5 great captains who never won a World Cup

From the eleven editions of the tournament thus far, the likes of Clive Lloyd, Kapil Dev, Allan Border, Imran Khan, Arjuna Ranatunga, Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, MS Dhoni and Michael Clarke have all led their respective nations to World Cup glory. Only Lloyd and Ponting have managed to captain teams to the coveted ODI title on multiple occasions.

Even as triumphant campaigns elevated the above mentioned leaders to exalted status, there have also been plenty of iconic captains who were unable to taste the elixir of World Cup success. In order of appearance, let us take a close look at five great skippers who could not lead their respective teams to the ultimate title. It is pertinent to note that only those captains whose sides reached the knockout stages of the tournament are considered for this segment.

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#5 Ian Chappell

Chappell scored a patient 62 before getting run out in the 1975 World Cup final against West Indies

Even though gifted leaders like Richie Benaud had led the cricket powerhouse with distinction before his stint, the emergence of Ian Chappell coincided with a peripheral change in Australian cricket. The shrewd skipper instilled the trademark never-say-die attitude in the set-up and also established the trend of Aussie players retiring at the peak of their prowess unlike their counterparts from the subcontinent.

During his illustrious reign between 1971 and 1975, Australia never lose a single Test series. While one-day cricket was seen with contempt during those times, there could be a tinge of regret embedded within Chappell's psyche after witnessing the surge attained by World-Cup winning captains.

Chappell led Australia in the inaugural edition of the tournament. After scraping past traditional rivals England in the semi-final, the Aussies ran into a determined West Indies unit in the title clash. Clive Lloyd set the stage ablaze with an astonishing 85-ball 102 as the Caribbean juggernaut racked up a huge total.

Chasing 292 from 60 overs, Australia struggled against the sharp pace of Keith Boyce. Chappell tried to lead from the front with a patient 93-ball 62 before a certain Viv Richards ran him out. The timely dismissal was the third run-out of the innings influenced by the 23-year old Richards. West Indies overcame a spirited lower-order rearguard to lift the Prudential Trophy for the first time.

#4 Martin Crowe

Crowe introduced a couple of revolutionary moves during the 1992 World Cup

While the 1992 World Cup is mostly remembered for the refreshingly admirable story of Imran Khan's 'cornered tigers', the tournament was the forerunner of the modern-day ODI game. Apart from coloured clothing as well as floodlit matches with the white-ball, the role of opening batsmen changed drastically.

Unlike in the previous editions when openers remained content with blunting the new-ball, New Zealand promoted Mark Greatbach to the top of the order for one precise reason. Symbolically, captain Martin Crowe declared, "Let there be sixes". The prototype pinch-hitter was thus born. Crowe also triggered another revolution by opening the bowling with a spinner.

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The Kiwis, widely considered to be one of the favourites for the title, were going strong until they were confronted with the challenge of toppling a resurgent Pakistani outfit in the semi-finals. Riding on their skipper's belligerent 91, New Zealand amassed 262. However, an exuberant Inzamam-ul-Haq played the innings of his life to dash Crowe's hopes of taking the co-hosts to the summit clash.

#3 Hansie Cronje

Cronje's South African team suffered a major heart break in the 1999 World Cup semi-final

Before he was forever tainted with the ignominy of the match-fixing scandal, Hansie Cronje was one of the most tactically astute captains of his generation. His smart field placements as well as splendid handling of the pace bowlers turned him into a well-respected leader for the vast majority of the 90s.

Cronje led South Africa in the 1996 and 1999 editions of the World Cup. During the former, they were outclassed by a sublime century from Brian Lara in the quarter-final clash. In a far cry from his usually strong game awareness, the Proteas' skipper committed the inexplicable tactical blunder of dropping the fiery Allan Donald for an additional spin option.

However, the 1999 World Cup was the one that truly got away from South Africa's grasp. During that fateful day at Edgbaston, the Proteas were left shell-shocked by an agonising tie against Australia. The image of Donald scampering unsuccessfully for the fatal single remains the most painful moment in South Africa's cricket history. As for Cronje, he was left to rue what could have been a pathway to the final were it not for the catastrophic run-out that propelled the Aussies to the title clash on the basis of their superior net run-rate.

#2 Sourav Ganguly

Ganguly scored a scintillating century against Kenya to lead India into the final of the 2003 World Cup

With his bold leadership skills, Sourav Ganguly re-invented Indian cricket at the turn of the millennium. A team, who turned from royal lions at home to lambs for slaughter outside their comfort zone, learned to adapt to myriad conditions away from the subcontinent under the left-hander's captaincy.

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While the euphoric 2001 Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumph was the high point of Ganguly's leadership stint in Tests, the 2002 NatWest Series victory exemplified the team's burgeoning prowess in ODIs. In 2003, the 'Prince of Calcutta' came close to a conquest which could have surpassed them all.

A dire tour of New Zealand had stymied expectations from the Indian players when they embarked on an African safari for the grandest prize in cricket. After an embarrassing performance against the menacing Australian team, the 'Men in Blue' bounced back in stirring fashion to notch a sequence of emphatic victories. However, things fell apart for India in the final as the Aussies ruthlessly battered them into submission. Ganguly had to make do with a creditable runners-up medal in his only World Cup as captain.

#1 Brendon McCullum

McCullum's ultra-aggressive captaincy propelled New Zealand to their maiden final appearance

Possessing oodles of charisma as well as enormous capacity to lift those surrounding him, Brendon McCullum was the epicenter of New Zealand's alluring brand of cricket across all formats of the game. In sync with Shane Warne's philosophy towards captaincy, the perceptive leader was prepared to lose a battle in order to win the war.

Under McCullum's vibrant captaincy, the Blackcaps appeared to be liberated from the clutches of yore. The enterprising right-hander led from the front and encouraged his troops to take the attack to the opposition irrespective of the circumstances. A relatively successful period for New Zealand cricket culminated in their maiden appearance in the World Cup final during the 2015 edition.

Leading up to the title clash, the Kiwis were the only team to remain unconquered. However, their sparkling form did not count for much as Australia reiterated their big-match temperament by sauntering to a clinical victory. Even though he could not lift the prestigious World Cup trophy, McCullum had done enough to leave an indelible legacy on the annals of the