Every cricketer’s dream is to represent their country and win prestigious tournaments. The ODI World Cup is one of them; it occurs once every four years and much preparation is done for the game. A single team can only win the World Cup, and a lot of legendary players do not have a World Cup to their name. Henceforth. I present to you the top 10 cricketers who deserve a World Cup:
1. Waqar Younis
He is a former Pakistani fast bowler who was a master of the reverse swing. He has the maximum of five-wicket hauls in a one-day International. He was a part of the Pakistan 1992 World Cup squad, but before the start of the tournament, he got injured and did not make it to the team.
2. Ian Botham
He is a former all-rounder from England and has played in two World Cup finals for England. He performed brilliantly in the World Cup game as he took 16 wickets in ten matches. England did not win the World Cup, but everyone praised Botham’s performance. He was also a great batsman in the top order.
3. Sourav Ganguly
He is a former captain of India and a left-handed top-order batsman who has made over 10,000 runs across all formats. He represented India in three World Cups between 1999 and 2007, but India did not win any of them. Ganguly led the Indian team in the 2003 ODI World Cup final.
4. Brian Lara
The former captain of the West Indies cricket team is regarded as one of the finest players to have represented his country. He is the only player to hit 400 runs in test cricket in a single inning. He has made over 10,000 runs in tests and ODIs but has never won a World Cup.
5. Jacques Kallis
He is a former all-rounder from South Africa who took over 250 wickets and made over 10,000 runs in ODIs. He is considered the greatest all-rounder in cricket. It is a shame that a player of such caliber does not have a World Cup to his name. He also represented the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.
6. AB de Villiers
He is a former cricketer from South Africa who is nicknamed ‘Mr. 360’. He has an average of 53 in ODIs and 48 in tests. He was also part of RCB in the IPL. Villiers was a part of the South African squad that played in the semi-finals against New Zealand in the 2015 ODI World Cup. New Zealand defeated South Africa by six wickets.
7. Lance Klusener
He is a former South African cricketer who was an all-rounder. He was named the man of the series in the 1999 ODI World Cup tournament. He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2000. Klusener played in two World Cups but did not win any. He averaged 41 in batting and 29 in bowling in ODIs.
8. Kumar Sangakkara
He is a Sri Lankan cricketer known for his left-handed batting and captaincy in tests and ODIs. He scored four consecutive centuries in the 2015 ODI World Cup, but Sri Lanka got defeated in the quarterfinals. He was a great wicketkeeper and is currently the coach of the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.
9. Shahid Afridi
He is a former cricketer from Pakistan. He served as a right-handed middle-order batsman and captain for the national team. He is nicknamed ‘Boom-Boom’ for his extraordinary ability to hit the ball out of the ground. He was the greatest all-rounder from Pakistan, but he never won a World Cup.
10. Praveen Kumar
He is a former cricketer from India who was known for his inswinging deliveries. Praveen took over 100 wickets across all formats of the game. His name was included in the 2011 ODI World Cup squad for India, but later he was injured and ruled out of the tournament. Sreesanth was named as his replacement in the World Cup.
