5 great cricketers who could not win the World Cup, but won the Champions Trophy in their careers

We are just over 15 days away from the start of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy in England. Some of the best players in the world will be in England for the eight-team event lasting 17 days.

Ahead of that, we look at 5 great players who could not win a World Cup in their careers, but won the Champions Trophy:

5.Stephen Fleming

One of the best captains in the modern game, Stephen Fleming, during his tenure as New Zealand captain, transformed the side from a middling team to a group, who could challenge the best in the world.

Embedded in the group were a set of all-rounders the likes of Chris Cairns, Chris Harris etc and they set about establishing themselves as a competitive force in international cricket.

In October 2000, Fleming led the group of Kiwis to their first ever major international victory, when they defeated India to win the ICC Knockout Trophy in Kenya to win their first ever major competition.

But also during Fleming’s tenure, him despite having an extremely competent squad, he and the side just could not win the World Cup, despite three attempts at the crown during his tenure.

In the 1999 and 2007 World Cup, the side under Fleming reached the semifinals, while in 2003 edition, they faltered in the Super Six stage of the competition.

4.Chris Gayle

The Jamaican, who has featured in many a great West Indian triumph over the years, was part of the side that won the Champions Trophy in dramatic fashion against England at the Oval in 2004.

However, during the course of his 19-year career, he has just not been able to get his hands on the 50-over World Cup, despite having 4 chances at it. The 37-year-old has been able to reach as far as the quarterfinal of World Cup on more than one occasion but has not won the coveted prize yet.

3.Rahul Dravid

The former India captain is often talked about as a player, who could not win any major competition during the course of his career. But most fans forget that the 44-year-old has actually won a major competition, albeit a joint winner of the 2002 Champions Trophy, when rain affected proceedings on both the actual finals day as well as the reserve day.

In his 16-year career, Dravid competed in 3 World Cups and the team’s best performance came in the 2003 World Cup when they reached the finals. Perhaps, had India opted to bat first in the final, India may have spoken about a different result today.

2.Brian Lara

The West Indian, in a chequered career lasting 16 years, saw several glorious moments. But perhaps the most unforgettable day of his limited-overs career came in the 2004 Champions Trophy when he captained the side to the title against England on their home turf.

However, Lara during his career, despite featuring a strong group of players for at least 10 of the 16 years, just could not win the World Cup. He played in as many 4 World Cups and the closest he could get to was in 1996, when his side crumbled under pressure against Australia in Mohali in the semifinals.

Will there be any form of regret in the Trinidadian for not lifting the coveted crown during his career? Only he can answer that.

1.Jacques Kallis

In the eyes of some, the greatest cricketer to play the sport. In a career lasting 18 years, Kallis had four attempts at winning the trophy, but could only manage to reach the semifinal stage of the competition in the 1999 edition.

However, he was part of the squad when the Protean side won the inaugural Champions Trophy or the Wills International Cup as it was called then in 1998, beating the West Indies in the final in Dhaka.

Will the memory of not winning the World Cup during such a long career rankle him?

Check RCB Squad 2024 Details. Follow Sportskeeda for IPL 2024 Live Score, Schedule, Points Table

Quick Links

Edited by Staff Editor