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ICC Cricket World Cup is without a doubt a festive season for cricket fanatics around the globe. The best of the best come against each other in the span of a few weeks string together nail-biting encounters. When the World Cup is preceded by IPL, it only adds enthusiasm to the game.
The 12th edition of the multi-nation tournament will take place in England & Wales between 30 May and 14 July. Ten teams will lock horns with each other in eleven different world-class venues including Lord's.
The defending champions Australia will land in England with all hopes of retaining the cup. Meanwhile, England will be determined to showcase some masterpiece in front of their home crowd. India will be the other favorites for the cup run this year.
Even when the game spices up on the field, there will be some major missings spotted. A handful of big names have retired from international cricket after the 2015 World Cup in Australia & New Zealand and this has led to a lot of young players have been included in the squads.
Now, let's take a look at those big names who retired after the 2015 World Cup and will be badly missed in England & Wales.
#5 Michael Clarke (Australia)
Michael Clarke is Australia's fourth World Cup-winning captain alongside Allan Border, Steve Waugh, and Ricky Ponting. The New South Wales-born cricketer ended his ODI career proudly, winning the WC before his home fans.
Clarke appeared for Australia in 245 ODI matches and scored 7981 runs. The middle-order batsman was a useful weapon with the ball too, picking up 57 wickets with his left-arm spin. The 38-year old played 3 World Cups - in 2007, 2011 and 2015. He featured in 25 games and scored 888 runs at an excellent average of 63.
Michael Clarke was always a reliable batsman in the Australian lineup. His calm and cool batting displays had rescued the team out of danger on multiple occasions.
However, he will be missed from the action when the championship reaches England. Being one of the last players from Ricky Ponting's golden squad, Clarke was always the fan-favorite. He played his final international match against England; the Ashes series in 2015.
#4 Brendon McCullum (New Zealand)
The bowlers in the 2015 World Cup had a nightmare bowling to Brendon McCullum. The then New Zealand skipper was always on the attacking side - both in batting and captaincy. The wicket-keeper batsman retired from international cricket less than a year after his team's World Cup final loss to Australia.
Brendon McCullum played 260 ODI matches for New Zealand and scored 6083 runs at a strike rate of 96. The 37-year old always proved to be a safe pair of hands behind the wickets and affected 277 dismissals. His World Cup appearances included 34 games between 2003 and 2015.
Leading the team into the 2015 WC final can be termed as one of his biggest achievements. The Kiwis had the label of having bad luck in knockout matches after back-to-back defeats in previous ICC events. But, McCullum overcame this to take the team into the final with a lightning half-century against South Africa.
He will indeed be a gap that can never be filled in the Kiwis batting lineup.
#3 Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)
The smiling face of Kumar Sangakkara after the 2011 World Cup final defeat to India is still fresh in the minds of all cricket fans. The former Sri Lankan captain bid farewell to cricket fields in August 2015. A few months before that, he had retired from ODI cricket after his team's quarter-final exit in the 2015 World Cup.
Kumar Sangakkara featured in 404 ODIs and scored 14,234 runs in a career that spanned for 15 years. He was Sri Lankan cricket's backbone for all these years and was an absolute gem behind the stumps. The left-handed batsman made a total of 501 ODI dismissals. Sangakkara was a constant in all of Sri Lanka's World Cup campaigns between 2003 and 2015. He played 37 WC matches and scored 1532 runs becoming the third highest World Cup run scorer of all time.
One of Sangakkara's biggest career moments was the 2015 World Cup in which he scored four consecutive centuries which still stands as an unbeaten World Cup record.
Even without getting a chance to grab the cup, Kumar Sangakkara was an absolute legend. He absence will be a noteworthy one in this World Cup.
#2 Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka)
Looking back at history, the name Kumar Sangakkara was always accompanied by his batting partner Mahela Jayawardene. Being a true legend of the game, the 41-year old played his final international game in the quarter-final of the 2015 World Cup.
Mahela Jayawardene made his international debut in a test match in 1997. Soon, he earned a spot in the ODI squad and remained a firm presence for 17 years. Over the course, he played 448 ODIs and scored 12,650 runs including 19 centuries. The top-order batsman was also one of those few figures who played five different World Cups, between 1999 and 2015. He featured in 40 WC matches and scored 1100 runs.
Mahela Jayawardene still holds numerous records in Sri Lankan cricket. He is the most capped player in the nation's history and is the third hight run-scorer behind Kumar Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya.
Even though Maiya didn't have the best of the playing days towards the end, his glory is still fresh in the Lankan cricket grounds. Gearing up for the new edition, Jayawardene would be the most missed Lankan player.
#1 AB de Villiers (South Africa)
AB de Villiers, without a second thought, will be the most missed player in the 2019 World Cup. The whole cricketing community was stunned at Mr.360's decision to retire from international cricket a year before the mega event. AB de Villiers played his final international game in March 2018, a test match against Australia.
AB was a powerhouse in South African cricket since 2005 and made 228 ODI appearances, scoring 9577 runs including 25 centuries. The wicket-keeper batsman was reliable personnel with the gloves when he was appointed behind the wickets at times. The 35-year old was part of 3 World Cup journeys for South Africa. He played 23 WC matches between 2007 and 2015, scoring 1207 runs including four centuries.
The South African batsman's retirement was unexpected and shocked many. If he had chosen to continue until the 2019 World Cup, he would have rewritten even more records. AB was also close to the 10,000 run mark in ODI cricket and had the opportunity to become the second South African to achieve the feat.
Still, the name will not be forgotten easily and will be heard loudly from the stands in England.
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