Meet 6 legends who missed out on World Cup glory: Three from South Africa, check others

Brian Lara, West Indies’ legendary southpaw batter , has done wonders in cricket, amassing 11,953 runs in Test cricket and 10,405 runs in ODI cricket. He featured in five World Cups, from 1992 to 2007. His closest bid for the World Cup came in 1996, when the Windies lost a heartbreaking semi-final to Australia by just five runs.

Former Proteas all-rounder Jacques Kallis played in five World Cups but never reached the final. South Africa reached the top four in 1999 and 2007 but was unable to advance to the summit clash. Still, Kallis’s career was phenomenal, scoring over 10,000 runs in both Tests and ODIs, 565 international wickets and 62 centuries.

Former New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was a part of two World Cup finals in 2015 and 2019, but New Zealand couldn't cross the line both times. The 2019 World Cup final defeat to England due to a boundary count rule was one of the most painful chapters in New Zealand cricket.

AB de Villiers thrilled fans with his unorthodox, fearless batting. He played three World Cups, reaching the semi-finals in 2007 and 2015. The 2015 heartbreak against New Zealand was the most devastating, as the Proteas side was one of the favourites with Morkel, Duminy and Amla in the squad. Despite no World Cup win, de Villiers ended his ODI career with over 9,500 runs and 25 centuries.

Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff featured for England in the 2003 and 2007 World Cup editions, and England couldn't reach the top four in both editions. However, Flintoff showed his all-round ability for England with 7315 runs and 400 international wickets. Flintoff also has 50 wickets in the Ashes series.

Graeme Smith, one of South Africa’s greats, captained the Proteas in the 2007 and 2011 World Cups. While his team was strong on paper, they couldn’t pass the semi-final hurdle. However, Smith had a decent ODI career with 6989 runs in 197 outings.