brought a different game plan to the table which is going to be interesting to see how it pans out in the World Cup.

"They're a dangerous side because of it and you know as the bowling group you're under pressure.

"The way it looks to me, they might drop the odd game but they're going to win enough games to get through to the semi-finals and that's what it's all about.

"That game plan under Trevor Bayliss as coach and Eoin Morgan, I think he's a seriously good one-day cricketer, and he's as good a captain as there is going around.

"Tactically he's very good and their game plan at the moment is a dangerous game plan to play against."

Border then pointed out the way in which his compatriot has been able to calmly steer Australia out of troubled waters in the past 12 months.

"Aaron Finch is doing a great job," he continued.

"He's got a good feel around the group, I think that's what he brings to his captaincy.

"Everyone knows their responsibilities and it's a good environment to play in.

"So that's a good start as a captain. He's done a very good job."

Finally, it's a World Cup winner from 2011 and the premier batsman on the planet, who has also impressed as a skipper.

"Virat Kohli, I think he's a different type of captain," Border added. "He's a bit more of a boisterous-type player and wears his heart on his sleeve.

"So the players know if they've stuffed up because he's one of those really in-your-face-type skippers.

"Tactically, I think they all do very well."

2019 World Cup

Australia's squad: Aaron Finch (c), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

May 22: (warm-up) Australia beat West Indies by seven wickets

May 25: (warm-up) England v Australia, Southampton

May 27: (warm-up) Australia v Sri Lanka, Southampton

June 1: Afghanistan v Australia, Bristol (D/N)

June 6: Australia v West Indies, Trent Bridge

June 9: India v Australia, The Oval

June 12: Australia v Pakistan, Taunton

June 15: Sri Lanka v Australia, The Oval

June 20: Australia v Bangladesh, Trent Bridge

June 25: England v Australia, Lord's

June 29: New Zealand v Australia, Lord's (D/N)

July 6: Australia v South Africa, Old Trafford (D/N)

July 9: Semi-Final 1, Old Trafford

July 11: Semi-Final 2, Edgbaston

July 14: Final, Lord's

For a full list of all World Cup fixtures, click HERE