5 high-profile cricketers who will be missing from action in 2015 World Cup

Since the last Cricket World Cup in 2011 in the sub-continent, many cricketing greats with illustrious records in World Cups have announced their retirement from the game. With that being the case, it will only be normal to expect the upcoming World Cup in Australia and New Zealand to suffer perhaps a slight dip in terms of the quality of cricket played.We look here at five players whose World Cup absence will be felt:

#5 Jacques Kallis

Jacques Kallis’, one of the finest all-rounders the game has ever seen, decision to retire from ODI cricket in July, having retired from Tests at the end of last year, took the whole cricketing world by shock. He had, after all, indicated his strong desire to play ODI cricket till the 2015 World Cup in the hope of finally realizing his ambition of winning the World Cup. That ambition, however, will remain unfulfilled, with Kallis reportedly having announced his retirement because of his record of 81 runs from 7 matches at 11.57 over the last 12 months. Despite the lack of form, however, there is no doubt his absence will be a major blow to South Africa’s chances in the upcoming World Cup, especially with another senior player in Graeme Smith also retiring.

From 36 World Cup matches, Kallis scored 1,148 runs at an average of 45.92. Naturally then, missing a player of his experience and class is going to play a key role in deciding how South Africa fare in Australia and New Zealand.

#4 Muttiah Muralitharan

Muttiah Muralitharan, without a shred of doubt, is the greatest match-winner to have ever played for Sri Lanka. Muralitharan, who played his last World Cup in 2011, took 68 wickets from 40 World Cup matches, leaving him second behind Glenn McGrath (71) for most wickets in the tournament’s history, and was hugely instrumental in Sri Lanka having a good record in ICC events during his time. However, the fact that he wasn’t able to sign off with a World Cup victory in 2011, where they lost to India in the final, would perhaps still disappoint the off-spinner. He was the backbone of the Sri Lankan bowling unit during his almost two-decade long international career, and till date, no spinner has been able to truly fill the void left by the ‘smiling assassin’.

#3 Brett Lee

Brett Lee, also known as ‘Binga’, who was one of the premier fast bowlers in world cricket during the 2000s, is one of the first names that comes to every cricket fan’s mind when they hear the word ‘pace’. His rhythmic run-up and smooth bowling action, though, will only be a distant memory during the upcoming World Cup. One among a number of Australian cricketers to taste World Cup success in recent years, Lee is 9th on the list of highest wicket-takers in World Cup history with 35 wickets from 17 matches. The Australian bowling attack will not be the same for sure without Lee.

Although Binga rarely endured a difficult time in World Cups, his performance in the 2003 World Cup, where he took 22 wickets to finish up as the second-highest wicket-taker, was exceptional even by his high standards. He wasn’t too far behind in 2011, either, as he took 13 wickets from the 7 matches that he played, undoubtedly making him one of the most-profile names to be missing in 2015.

#2 Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting, former Australian captain and all-time cricketing legend, is another star name whose presence is sure to be missed during the World Cup. ‘Punter’, after all, won no less than three World Cups with Australia (1999, 2003 and 2007), with his knock of 140* off 121 balls against India in 2003 being one of the best innings ever witnessed in a final. His last ever World Cup in 2011, where the men from Down Under made a quarter-final exit, must have disappointed Ponting a great deal, but he can be proud of the fact that he set a standard for himself that few in the game can match. He is the 2nd leading run scorer in World Cups with 1,743 runs from 46 World Cup appearances, only Sachin Tendulkar is ahead of him, and scored 5 hundreds and 6 fifties in that time.

With that being the case, Ricky Ponting being no longer present, especially with the World Cup being held in his home country, is sure to have an adverse impact on the number of people who will be interested in next year’s showpiece event. He was a golden man for the World Cups who will be never seen delivering his pull shots again.

#1 Sachin Tendulkar

The absence of the ‘Master Blaster’ from the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup in Australia & New Zealand is a huge disappontment for cricket lovers around the world. Tendulkar, standing at 5ft 5in, is the leading run-scorer in World Cup history, with 2,278 runs at 56.95, in addition to being the 2nd highest run-getter of the 2011 World Cup. With such an illustrious record and 45 WC matches under his belt, it would be safe to say that Tendulkar liked performing in World Cups, with the possible exception of 2007 where India had to make an early exit. He made up for the disappointment of 2007, though, by winning the 2011 edition on home soil, which he has gone on to describe as one of the best moments in his whole cricket career.

It is hard to come to terms with the fact that such a dominant name in World Cups, having played 6 editions of the tournament, will not be heard anymore. There are a number of people who have stopped watching the game after the big man’s retirement, and the absence of big names like Sachin is sure to make a negative impact on the World Cup.