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17 players who have appeared in at least five World Cups
Mahela Jayawardene and Shahid Afridi are the latest entrants to the prestigious five-World Cup club come the ICC World Cup 2015. In doing so, they will became the 16th and 17th cricketers to have played in at least five World Cups.
Mahela Jayawardene and Shahid Afridi are the latest entrants to the prestigious five-World Cup club come the ICC World Cup 2015. In doing so, they will became the 16th and 17th cricketers to have played in at least five World Cups.
Shiamak Unwalla lists out the illustrious 17 in chronological order.
1: Javed Miandad (Pakistan)
World Cups played: 1975, 1979, 1983, 1987, 1992, and 1996.
Miandad is one of only two players — the other being Sachin Tendulkar — to have appeared in as many as six World Cups. He played the first six versions of the tournament, finally winning in his fifth attempt.
Miandad was prolific as ever in the World Cup, scoring 1,083 runs in 33 matches, averaging 43.32 with one century and eight half-centuries. Miandad is the seventh-highest run-scorer in World Cup history.
2: Imran Khan (Pakistan)
World Cups played: 1975, 1979, 1983, 1987 and 1992.
Imran is Pakistan’s only World Cup-winning captain till date. Like Miandad, Imran played in the first five editions of the tournament, winning his last as captain. He had a distinguished World Cup career with both bat and ball.
In 28 World Cup matches, he scored 666 runs at 35.05 with one ton and four fifties. He was also prolific with the ball, capturing 34 wickets at a measly average of 19.26.
3: Arjuna Ranatunga (Sri Lanka)
World Cups played: 1983, 1987, 1992, 1996, and 1999.
The Sri Lankan juggernaut was influential in Sri Lanka’s rise from cricketing minnows in the early editions of the World Cup to champions in 1996; Sri Lanka had never passed the group stage till he led them to the title in 1996.
In 30 matches, he scored 969 runs at an average of 46.14 with seven half-centuries. He also enjoyed a strike rate of 80.95; a commendable number given the era he played in. Ranatunga also managed to take six wickets with his medium pace.
4: Aravinda de Silva (Sri Lanka)
World Cups played: 1987, 1992, 1996, 1999, and 2003.
One of only 13 men to score over 1,000 World Cup runs, Aravinda de Silva was the man of the final when Sri Lanka won the 1996 World Cup. Along with Ranatunga, de Silva was arguably one of Sri Lanka’s most talismanic players of the 1990s.
In 35 matches, de Silva scored 1,064 runs at 36.68, with two centuries and six fifties. His strike rate of 86.57 meant that his runs came at a fair clip.
5: Wasim Akram (Pakistan)
World Cups played: 1987, 1992, 1996, 1999, and 2003.
The third-highest wicket-taker in World Cup history, Wasim Akram was an integral part of Pakistan’s success in the 1992 World Cup. The man of the final, Akram turned the game by scoring quick runs and then taking out the English middle-order.
Akram played 38 matches and took 55 wickets at just 23.83 and a strike rate of 35.4. He was also useful with the bat, scoring 426 runs at a reasonable average of 19.36 with a hefty strike rate of 101.18.
6: Sachin Tendulkar (India)
World Cups played: 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011.
Is there more iconic a cricketer in the history of the game than Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar? One of only two men to have played in six editions of World Cup — the ICC World Cup 2015 will be the first World Cup ever that will feature neither one of Tendulkar or Miandad — Tendulkar is the leading run-scorer in all World Cups. He is also the only man in history to have scored over 2,000 runs in the tournament.
In 45 matches, Tendulkar scored 2,278 runs — over 500 runs clear of the next man on the list, Ricky Ponting. Tendulkar’s average of 56.95 and strike rate of 88.98 is testament to his dominance. With six hundreds, Tendulkar has more centuries than anyone else in World Cup history, while his 15 half-centuries are way clear of the second best. He also managed to take eight wickets, including two in the 1996 semi-final.
7: Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pakistan)
World Cups played: 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003, and 2007.
Possibly Pakistan’s greatest batsman since Miandad, Inzamam failed to make good on his class in the game’s biggest event. His disappointing record contributed to Pakistan’s lacklustre showing post the 1992 World Cup.
Inzamam played 35 matches but scored only 717 runs at a surprisingly low average of 23.90. Only four half-centuries and a highest score of 81 belied his standing in Pakistan cricket. In fact, Inzamam said about his 2003 World Cup campaign, “Just before the World Cup I work harder than I ever did. I lose a lot of weight — 17 kilograms… I didn’t score any runs without those 17 kilograms.” As it happened, he managed to score 19 runs — two more than the number of kilos he lost!
8: Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka)
World Cups played: 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003, and 2007.
Sanath Jayasuriya is the fourth-highest run-scorer in World Cup. The legendary Sri Lankan all-rounder redefined the art of opening in the 1996 World Cup, and set the template that the likes of Virender Sehwag, Adam Gilchrist, and Shahid Afridi then followed.
In the 38 matches Jayasuriya played, he scored 1,165 runs at an appreciable average of 34.26 with a herculean strike rate of 90.66. He also scored three centuries and six fifties, but his worth came as a bowler as well; he took a handy 27 wickets at 39.25.
9: Brian Lara (West Indies)
World Cups played: 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003, and 2007.
The third-highest World Cup run-scorer of all time, Brian Charles Lara was never able to help West Indies win the tournament despite his heroics. It was his tremendous century in the 1996 World Cup helped the West Indies reach the semi-finals for only the first time since 1983. They have never got to the final four since.
In 34 matches, Lara scored 1,225 runs at 42.24 with the help of two tons — both against South Africa — and seven fifties.
10: Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies)
World Cups played: 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011.
The evergreen West Indian southpaw could easily have been the third man to play six World Cups had he not been cast aside by the selectors after the 2011 World Cup. He is still remarkably fit, and the mainstay of the Test line-up.
Chanderpaul played 31 matches and scored 970 runs at 40.41 with one ton and seven fifties. His meagre strike rate of 62.13 might have played a role in axing him from ODIs.
11: Jacques Kallis (South Africa)
World Cups played: 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011.
Rounding off the top five leading World Cup run-scorers is Jacques Kallis. Aptly called The King by his fans, Kallis proved to be an integral part of each of South Africa’s World Cup campaigns since 1996. He was in contention for his sixth World Cup in 2015 before he announced his retirement in 2014. It was not that he wasn’t good enough to continue — he was named Man of the Tournament at the Big Bash League 2014-15 which ended mere weeks before the World Cup was scheduled to begin!
In 36 games, Kallis scored 1,148 runs at an appreciable average of 45.92 with one century and nine fifties. He also grabbed 21 wickets in these games, and proved to be a useful back-up bowler.
12: Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)
World Cups played: 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011.
The most successful off-spinner of all time is also the second most successful bowler in World Cup history, trailing behind Glenn McGrath by just three victims. The gulf between Muttiah Muralitharan and the next man on the list — Wasim Akram — is far wider. Murali is also one of the few people on this list to play three World Cup finals — 1996, 2007, and 2011.
He played 40 matches for his 68 wickets, and took as many as four four-wicket hauls, but strangely never took a fifer. He enjoyed an enviable average of 19.63 and strike rate of 30.3.
13: Ricky Ponting (Australia)
World Cups played: 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011.
Ricky Ponting is the only captain since Clive Lloyd to win two World Cups. Under him, Australia were undefeated throughout the 2003 and 2007 World Cups. He has played more World Cup matches than anyone — including Sachin Tendulkar and Javed Miandad, who played one World Cup more than him — and is the second-highest run-scorer behind Tendulkar.
Ponting played 46 matches and scored 1,743 runs at 45.86 with five centuries — the most after Tendulkar — as well as six half-centuries. A strike rate of 79.95 doesn’t tell the full tale; he massacred the Indian bowlers en route to an unbeaten 140 in the 2003 Final which effectively sealed the game.
14: Thomas Odoyo (Kenya)
World Cups played: 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011.
The Kenyan all-rounder is one of only two “minnows” to appear in five World Cups. Coincidentally, the other one is also a Kenyan — Steve Tikolo. Odoyo had a decent record in World Cup, and was largely responsible for Kenya reaching the 2003 semi-final.
In 25 games, Odoyo scored 463 runs at 24.36 with one half-century, and also captured 23 wickets at 35.52.
15: Steve Tikolo (Kenya)
World Cups played: 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011.
Perhaps one of Kenya’s greatest players, Steve Tikolo has played the most World Cup matches by a Kenyan. The all-rounder was a vital cog in Kenya’s wheel, and played a large part in taking them to the semi-final in 2003. He also captained the side for a number of years.
In 28 World Cup games, Tikolo scored 768 runs at 29.53 with eight fifties and a highest score of 96. He also took 15 wickets at 34.13.
16: Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka)
World Cups played: 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015.
Mahela Jayawardene is the most seasoned campaigner in the current Sri Lankan side. From captaining the team to the 2007 final to scoring a near match-winning century in the 2011 final, Jayawardene has proven himself a big-match player repeatedly. Sri Lanka would look to him and Kumar Sangakkara to grant them their second World Cup trophy. He will retire after the 2015 World Cup, which will be his fifth.
17: Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)
World Cups played: 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015.
Of all the players to emerge from Pakistan, few have managed to capture the imagination of fans and detractors alike the way Shahid “Boom Boom” Afridi has managed to do so. Afridi will be playing his fifth World Cup in 2015, and has announced his retirement at the end of the tournament. Knowing Afridi, though, that does not necessarily mean he doesn’t have a chance of playing his sixth in 2019!
Afridi has not had a particularly successful time at any World Cup with the bat, though he was the joint leading wicket-taker in the 2011 event. In 20 matches, he has scored only 209 runs without crossing 50, but has taken 28 wickets at 19.60 — which is incidentally a higher average than what he manages with the bat — with the help of two four-wicket hauls and two fifers.
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(Shiamak Unwalla is a proud Whovian and all-round geek who also dabbles in cricket writing as a reporter with CricketCountry. His Twitter handle is @ShiamakUnwalla)