Legendary XI Of World Cricket Which Has Never Won A Major ICC Title

ICC tournaments hold a prestigious value in international cricket. Winning an ICC title is a huge achievement for any country. ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophy are three major tournaments organized by ICC so far. Since 2019, World Test Championship has become another major ICC tournament.

ICC tournaments involve competition between the top nations and hence, winning such a title is a huge achievement for any team or player. So far, there have been 8 editions of the Champions Trophy, 6 editions of the T20I World Cup, and 12 editions of the ODI World Cup. However, even after so many tournaments, there are few legendary players who have never managed to win an ICC title.

Here we talk about Legendary XI of World Cricket who has never won a major ICC title.

Legendary XI Of World Cricket Which Has Never Won A Major ICC Title

Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum is a former New Zealand cricketer and captain. The wicket-keeper batsman played for New Zealand’s national side from 2002 to 2016. Considered the finest New Zealand skipper to date, he retired from international cricket in February 2016. During McCullum’s international career, the New Zealand team never managed to win an ICC title.

McCullum was part of the New Zealand team in Champions Trophy tournaments in 2004, 2006, 2009, and 2013. In T20I World Cups, McCullum played in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2014 editions. In ODI World Cup tournaments, McCullum was part of the editions in 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015.

Unfortunately, McCullum never managed to win an ICC title. In ODI World Cup 2015, the McCullum-led New Zealand side reached the final but lost to Australia.

Graeme Smith

Graeme Smith is a former South Africa cricketer and captain. Smith played for the South Africa national team from 2002 to 2014. Since 2003, he was appointed as the captain of the national side and led the team until his retirement. He is the most successful Test captain in Test history with most 53 wins. The left-handed batsman player never won an ICC trophy.

Smith played in Champions Trophy in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009 editions. However, South Africa never managed to win any tournament. In T20I World Cups, Smith led the national side in 2007, 2009, and 2010 editions.

South Africa never emerged as tournament winners. In ODI World Cup, Smith was part of the 2003, 2007, and 2011 editions but South Africa did not manage to win these tournaments.

Kane Williamson

Kane Williamson plays for New Zealand and is the current captain of the side in all three formats. With 7000+ runs in Tests, 6000+ runs in ODIs, and 1800+ runs in T20Is so far, Williamson has already made himself a prominent figure in New Zealand cricket. The right-handed batsman has led the team since 2016. He made his international debut in 2010. So far, Williamson has not managed to win any ICC title.

He was part of the Kiwi side in Champions Trophy in 2013 and 2017, leading the team in the latter edition. In T20I World Cup tournaments, Williamson played in 2012, 2014, and 2016 editions. He was the skipper in the T20 World Cup 2016 edition.

In ODI World Cup tournaments, he played in 2011, 2015, and 2019 editions. In 2019, the Kane Williamson-led New Zealand side needed as runners-up. However, New Zealand never managed to emerge as a winner in all of the above tournaments.

Mohammad Yousuf

Mohammad Yousuf is a former Pakistan cricketer who represented the national side from 1998 to 2010. The right-handed batsman scored 7530 runs in 90 Tests and 9717 runs in 287 ODIs. Mohammad Yousuf is another legendary player who has never won an ICC title.

Yousuf played in the Champions Trophy in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2009 editions. However, Pakistan did not win any of these tournaments. In ODI World Cups, Yousuf played in 1999, 2003, and 2007 editions, where Pakistan did not win the title.

He was not part of the Pakistan team that won the T20I World Cup 2009. Therefore, Mohammad Yousuf never managed to bring an ICC title in his kitty during his international career.

AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers is a former South Africa cricketer who is considered a legendary batsman. He is still active in T20 franchise cricket leagues. He has earned a tag of Mr. 360 due to his effective ability to smash shots all over the ground. The hard-hitting right-handed batsman holds the record of fastest fifty and hundred in ODIs.

He also led the South Africa national side during his international career. He made his international debut in 2004 and announced retirement in 2018. During his career, the former wicket-keeper batsman never won an ICC title.

In Champions trophy, Villiers played in 2006, 2009, 2013, and 2017 editions. He also played in 6 T20I World Cup tournaments in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016. In ODI World Cups, he played in 2007, 2011, and 2015 editions.

South Africa never managed to win any of the above tournaments. In the 2015 ODI World Cup, Proteas lost to New Zealand in the semi-final in a nail-biting clash.

Andrew Flintoff

Andrew Flintoff is a former English cricketer and captain. He was one of the prominent all-rounders in world cricket during his international career, which spanned from 1998 to 2009. He scored 3845 runs in 79 Tests, 3394 runs in 141 ODIs, and 76 runs in 7 T20Is.

He also picked 226 wickets in Tests, 169 in ODIs, and 5 in T20Is. However, in spite of his brilliant stats in batting and bowling, he never managed to earn an ICC title.

He played in 2000, 2004, and 2006 editions of the Champions Trophy. Flintoff led the England team in T20 World Cup 2007. In ODI World Cup tournaments, the right-handed batsman featured in 1999, 2003, and 2007 editions.

However, England failed to win trophies in all these tournaments and Andrew Flintoff was deprived of winning any ICC title.

Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib Al Hasan is a Bangladesh cricketer who has also led the national side for a brief period. The left-handed batsman and left-arm spinner is one of the finest all-rounders in international cricket at present.

In 57 Tests, Hasan has scored 3930 runs and picked 210 wickets. In 211 ODIs, he has scored 6451 runs and scalped 269 wickets. In 76 T20Is, he accounts for 1567 runs and 92 wickets.

Although Bangladesh is a major cricket-playing nation, it has never managed to win an ICC tournament. Shakib Al Hasan was part of the Bangladesh team in Champions Trophy 2006 and 2017.

He also played in ODI World Cups in 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019 editions. In T20I World Cups, Hasan featured in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016 editions. In all these tournaments, Bangladesh failed to win the title.

Daniel Vettori

Daniel Vettori is a former New Zealand cricketer who led the team between 2007 and 2011. He was a bowling all-rounder who bowled left-arm spin. He played for New Zealand’s national side from 1997 to 2015. In 113 Tests, Vettori picked 300 wickets and scored 4531 runs. In 295 ODIs, he scalped 305 wickets and scored 2253 runs. Vettori is another cricketer who never managed to win an ICC title.

In Champions Trophy, the left-arm spinner played in the editions of 1998, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, and 2013. The New Zealand team won the Champions trophy in the 2000 edition but Daniel Vettori wasn’t part of the tournament. In T20I World Cup, he played in 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2012 editions.

In ODI World Cups, Vettori was part of 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015 editions. New Zealand were the runners-up in ODI WC 2015. In all the above-mentioned ICC tournaments, New Zealand never managed to win the trophy.

Dale Steyn

Dale Steyn is a South African pacer who has been part of the national side since 2004. He is regarded as one of the best fast bowlers of all time. In 93 Tests and 125 ODIs, the right-arm pacer accounts for 439 and 196 wickets respectively.

In 47 T20Is, Steyn has picked 64 wickets. In his 17-year-long international career so far, Steyn has not managed to win an ICC title.

The former no.1 Test bowler Steyn played in the 2009 and 2013 editions of the Champions Trophy, in which South Africa failed to win the tournament. In ICC T20 World Cup tournaments, Steyn played in 2009, 2010,2012, 2014, and 2016 editions.

In ODI World Cups, Steyn has represented South Africa in the 2011vand 2015 editions. South Africa has never managed to win any ICC tournaments so far and in the process, Dale Steyn has also never won a major ICC title.

Waqar Younis

Waqar Younis is a former Pakistan cricketer who was a prominent pacer for Pakistan during his active career. He played for the national side from 1989 to 2003. The right-arm pacer scalped 373 wickets in 87 Tests and 416 wickets in 262 ODIs.

Younis holds the record for the most number of 4-wicket hauls in ODIs with 27. He is considered a legendary cricketer in Pakistan. However, he never managed to win an ICC title.

Younis played for Pakistan in Champions Trophy 2002. He retired from international cricket before the first-ever T20I World Cup in 2007. In ODI World Cups, Younis played in 1996, 1999, and 2003 editions.

He did not play for Pakistan in ODI World Cup 1992, where the team emerged as champions. Therefore, Waqar Younis is another legendary player who never won any major ICC title.

Trent Boult

Trent Boult is a New Zealand pacer who has been part of the national side since 2011. The left-arm pacer is a prominent member of the national team currently. He has picked 281 wickets in 71 Tests, 169 wickets in 93 ODIs, and 46 wickets in 34 T20Is. Boult is another player who has never won an ICC title.

Boult played for New Zealand in Champions Trophy 2017 in which the team was ousted after the group stage. In T20I World Cup, Boult featured in the 2014 edition, in which New Zealand failed to reach the semi-finals.

In ODI World Cups, the Kiwi pacer played in 2015 and 2019 editions, where New Zealand finished as runners-up. Therefore, so far, Trent Boult has not managed to win an ICC title.