10 Famous cricketers who never played in World Cup

Every cricket fan in their childhood would have dreamt of representing the country one day and going on win the World Cup would be the icing on the cake to that dream. While not many cricketers have had the opportunity to make their debut for India, some players have had a terrific career but could not make their World Cup debut. Despite being a big name and having a strong presence in the Test squad, the World Cup demands a different set of skills and only 15 players are to be named in the squad which makes it quite competitive. Such cricketers do have a special place in the heart of the fans despite not being able to make a contribution to the World Cup. At times, injuries have also played with the careers of certain cricketers ahead of the World Cup and it is one of the toughest times to miss out on the squad for external reasons. With all those said, here are the famous cricketers who never played in a World Cup game in both the ODI and T20I formats. 1. Alastair Cook Alastair Cook. (Photo by Nick Wood/Getty Images) Alastair Cook is considered to be one of the greatest batters ever produced by his country and it is a big surprise that he did not play a World Cup game for England despite being part of all three formats. The left-hander who made his international debut in 2006 went on to play 161 Tests, 92 ODIs and 4 T20Is for his country from the period of 2006 to 2018. Cook was an orthodox batter who took his time early and he had a brilliant technique which brought him a lot of success in the toughest of conditions. With 12472 runs at an average of 45.4 in Tests, Cook scored 33 Test centuries and 57 half centuries until he retired from international cricket in 2018. Cook did find some success in ODI cricket, with 3204 runs in 92 ODIs at an average of 36.4, but could not emulate his Test records in the limited overs format. He last played an ODI in 2014 and wasn’t part of the 2011 or 2007 World Cups squad for England. He did not feature in any of the T20 World Cup as well. 2. VVS Laxman VVS Laxman of India. (Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images) VVS Laxman is rated to be one of the best batters India has ever had and he had a flair for his batting, especially for his flicks on the pads. The right-hander played 134 Tests and 86 ODIs for India from the period of 1996 to 2012 but he never made it to the World Cup squad. He did come very close to making the squad in 2003, however, Dinesh Mongia was preferred over him at the last moment. Laxman’s 281 against Australia always stands tall and has a special place in the hearts of Indian fans. The right-hander scored 8781 runs at an average of 46 in Tests which included 17 centuries and 56 half centuries. Laxman enjoyed playing against Australia and in ODIs, he scored 2338 runs in 86 games at an average of 30.7 overall with 6 centuries. However, he was never backed in the 50-over format despite featuring in the ‘fab four’. 3. Chris Martin Chris Martin of New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images) New Zealand‘s Chris Martin was one of the consistent wicket-takers for his country for a long time since his international debut in 2000. With an orthodox bowling action and a notable run-up, Martin played 71 Tests, 20 ODIs and 6 T20Is across formats until 2013 for the Kiwis. Martin bagged 233 wickets in his time for New Zealand in Tests with 10 five-wicket hauls and he had the best figures of 6 for 26. The right-arm quick is the 6th highest wicket-taker for New Zealand in the Test format but wasn’t preferred much in the ODI format. Martin never played a World Cup game, and he did very come close to playing a game in the 2007 World Cup after replacing Daryl Tuffey in the squad. 4. Justin Langer Justin Langer. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images) Justin Langer is considered one of the greatest openers for Australia especially, in the Test format and there was a time when the Australian side had dominated the oppositions around the world with the opening pair of Langer and Matthew Hayden. Langer played 105 Tests and 8 ODIs for his country from the period of 1993 to 2007 until he announced his retirement. The left-hander did not have the most orthodox batting techniques, but he had a lot of grit which helped him to score runs against any opponent. He was quite good on anything that was bowled on the pads and played some great innings for the Australian side including the mammoth 250-run knock. With 7696 runs at an average of 45.27, Langer scored 23 centuries and 30 half centuries in his Test career, but he could never play a World Cup game. Post-retirement, Langer enjoyed his run as the head coach of Australia from 2018 to 2022, after a dominating Ashes victory and a T20 World Cup win. 5. Stuart Macgill Stuart MacGill of Australia. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images) Stuart Macgill probably was born in the wrong era and he lived in the shadows of the legendary Shane Warne who was the best leg spinner at the time around the world. The leg spinner made his international debut in 1998 and went on to play till 2008 for Australia. He was called up whenever Warne had suffered an injury and was never the first-choice spinner unless Australia wanted two spinners in the playing XI. Macgill played 44 Tests picking up 208 wickets at an average of 29 and he picked up 12 five-wicket hauls in the process. He had the best figures of 8 for 108 and was a workhorse who could bowl a lot of overs. However, despite being highly talented, Macgill got to play just three ODIs in the year 2000. Macgill never played a World Cup game in his international career and was one of the most unlucky cricketers to have missed out. The leggie had a unique action and was a tough bowler to play. 6. Azhar Ali Azhar Ali. (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images) Azhar Ali is among the Test specialists who had tasted a lot of success in the longer format and is still making some valuable contributions to the Pakistan side at 37 years of age. The right-hander has played 95 Tests and 53 ODIs so far since his international debut in 2010. Ali played at the number three position for Pakistan in Tests most of his career, and he led the side for a considerable period of time. With 7030 runs at an average of 42.60 in Tests, Ali scored 19 centuries and 35 half centuries with the highest score of an unbeaten 302. Ali notably took the leadership role for Pakistan in ODIs after the 2015 World Cup, however, he could not make it to the squad for any of the World Cups yet. With not many years left for him in international cricket, Ali is unlikely to be part of the World Cup squad going further. 7. Cheteshwar Pujara Cheteshwar Pujara. (Photo by GEOFF CADDICK/AFP via Getty Images) Cheteshwar Pujara has been a regular for India in Tests since his international debut in 2010 and he has played 96 Tests and 5 ODIs so far across formats. The right-hander is a traditional batter who likes to be patient until the bowler delivers a loose delivery and was happy with the number three role assigned to him. Pujara has had a lot of ups and down in his international career so far and he hasn’t scored a Test century since the 2018 tour to Australia. The 34-year-old with 6792 runs at an average of 43.8, has scored 18 centuries and 33 half centuries so far and has the highest score of 206 not out. Pujara was never preferred in the limited overs setup for India even during his golden times and he scored just 51 runs in the five ODI innings he played. He never made it to any of the World Cup squad for India over the year so far. 8. Matthew Hoggard Matthew Hoggard (Photo Source: Twitter) Matthew Hoggard was one of the most underrated performers for England from the period of 2000 to 2008. The right-arm seamer had the ability to bowl some excellent outswing and he also mastered the art of reverse swing as well. He played 67 Tests and 26 ODIs with 280 international wickets across formats. Hoggard had a phenomenal first-class career until 2013 and he also features in the top ten wickets for England in Tests overall. He picked up seven five-wicket hauls and had the best figures of 7 for 51 in his Test career. Hoggard despite being a highly skilled bowler, never could play a World Cup game although he was part of the squad in the 2003 World Cup. He was remembered for his fine performance in the 2005 Ashes victory for the England side. 9. Erapalli Prasanna Erapalli Prasanna (Photo Source: Twitter) Touted to be one of the best off-spinners from India to have played the game, Erapalli Prasanna played 49 Tests from the period of 1962 to 1978 and he picked up 189 wickets in the process. Prasanna had an attacking mindset and he always wanted a stiff challenge with the batter going after him. The Karnataka lad picked up wickets at an average of 30.38 and picked up 10 five-wicket hauls with the best figures of 8 for 76. Prasanna was quite good with the flight and trajectory and he was a tough bowler to play in turning conditions with his arm ball going straight. Prasanna did play in the ODI format for India and was unfortunate to not make it to the World Cup squad despite becoming a Test regular in his international career. Post-retirement, Prasanna worked as a match referee in the 2007 unsanctioned ICL trophy. 10. Lawrence Rowe Lawrence Rowe (Photo Source: Twitter) Lawrence Rowe was one of those cricketers, who created a big impact in a short span of time and was quite elegant in his stroke play. The West Indian played 30 Tests and 11 ODIs for his country from the period of 1972 to 1980 and he made a century on his Test debut along with joining the elite list of hundred in each innings of a Test. Rowe scored 2047 runs at an average of 43.55 with seven centuries and as many half-centuries in his Test career and he had the highest score of 302. He had everything technically perfect when it came to batting including the incredible pull shots he played but his career came under the scanner once he faced eye injuries and allergies to grass. It was a pity that Rowe never represented West Indies in a World Cup despite deserving it. He would have made a lot of difference in the batting unit with his tremendous stroke play.

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10 Famous cricketers who never played in World Cup

VVS Laxman came close to making the World Cup squad in 2003 until Dinesh Mongia found a place.

6. Azhar Ali

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