Greatest XI to never win the World Cup

The feeling of lifting a World Cup is perhaps the ultimate or the quintessential dream of every cricketer. It is an elusive opportunity to become a part of a historical phenomenon whose existence will be acknowledged as long as the game itself lives. Overall, it is an aristocratic privilege to be a part of, if one has tasted World Cup glory.

Speaking about the journey of conquering World Cup glory then time and again the game has made us realize that not only it can either make or break an individual's career but it can also make a nation come together. So one thing which has clearly emerged from its history of 12 editions is that despite being the player of its highest pedigree, one can fall short when it comes to tasting World Cup glory.

Here are 11 of the greatest players to never have lifted the coveted trophy based on stats, position and achievements.

1. Graeme Smith
If one has to name the greatest all-time captains of this century then arguably he might not miss Graeme Smith's name. The left-handed opener had made his ODI debut in 2002 against Australia and also was part of South Africa's 2003 World Cup squad. Later on, Smith was handed the reigns of South African cricket when he was just 22 and captained the side in the next two World Cups.

The closest when Smith came towards a potential World Cup glory was in the 2007 edition, where his team got completely outplayed by Ricky Ponting's Australia as they were bowled out just under the score of 150 in the semi-final. However, Smith had started his World Cup campaign with a bang by scoring 4 successive 50s, a feat never before achieved by a captain.

In 2011 World Cup edition, Smith did lead his team till quarter-finals but again were knocked out from the tournament against New Zealand while awfully chasing the target of 222.

2. Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly appeared in three World Cups from 1999 to 2007 and led India to the final in 2003, an edition in which he hit three centuries. He has been a consistent scorer in World Cups, particularly in the 1999 and 2003 editions, with a tally of 1006 runs across 22 matches at an average of 55.88.

An aggressive captain, Ganguly is credited with having nurtured the careers of many young players who played under him and transforming the Indian team into a fighting unit. Under his leadership, India shed the tag of being poor travellers as overseas victories became more frequent occurrences than they ever were before his reign. He created a more defiant cricketing nation. Unfortunately, the Bengal Tiger will never be able to lay his hands on a World Cup trophy.

His most memorable World Cup moment is his 183 against defending champions Sri Lanka in 1999, which remains the highest individual score for an Indian in a World Cup.

3. Graham Gooch
Former England international Graham Gooch was one of the unluckiest players who never won a World Cup despite being a legend of the game. He gave absolutely everything to help England in the World Cup but unfortunately, couldn't relish the dream.

The England legend featured in 3 World Cup finals only to end up on the losing side on three occasions. It is indeed heartbreaking to lose a final but Gooch lost three finals. The legend who played for nearly 19 years between 1976 and 1995 accumulated 22,221 runs.

His whopping run tally in List A cricket is the highest by any player. Graham Gooch's incredible century against India in the World Cup 1987 semi-final is rated as one of the greatest knocks for England in the World Cup tournament.

4. Jacques Kallis
Perhaps the best all-rounder of the modern era, Jacques Kallis left a legacy behind in both one-dayers and Test matches, contributing with bat, ball and in the field. Standard-bearer of Proteas excellence for nearly two decades, he is undeniably one of the greatest players ever to have graced our wonderful game.

He made his presence felt in each of the five World Cups he played, but in 2007 in particular, Kallis scored 485 runs at an average of 80.83, helping South Africa reach the semi-finals. His patient, single-minded, stubborn yet determined approach was exemplary. He is almost the ultimate player you'd want in your team when your side is in trouble! But this great all-rounder will miss one point on his elaborate CV – a World Cup crown!

5. Brian Lara
Brain Lara's name in this list is a no-brainer, especially considering the amount of cricket he played in his international career. The kind of stroke play that Lara has possessed over the years has always awestruck millions who have watched him bat.

Speaking about his World Cup stint, Lara was in total part of 5 World Cup editions (1992, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007) and the closest his team travelled was in 1996 when West Indies lost to Australia in the semi-final by a margin of 5 runs. By looking into his overall career, more importantly, one can clearly associate that Lara had played in an era where West Indies cricket was under constant downfall.

However, he still maintained a healthy ODI record amassing more than 10,000 runs with an average of around 40 along with 19 centuries.

6. Kumar Sangakkara
There was no more fitting way for Kumar Sangakkara to prove his brilliance in one-day cricket than with his sign-off at the 2015 World Cup.

The Sri Lankan left-hander with silky smooth class smote four straight tons during the tournament.

Throw in his years of compiling runs while also keeping wickets – at the end of his career he switched to specialist batsman and saw his numbers go through the roof – and Sangakkara's numbers are eye-popping.

By the end of his international career, only Sachin Tendulkar had more ODI runs than he.

The one achievement lacking in an exemplary copybook was that he never won it all but he was too young for Sri Lanka's 1996 title and lost in the 2007 and 2011 finals – even if he did average more than 50 across the two show-piece appearances.

7. Lance Klusener
The man they called Zulu – chiefly because of his fluency of the language – was an all-rounder of serious talent.

A fine red-ball player, Klusener would come alive in limited-overs cricket and his annus mirabilis was undoubtedly 1999.

Voted man of the tournament as South Africa crashed out in the semi-finals, his big hitting and canny bowling made him the most valuable player by far and Wisden's cricketer of the Year in 2000.

But he was no flash in the pan either, the South African with the baseball-style backlift finished his career with an ODI batting average of 41 and bowling average of 29.

That puts him on a par with some of the great all-rounders in South African history – and indeed world cricketing history.

8. Shahid Afridi
You don't get the nickname 'Boom Boom' for nothing.

But while Shahid Afridi burst onto the scene as a big-hitting middle-order batsman for Pakistan – his career has been one of reinvention.

Yes, he could hit the ball a mile and his 37-ball century back in 1996 was a record that stood for a long time.

But his wrist spin – that began as a part-time practice – also saw him end up as the current fifth-highest wicket-taker of all time.

Add to that his captaincy and Afridi's all-round talents make him one of the greats that dragged the game of cricket into the modern era that we now know and love.

9. Waqar Younis
It feels so cruel to bring it up all over again.

But Waqar Younis – one of the greatest fastest bowlers of his or any era – was injured and did not appear for Pakistan in their historic 1992 World Cup success.

Wasim Akram starred with the ball that tournament – finishing as top wicket-taker – but the player with whom he formed such a feared pair was not there.

A pioneer of reverse swing with the older ball – Younis was nearly impossible to hit in the death overs while his work with the new ball earned him his nickname 'The Burewala Express'.

Younis's ODI brilliance really is without question – no one has more five-wicket hauls in history in this format than the great man – who was at least part of the team that made the final in 1999 only to come unstuck against the Australians.

10. Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble was always been the man who rescued India whenever the team's bowling was in crisis and was India's biggest match-winner over his prolonged career. Kumble, despite making his ODI debut back in 1990, wasn't part of the 1992 World Cup squad.

The closest the legendary spinner came to winning a World Cup was on two occasions one in 1996 when India faced a humiliating defeat at the hands of Sri Lankans and the other time when he was left out of the 2003 World Cup final. Kumble has overall represented India in four World Cups (1996, 1999, 2003, 2007).

Speaking about his match performances in World Cups, in a total of 18 matches played Kumble grabbed 31 wickets with an average of 22.83.

11. Richard Hadlee
Richard Hadlee, the fiercest bowler that the quaint country of New Zealand has produced, was the first in the world to cross 400 Test wickets. It wouldn't be wrong to say that he literally carried the entire New Zealand bowling on his shoulders during his playing days.

He took 22 wickets in 13 World Cup matches. He had the ability to obtain life from the most docile of surfaces, and his whippy sideways bowling action troubled batsmen of the highest ability. Also rated as the greatest exponent of bowling with the new ball, he was the master of conventional swing and was the original 'Sultan of Swing' despite the presence of many worthy contemporaries.