The greatest XI not to have won the cricket World Cup
The Cricket World Cup was introduced in 1975 and has remained the premier competition in limited overs cricket since then. It is a quadrennial event and Australia have been the most successful nation in its history with 5 titles.
The West Indies and India have won 2 World Cups each and Sri Lanka and Pakistan have managed to win 1 each. England and South Africa have not won the tournament despite getting very close. Although Test cricket remains the purist’s choice, the 50 overs World Cup also has its allure because of the glamour associated with it.
Most of the great cricketers have been a part of World-Cup winning teams. Some have even managed to win it multiple times. However, there have been some great players who have not been able to win the prestigious tournament.
We would try to select an all-time eleven comprising of players who have not won any World cup to date:
#1 Saeed Anwar (Pakistan)
The elegant left-hander did not play in the 1992 edition of the tournament that Pakistan won. However, he played in the next 3 World Cups and finished runner-up in 1999 as Pakistan lost to Australia in the final.
The Pakistani batting collapsed in the final against Australia in 1999 and were bowled out for a mere 132. Anwar himself fell cheaply and must have rued a missed opportunity after the match was over. The elegant left-hander made a memorable century in the semifinal against New Zealand and also top-scored against India in the quarterfinals of 1996 and 2003 World Cups, but Pakistan lost both of those games.
Anwar, who was well-known for his stylish drives and flicks, played in 247 matches and scored 8824 runs at 39.21 during his ODI career. He was one of the successful batsmen in limited overs cricket during the 1990s.
He must have also cursed himself for missing out on the 1992 edition because of an injury. The southpaw retired from cricket in 2003 and remains one of the greatest batsmen who have not been able to win the World Cup.