5 heroes of ICC World Cup 2015 whom we will dearly miss in World Cup 2019

When the ICC World Cup comes knocking, a lot of parallels are drawn between the upcoming edition and the one that was played the last time, i.e. 4 years ago – star players from the previous edition, new stars to look out for, etc. Each new edition, several star players miss from the action due to their retirement from the game.

World Cup 2015 saw a lot of star players perform exceedingly well, and some of them announced their retirement before we could relish them again in the upcoming edition. Here we look at 5 such players who were brilliant in the last edition, but will be missing in action in 2019.

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#5 Tillakaratne Dilshan – Sri Lanka

Dilshan scored 395 runs from 7 games in the 2015 World Cup

Dilshan scored 395 runs from 7 games in the 2015 World Cup. His relentless aggression and natural timing had made him one of the best performers of the previous edition. Until his retirement from ODIs, Dilshan remained the 11th highest ODI scorer of all time. He played his last International at R Premadasa Stadium on 9 September 2016.

Dilshan played 87 Tests, 330 ODIs and 80 T20Is for Sri Lanka, from which he scored 5492, 10290 and 1889 runs respectively. He has also been an effective bowler in the limited-overs format, taking 106 ODI wickets at an average of 44.84 with his off-spin. He also captained Sri Lanka across formats between May 2010 and January 2012.

#4 Misbah Ul Haq – Pakistan

Misbah-ul-Haq scored 350 runs from 7 games in 2015 World Cup

Not often remembered as a star ODI World Cup performer, but Misbah-Ul-Haq had a decent outing in the 2015 World Cup. He scored 350 runs from 7 games at an average of 50. In April 2017, Haq walked away from all forms of international cricket after the three-Test series against West Indies.

"There was no pressure on me. I was planning to quit after the England series in the UAE [in October 2015] but there were some things and I had to carry on playing. But overall it's fine and not like I am under any pressure or somebody has dictated this to me. I have myself understood that this is it and it's purely my own decision,” he had told, confirming his retirement.

The former skipper of all formats, Haq played 75 Tests, 162 ODIs and 39 T20Is for Pakistan.

#3 Daniel Vettori – New Zealand

Vettori claimed 15 wickets from 9 games

In the 2015 edition of the World Cup, Daniel Vettori claimed 15 wickets from 9 games and also captained his side. The all-rounder announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket following the 2015 Cricket World Cup and in April 2015, he signed a 3-year contract with Brisbane Heat as their head coach.

He played 113 Tests, 295 ODIs and 34 T20Is for New Zealand, from which he has 4531, 2253 and 205 runs respectively. He also has 362 wickets in Tests, 305 in ODIs and 38 in T20Is. As of now, Vettori continues to coach domestic teams and has also turned towards commentary.

#2 Kumar Sangakkara – Sri Lanka

Sangakkara was Sri Lanka's highest run-scorer in the 2015 World Cup

Kumar Sangakkara scored 541 runs from 7 games in World Cup 2015, only six runs behind the highest run-getter, Martin Guptill, who scored 547 runs from 9 games. After making his international debut in 2000, the southpaw played 134 Tests, 404 ODIs and 56 T20Is, from which he scored 12400, 14234 and 1382 runs respectively.

On 27 June 2015, Sangakkara officially announced his retirement from Test cricket. He retired from Tests after the second Test match against India. In March 2017, he announced his retirement from first-class cricket as well.

"It's the last time I'll play a four-day game here. I'll be 40 in a few months, this is about the end of my time in county cricket,” he had said.

#1 Ab de Villiers – South Africa

AB de Villiers retired in May this year

The most shocking retirement of 2018 was that of ODI genius AB de Villiers, who called it a day on May 23, 2018. He announced the decision via a video message on his Twitter handle. "I've made a big decision today," De Villiers' tweet message said.

"Hi, this is the Tux Cricket Club, the high-performance centre in Pretoria where 14 seasons ago I arrived as a nervous youngster when I was first called into the Proteas squad. Today, at the same place, I want to let you know that I have decided to retire from all international cricket with immediate effect.”

He was the third highest run-scorer in the 2015 World Cup with 482 runs, and was in a good form in this season’s IPL too. Not many had expected him to retire before the 2019 World Cup.