5 Legends Who Never Won an ICC World Cup

Cricket has always given many memorable moments for the fans across the globe. Meanwhile, it also gave the few emotional moments as well. The game has seen numerous of legends gracing the game, but unfortunately, a few top-class cricketers have never won an ICC World Cup in their career.

We figured out five legendary players who never won an ICC World Cup. Here are they –

5. Sourav Ganguly:

The stylish southpaw, Sourav Ganguly from India is one of the few legendary players who missed out to take a photograph with the ICC World Cup. However, he will always be remembered for handing the greatest players for India.

Sourav Ganguly led the team to 2003 ICC World Cup final, but unfortunately, he couldn’t lead the team to triumph. Nonetheless, he showed the world that India is capable of beating the greatest teams of the game at that time.

Apart from batting, Sourav Ganguly will fondly be remembered for his stylish batting and overseas dominance. He played marathon knocks for India on various venues and led to the success in overseas matches as a skipper.

Statistically, Sourav Ganguly appeared in 113 Tests, 311 ODIs for India and smashed 7212 and 11363 runs, respectively. Besides batting, he grabbed 32 Test and 100 ODI wickets with his medium-fast bowling.

All in all, he was one of the greatest cricketers produced by India to the world cricket. But, unfortunately, couldn’t find a place on the list that lifted the ICC World Cup.

4. Jacques Kallis:

He was the finest all-rounder ever to grace the game. Probably, Jacques Kallis will easily find a place in every cricketers’ all-time XI, but unfortunately, he couldn’t find his place on the team sheet that won the ICC World Cup.

Sadly, none of the South Africans has got the privilege to be called as the World Cup winner, so far. They were always entered into the tourney as the title favourites but ended up taking the Choker’s tag.

However, Jacques Kallis had never disappointed South Africa when it comes to bilateral series. He always played the anchor role in the batting department and provided those crucial breakthroughs with his bowling.

The numbers registered by Jacques Kallis in the game of cricket are staggering. Probably, he is the best all-rounder of his era with as many as 13,289 and 11,579 runs in Tests and ODI formats of the game.

Coming to his bowling numbers, he grabbed 292 and 273 wickets in Tests and ODI games. Perhaps, cricket could never see a player like him in the future.

3. Rahul Dravid:

Rahul Dravid is the finest batsman cricket has ever seen. Many believed, Sachin Tendulkar in India had outshined his legacy. He belongs to a rare kind of breed who mixed the calmness with aggression. Unfortunately, he too falls into the category of players missing ICC World Cup in their bag.

Though the headlines never let his name over Sachin Tendulkar, the numbers showed his worth, and the spectators who witnessed his defence in the stadiums will always remember him.

In a team with a master like Sachin, swashbucklers like Sehwag and Dhoni, and the great Sourav Ganguly, India needed a stabiliser who Rahul Dravid was the best they’ve had.

Rahul Dravid did every thankless job for the team, such as protecting the middle-order from the new ball, in addition to scoring runs. Though Dravid knocked crucial tallies, his greatness got overshadowed eventually.

However, his greatness is unmatched by none. He is still serving the country in the form of head coach for the junior cricketers.

2. Brian Lara:

The stylish southpaw has had an eventful cricketing career. His career can be a nice blockbuster story that could have all kinds of mysteries and the glamour. However, the ICC World Cup part is the lone black accolade missing.

Though Brian Lara smoked a lot of records during his career, the only mistake he did was to born in an era that saw the downward movement for Windies. Brian Lara was the sole player who carried the yesteryear’s dominance for the Windies.

His stylish strokeplay coupled with consistency made him the legend of the game. Brian Lara bagged a stunning record of scoring 400* in the Test cricket game which is still a dream for every international cricketer.

Coming to the ODI format of the game, Brian Lara’s dominance never declined, as he smashed 10,405 runs at an average of 40.48 with 19 centuries and 63 half-centuries in 299 ODI matches.

Perhaps, Windies could never see a batsman like Brian Lara who can carry those majestic strokes in his kitty alongside the consistency.

1. AB de Villiers:

Probably, the number one slot will be the apt position for AB de Villiers on many charts. But, staying on this chart is a bitter moment for the South African superstar. He tried his best to bag the trophy but unfortunately, couldn’t.

Probably, AB de Villiers resembles a player that we can adjust in the video games. He can bat like a severe smasher of the ball one day and can easily change himself to play like a purely defensive player on the other.

Despite having the abundant talent and the great ability to seal the deal for the team, the only place where he faltered was to lead his side to the ICC World Cup victory.

The closest that this legend came to win was in the ICC World Cup 2015. He gave his everything in that World Cup, but the brilliance from Kiwis sent him with an empty hand. However, as the fans say, ICC World Cup missed the opportunity to feel the touch of AB de Villiers.