5 Captains from the 2015 World Cup who will miss the 2019 World Cup

Every ODI being played at the moment is in sync with the preparations of the 2019 World Cup. The hype of the upcoming World Cup has so escalated to new heights. So much so that, teams are ready to lose an ODI series or two to find their perfect combination for the 2019 World Cup.

Besides that, the 2019 World Cup will see a great change with respect to the previous World Cup as many of the legendary cricketers will not be a part of this gala event to be held in 2019. Kumar Sangakkara, Shane, and AB de Villiers are some of the great names who will be missing the 2019 World Cup. Meanwhile, the forthcoming World Cup will also be missing some of the great captains who were a part of the 2015 World Cup.

Thus, in this feature, we will have a look at five great captains of their respective 2015 World Cup teams who will be missing the 2019 World Cup.

---

#1 Michael Clarke (Australian Captain 2015 World Cup)

Michael Clarke, fondly known as Pup, had been a substantial part of Australian cricket. Back in his early days, he was part of an invincible Australia that ran every opposition mercilessly.

Meanwhile, in the latter part of his career, he was appointed the successor of Ricky Ponting to lead the Australian side. Although he didn't achieve the greatness of Ponting, he was pretty much a decent captain who did the rebuilding of the Australian team at the stroke of the 2015 World Cup.

Clarke led Australia to fairytale World Cup win in 2015 which made Australia to win its record 4th World Cup title. Interestingly, the 2015 World Cup final turned out to be the last ODI match for Pup. Eventually, Michael retired from all forms of international cricket later that year.

Besides a captain, he was a marvelous batsman who broke many world records, especially in Test cricket. Thus, having retired in 2015, Clarke will be one of the few captains from the 2015 edition to miss the 2019 World Cup.

#2 William Porterfield (Ireland Captain 2015 World Cup)

Ireland has had a pretty ordinary run in the cricketing world. However, there have been quite a few names that blink through our minds when we speak of Ireland cricket team. One of them is unquestionably William Porterfield. Captaincy has been something that naturally comes to him.

Ireland fared brilliantly under his captaincy, especially in 2011 World Cup where they made England bite the dust and registered one of the biggest upsets over England. Besides, the 2015 World Cup was no different for Ireland as they nearly managed to make the knockout stage but the Windies subjugated them with a higher run rate.

Nonetheless, Ireland struggled in the recent 2018 World Cup Qualifiers and failed to fix themselves a 2019 World Cup slot. Hence, Porterfield will be one of the few captains to miss the 2019 World Cup to be held in England and Wales.

#3 Misbah-Ul-Haq (Pakistan Captain 2015 World Cup)

Misbah-Ul-Haq, the Pakistani legend, has been the most successful Test captain in the history of Pakistan cricket. Known for his infamous paddle-scoop in the 2007 World T20 final, he remains one of the very few captains to have beat England in England in Tests which testifies his career as a captain.

His ODI captaincy career was a bit like sine curve which saw many However, backed by his board, Misbah did produce some wonderful results in all the formats of the game. Having immense support from the players, he led Pakistan to the quarter-finals of the 2015 World Cup which they lost to Australia.

Much like Clarke, Misbah's last World Cup game also turned out to be the last ODI game of his career as he called it quits from the ODIs after the World Cup 2015. However, Misbah carried on with the five-day format and even assisted Pakistan to become the No. 1 Test side for the first time in their history. Thus, Misbah will also be one of these kinds to miss the 2019 World Cup.

#4 Brendon McCullum (New Zealand Captain 2015 World Cup)

Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand wicket-keeper batsman, has been undoubtedly the most loved cricketer in the history of world cricket. McCullum proved to be one of the most successful captains in the history of New Zealand cricket. With odd techniques up his sleeve, he has also been one of the fiercest batsmen ever in the world.

His captaincy career didn't kicked-off in grand style. However, with time, he got into the boots of a captain and took New Zealand to new heights. He also became the first ever New Zealand captain to take his team into the finals.

Under McCullum's captaincy, New Zealand reached to the 2015 World Cup finals where they lost to the Michael Clarke led Australia. Post the World Cup defeat, Bazz retired from cricket in Feb 2016. Thus, it is highly unlikely that we will witness Bazz in the 2019 World Cup.

#5 AB de Villiers (South Africa Captain 2015 World Cup)

AB de Villiers, popularly known as Mr. 360, has been one of the best explosive batsmen in the history of cricket. With infinite shots in his arsenal, de Villiers shocked the world with his exuberant batting skills. Besides, a clean striking added to it as a catalyst. In addition to that, he also had a pretty decent career as a captain and was set to lead South Africa in the 2019 World Cup.

However, AB de Villiers did an MS Dhoni and announced a shocking retirement from all forms of the international cricket with immediate effect. "After 114 Test matches, 228 ODIs and 78 T20 Internationals, it is time for others to take over. I have had my turn, and to be honest, I am tired," these words from World's best-attacking batsman shocked many fans across the globe.

AB rode South Africa to the semi-final stages in the 2015 World Cup where they lost to New Zealand. He also set some world records in the 2015 World Cup with a 66-ball 162 against West Indies. Nonetheless, having retired from all forms of international cricket, we will not be witnessing AB's heroics in the upcoming World Cup.