The 2023 World Cup will likely be the last for several modern greats of the game. Here’s an XI of players who are probably playing their last fifty-over World Cup.
There are few noticeable changes from the 2019 tournament to the next edition. This time, eight of the top 10 run scorers from four years ago were selected, and nine of the top 10 wicket takers from last time were also selected. However, the roster for the 2027 tournament will be very different, as some have already announced that this tournament will be the last.
This is a top 11 list of players unlikely to participate in the next edition, but this is by no means a complete list.
Rohit Sharma
Leaving the Cricket World Cup in his homeland as a victorious captain would be a glorious end to Rohit’s career. India are considered the favorites to win the trophy and it could be the golden ending to all dreams. Rohit becomes the latest member of the club to reach 10,000 ODIs in the 2023 Asia Cup, moving him to third place on the all-time list of 30 centuries alongside Ricky Ponting. He was the top scorer in the 2019 tournament, giving him the opportunity to join another talented group of players who have been the top scorers in back-to-back World Cups. He is in good form again, averaging 50.61 in his ODIs this year alone.
Quinton De Kock (wk)
De Kock has already announced that he will retire from ODIs after the 2023 World Cup. He has 17 ODI hundreds but has never crossed triple digits in a World Cup, appearing in both 2015 and 2019. This time, with Themba Bavuma at the helm and an explosive batting line-up, South Africa are well placed to mount a serious attack heading into the semi-finals.
David Warner
Warner also announced that he would not play in the World Cup, with his international retirement date set for the 2024 Sydney Test. As one of Australia’s 2015 world champions, he usually does his best at world championships. He averaged 62 runs and scored four centuries in the tournament. Three of them he scored in his 2019, making him the top scorer with just one point behind Rohit.
Virat Kohli
The final chapter of India’s best World Cup player. Kohli has not announced that he will not participate in the next tournament, but given that he will turn 35 at this tournament, it is difficult to imagine his international career until 2027. He is two years behind Sachin Tendulkar’s century in ODI cricket. Twelve years after Kohli helped India win the last World Cup, there couldn’t have been a better time for him to break that record.
Ben Stokes
Stokes is the youngest player on this team, but he is also the one whose physical decline is the fastest. He will not take part in any bowling in this tournament to protect his knee and give him the best chance of playing Test cricket. Considering he has already retired from ODI cricket once, this could be the last time he appears in his ODI colors.
Shakib Al Hasan
Shakib is the best player in World Cup history. His overall performance in 2019 was one of the best in tournament history, with the exception of one out of eight innings where he fell short of 50 points. He is the only player in history to score more than a century and five in a World Cup, and ranks among the top 10 scorers in the history of the tournament. This will be his fifth World Cup and he will be captaining Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh pair of Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim are both set to take part in their FIFTH World Cup.
Both made their debut at the 2007 World Championship!#CWC23 < a href = "https://t.co/KqqQ4R9JYa"> pic.twitter.com/KqqQ4R9JYa
– Wisden (@WisdenCricket) 30. September 2023
Mohammad Nabi
At 38 years old, Nabi is the oldest player on the team. The 2027 tournament will be Afghanistan’s first without Nabi, but he should be seen as a key politician in the team’s promotion to full membership. He was part of Afghanistan’s only World Cup winning team to date, with his thrilling one-wicket victory against Scotland in 2015, and his first ever victory in every match Afghanistan has played in the World Cup. I participated.
Mitchell Starc
Starc was the leading wicket taker in both the 2019 and 2015 tournaments and is the fifth all-time wicket taker at the World Cup. This is a remarkable achievement considering that he appeared in only two of his editions. Injury issues and the strain on him playing in all three formats have reduced his ODI appearances of late, but he should be at his best by the time the tournament begins.
Tim Southee
Southie is in a race against time to get fit for the tournament after breaking his thumb a few weeks before the start. He won’t be ready by the start of the New Zealand tournament, but hopes to get him fit later. Southie has appeared in every World Cup since 2011, but only played in one match in 2019. He won two runner-up medals, but was fortunate to be eliminated for the third time.
Adil Rashid
Of all the England players in 2019, Rashid will be missed the most. He is one of their elite two-ball world champions and the most irreplaceable player. No spinner has taken more ODI wickets for England and Rashid will go down as one of the all-time greats in the format. Given the importance that spin will play in this World Cup, Rashid will be more important than ever to the team.
Trent Boult
Boult has already distanced himself from international cricket after turning down a central contract. But New Zealand fans will be relieved that the best bowler in World Cup history is back for the final showdown. Of the top 10 World Cup wicket-takers, only Glenn McGrath has a higher average than Boult. Along with Starc, the coming weeks will be a farewell time for his two leading ODI fast bowlers of the modern era.
To bet on the World Cup with our Match Centre Partners bet365 head here.
