Every cricketer dreams of playing in a World Cup for their country and making a name for themselves by winning the trophy. However, there are several cricketers who were unfortunate enough never to have played in a World Cup for their country. Let’s take a look at five such cricketers:
1. VVS Laxman (India)
VVS Laxman is considered one of the most stylish batsmen in the history of the game. Over 16 years, he played 134 Tests for India, playing many marathon innings. While Laxman was outstanding in Tests, his ODI career never took off. He had a good chance to be part of the 2003 World Cup squad but was overlooked. Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly later admitted that excluding Laxman was a mistake.
2. Justin Langer (Australia)
Many fans regard Justin Langer as a great opener in Test cricket. Langer and Matthew Hayden formed one of the most formidable opening pairs. However, in ODIs, it was Adam Gilchrist and Hayden who opened the innings. Langer’s Test record is impressive, but his ODI record is not. He played only eight ODIs and never got the opportunity to play in a World Cup for Australia.
3. Alastair Cook (England)
Alastair Cook is one of England’s greatest batsmen. The former England captain scored over 12,000 runs in Test cricket and, at one point, seemed poised to challenge Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the most Test runs. However, Cook’s performance in ODIs was not remarkable. After Andrew Strauss resigned following the 2011 World Cup, Cook took over the captaincy of both the ODI and Test teams. However, he had to give up the ODI captaincy before the 2015 World Cup and subsequently distanced himself from limited-overs cricket. Cook never played in a World Cup.
4. Stuart MacGill (Australia)
Stuart MacGill can consider himself one of the unluckiest cricketers in history. His career coincided with that of Shane Warne, and as a result, he never got to shine. MacGill played 44 Tests and three ODIs for Australia but never played in a World Cup. Australia had a strong pace attack, and they could afford to play with just one spinner or none at all.
5. Erapalli Prasanna (India)
Erapalli Prasanna is considered one of the greatest off-spinners of all time, but he never got the chance to play in a World Cup for India. Prasanna took 189 wickets in 49 Tests for India, but the selectors never considered him for the ODI team.