5 legends who never won the World Cup

Jacques Kallis

Jacques Kallis will go down in history as one of the finest ever all-rounders to have graced the game. He is among the very few players to have taken more than 250 wickets and scored 10,000 or more runs in both ODIs and Tests.

He left the game only after creating a virtually unparalleled benchmark for all-rounders across teams. Everyone wants to have someone who can bat like Jacques Kallis, bowl like him and contribute on the field too.

There will always be only one Jacques Kallis. He was one of a kind, truly irreplaceable.

He was equally strong against the fast bowlers and spinners. He had the most unassuming approach to batting, which became his biggest hallmark. He would bury oppositions with stoic defense at times, and attacking strokeplay at others.

Like many South African players over the past few decades though, he is yet another player to fall in the ‘chokers’ category in ICC tournaments. The closest this legend got to winning a World Cup was in 1999 where South Africa lost to Australia in the semi-finals, a game which would go down in the history of ODI cricket as being one of the best games ever.

But cricket and fans of the game were truly privileged to have witnessed a legend at the peak of his abilities. He is still gracing the sport now through his role as a coach, and is aiding in the growth of the next generation of superstars.