Cricket World Cup History: 3 popular cricketers who played only one World Cup game

It is every player’s dream to represent his country in a big tournament like the Cricket World Cup. It was not until 1975 that a world tournament like this existed in cricket. The initial editions were dominated by West Indies while other teams won their first trophy in the subsequent editions. The tournament has always been a platform for the players to showcase talents with the bat as well as with the ball.

The 12th edition of the World Cup which got underway on the 30th of May in England has already provided ample entertainment to the fans across the planet even with more than 35 matches remaining. Any player who has underperformed would be itching to fire in the upcoming matches. The competition in this tournament is so intense, even within the teams that there have been instances in the past where some of the most popular cricketers got to represent their team in just a single World Cup game.

Here is the list of three such players who could make it to the playing XI only once:

#3 Colin Ingram:

Colin Ingram

If Delhi Capitals made it to the playoffs in the 2019 IPL, Colin Ingram had a considerable contribution to it. The South African left-hander made his debut in 2010 against Zimbabwe. Seen as a future prospect, he was also inducted into the ODI squad. He didn’t disappoint his selectors scoring a century on his ODI debut. But he wasn’t able to replicate this often. In 33 ODIs he played, he scored 843 runs with 3 centuries and 3 half centuries.

Ingram was part of the World Cup squad that traveled to the sub-continent in 2011. Unfortunately, he was part of the playing eleven for just a single game against Ireland. He made a vital contribution of 46 runs down the order. South Africa went on to win the match by 131 runs. But in spite of that, he never got to play again. He signed the Kolpak deal in 2013 as a result of which he retired from international cricket.

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#2 Merv Hughes:

Merv Hughes

Merv Hughes was a frontline fast bowler for Australia in the late 80s and the early 90s. He was also a lower order batsman with more than 1000 runs in the longer format of the game. He made his debut against India in 1985 but leaked a lot of runs. He did get a call for the Ashes where he responded to his critics with the ball. Even though he was a good bowler across formats, selectors viewed him as a Test Match specialist. With the limited opportunity, he played in 33 ODIs taking 38 wickets in that span.

In 1991-92, the World Cup was organized in Australia and New Zealand in which he was selected as a reserve bowler for the home team. He was selected for the match against India where he gave away 49 runs in nine overs and took one wicket. His ineffectiveness in the shorter format was the main cause for him not getting selected. He retired from international cricket in 1994.

#1 George Bailey:

George Bailey

Every Indian fan would remember George Bailey for his heroic performance against the home team in 2013-14 when he had almost won the seven-match series for his team. He had scored 478 runs in six matches at an average of 95.60. It was unfortunate that he failed to keep that consistency going. This quality player from Tasmania made his international debut against India in a T20 match where he was made the captain. This was the second time that a debutant Australian player who had captained the side in their debut match.

He managed his captaincy as well as his batting very well and that earned him a place in the Ashes squad. He didn’t live up to the expectations as he was never included in the longer format again. He was also part of the 2015 World Cup squad where he played only one game against England. He contributed with 55 runs with his team winning the match comfortably. He waited but was not given an opportunity after that game. Australia did go on to win the cup, but Bailey was never seen again in that tournament.

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