5 players who won the Champions Trophy without playing a single match

The 2017 Champions Trophy is gradually entering the end of its group stage with Group A already entering its last leg of matches. So far, the tournament has been dampened by torrential downpour but whenever the game on the ground has gone on it has been pretty exciting. England are the only team who are confirmed of a place in the semi-finals and New Zealand are the only team who have been eliminated from the tournament after their defeat to Bangladesh yesterday.

With Sri Lanka beating India yesterday, Group B has become wide open with all four teams with a win each, making the last leg of Group B matches virtual quarter-finals.

Over the years, the Champions Trophy has seen many of cricket’s finest players play the tournament and many notable players have lifted the trophy. However, there have been some players who have won the tournament but they did not play a single match throughout the tournament. And today, we look at five such players.

#5 Irfan Pathan in 2013

Irfan Pathan was a part of the Indian squad for three Champions Trophies in 2004, 2006, and 2013. In 2004, Pathan took five wickets in two matches and in 2006, he took four wickets whilst scoring 29 runs with the bat.

Pathan was chosen for the team that would play the 2013 Champions Trophy and bowled five overs during India’s first warm-up match against Sri Lanka, conceding 45 runs and was promptly dropped for India’s second warm-up match against Australia.

With the likes of Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Umesh Yadav bowling impressively against Australia, India decided to use this trio for their opening match against South Africa and went on to use the same playing XI for the remainder of the tournament. Pathan ended up not playing a single game as India lifted the Champions Trophy by defeating England in the final.

#4 David Hussey in 2009

The younger of the Hussey brothers never got a chance to play a single Champions Trophy match

David Hussey played only one Champions Trophy and that was in 2009 in South Africa. The hard-hitting batsman got selected in the national team based on his domestic and IPL performances – further bolstering Australia’s middle-order options like Cameron White, Callum Ferguson, Michael Hussey, and James Hopes.

During the tournament, Australia opted to go with the aforementioned four players in the middle-order lineup, leaving out David Hussey. Barring Callum Ferguson and James Hopes, all of Australia’s middle-order batsmen produced at least one decent performance with the bat during the tournament. Hussey, meanwhile, remained outside the playing XI as Australia successfully retained the title they had won in 2006.

#3 Simon Katich in 2006

Simon Katich lost his place in the playing XI to Shane Watson

Despite the Australian team of the 2000s comprising of brilliant batsmen that included the likes of Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, and Damien Martyn, Simon Katich still managed to play more than 100 international matches.

During the 2005-06 season, Katich produced some decent performances with the bat as an opener but a month before the 2006 Champions Trophy, Katich struggled during the DLF Cup in Malaysia. The southpaw was chosen in the squad to play the 2006 Champions Trophy but received no playing time and instead, Shane Watson opened for the side and produced some fine performances with both bat and ball, clinching the Man of the Match award in the final.

#2 Makhaya Ntini in 1998

Ntini was a reserve during South Africa’s victorious 1998 CT campaign

One of the finest bowlers of his generation, Makhaya Ntini had just appeared on the international arena when the inaugural Champions Trophy (then known as the ICC KnockOut Trophy) was around the corner.

The Fiery pace had made his ODI debut around nine months before the Champions Trophy against New Zealand where he bowled a spell of 2/31. A few decent spells in Tests propelled South Africa to include the then 21-year old in their squad for the Champions Trophy.

However, Ntini did not receive any playing time during the competition as the fast-bowling responsibilities were being carried out by Jacques Kallis and Steve Elworthy. South Africa eventually went on to win the tournament by beating West Indies in the final.

#1 Tillakaratne Dilshan in 2002

Dilshan did not play a single game during the 2002 Champions Trophy

One of the finest Sri Lankan cricketers of all-time and one of the world’s most creative batsmen, Tillakaratne Dilshan did make his debut during 1999 but was a late bloomer as his career picked up pace during the mid-2000s. In between, he made sporadic appearances for the national team and was a part of ICC tournaments only as a squad member.

The 2002 ICC Champions Trophy was one such tournament. Dilshan was included in the 14-man squad for the tournament but with the presence of the likes of Aravinda de Silva, Mahela Jayawardene, and Russell Arnold in the middle-order (where he used to bat during his early days), Dilshan was only limited to the pavilion and played none of Sri Lanka’s matches as they shared the Champions Trophy with India.