The pinnacle of success for any sportsperson is Olympic glory. Similarly for the cricketer it is the winners’ medal at the ICC World Cup. There are many legends in the game who have missed out on it in spite of repeated attempts. Even the iconic Sachin Tendulkar would have missed out on one, had India not emerged champions in 2011. It was Tendulkar’s seventh attempt to win a World Cup winner’s medal and would have probably been his last considering his age. Tendulkar was lucky;, he started at a very early age. However, there are cricketers who have managed to play just one World Cup and have returned empty-handed. Age has caught up with them and they have never got another chance to don their country’s jerseys again.
The World Cup beginning Thursday will have a number of cricketers for whom it will be the first and last World Cup they play keeping their age in mind. Orissa POST takes a look at some of these cricketers.
Usman Khawaja (Australia): The left-hander is currently 32 plus and it is highly unlikely he will get another chance four years later. Khawaja made his ODI debut way back in 2013, but could only establish his place in the side in 2016. Hence he missed out on the 2015 World Cup which Australia won. So this is his only chance to grab that medal which has eluded many legendary Australians like Ian Chappell and Dean Jones.
M-31 R-1238 100s-2 50s-10 SR-83.08
Colin de Grandhomme (New Zealand): The Kiwi all-rounder had represented Zimbabwe in the under-19 World Cup. His ability to play explosively in the middle-order plus his uncanny ability to pick up wickets have made him a permanent fixture in the New Zealand side. But Grandhomme is 33 and four years later, there is very little possibility of him playing his second World Cup. Also he is injury prone and with age the chances of wear and tear increases.
M-28 R-443 50s-1 SR-110.47 W-18
Nathan Lyon (Australia): The orthodox off-spinner is a permanent face in the Test squad of his country. However, he has made intermittent appearances for the national side as far as ODIs are concerned. Many were surprised when he was called up to the 2019 World Cup squad. Lyon is now 35 and this is his last chance to roar, highly unlikely he will continue playing four years later.
M-25 W-26 BB-4/44 Ecn-4.86
Chris Morris (South Africa): When this South African all-rounder exploded on the scene in 2013 cricket pundits across all countries were ecstatic. They felt that Morris would go far and become an icon of the game. But that did not happen as Morris frequently got injured. The result – he has just played 32 ODIs for the country so far. At 32, Morris’ injury-prone body probably wouldn’t be able to cope with the pressures of ODI cricket much longer. Hence this is his first and last chance to make the World Cup his stage.
M-34 R-393 50s-1 SR-97.27 W-35
Shaun Marsh (Australia): His talent was never in doubt, but Marsh had always been an inconsistent performer. Hence in an injury-plagued career, Marsh had never been able to establish his place in the side. Only two years back, the left-hander has become a permanent middle-order batsman for Australia. Marsh is also 35-plus and keeping in mind his inconsistency it is highly unlikely he will get another chance to play the World Cup again.
M-71 R-2747 100s-7 50s-15 SR-81.48
Kedar Jadhav (India): At 34, this Indian middle-order batsman is not getting any younger. Jadhav made his India debut five years back, but then injuries have affected his performance and he has missed out on many games. Even for this World Cup he was a doubtful starter as he was suffering from a hamstring injury. But somehow he managed to recover and be on the plane to England. One can’t foresee him playing another World Cup.
M-59 R-1174 100s-2 50s-5 SR-123.23 W-27
