Organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the Cricket World Cup is a pinnacle for the sport’s greatest athletes, who spend years in pursuit of the most valuable trophy in cricket.
Some, like former Pakistan captain Imran Khan, end their careers once they have earned the honor of being a world champion, and others, including West Indies legend Brian Lara or South Africa’s Jacques Kallis, leave the game without a world title to their name.
The ongoing tournament in India is likely to be the last for some of the current cricketing giants. Below is a list of players who could play in the Cricket World Cup Final.
David Warner: Australia
The aggressive opening batsman was one of his country’s biggest stars in the post-2007 World Cup era. The 37-year-old has notched nearly 7,000 runs in the One Day International (ODI) format, including 22 centuries. He has a tendency to pile up runs in World Cups, with six centuries in the 24 matches he has featured.
With a World Cup title at home in 2015, Warner would like to end his ODI career with another title abroad.
But although Warner has shown no signs of slowing down in recent years, taking part in an Over-50 World Cup at the age of 40 or over may be too much.
Quinton De Kock: South Africa
The 30-year-old entered the World Cup on the back of announcing his retirement from the ODI format after the tournament.
Whether it was his thirst for a title that often eludes South Africa, or his intention to leave the tournament on fire, De Kock has left his mark on this tournament.
The baby-faced wicketkeeper-batsman and opening batsman is India’s leading run-scorer, with four centuries and 545 centuries after seven matches.
South Africa are in fighting form and look certain to advance to the semi-finals, but if the lowly side are to win the title this time around, De Cook will have a crucial role to play in that.
Rohit Sharma: India
Rohit Sharma was tagged as one of the next big Indian cricket stars ahead of the 2011 World Cup, co-hosted by Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. However, he was left out of the squad that won the cup on home soil.
So, if there is one player in the Indian team who desperately wants to win the title after 12 years, it is the humble skipper.
The 36-year-old has been leading the Championship hopefuls by example and has quietly gone about his task of scoring quick goals at the top of the order.
Being on the wrong side of his 30s and with India producing outstanding players every now and then, Rohit will likely treat this World Cup as his last and hope that he can replicate MS Dhoni in leading India to glory on home soil.
Kane Williamson: New Zealand
Williamson’s New Zealand team came close to winning its first World Cup title twice in the last two editions. As if the pain of not winning the final wasn’t enough, the New Zealand captain entered the tournament recovering from injury and played one match before being injured again.
He now faces a race against time to be ready for New Zealand’s final two matches and lead them in their bid to reach a third successive final. With injuries plaguing the last few months of his glittering 33-year-old career, Williamson will be keen to get his side through the roof before calling time on his career.
Ben Stokes: England
The prolific all-rounder has been England’s go-to man in international tournaments since that fateful night in Kolkata in 2016 when he was hit for four successive sixes by West Indian all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite in the T20 World Cup final.
England have since won both the 50-over and 20-over Cricket World Cup, with Stokes the hero in both finals. Stokes reversed his decision to retire from ODI cricket just weeks before the World Cup, but was unable to make a similar impact in his team’s poor run.
With injuries often hampering his performances now, Stokes will likely leave the format again to keep his energies focused on the shortest and longest formats of the game.
Shakib Al Hasan: Bangladesh
Bangladesh’s lone veteran, Shakib Al Hasan, who has guided them through the tournaments with performances with both bat and ball, has consistently been one of the standouts in all games globally over the past decade.
The 36-year-old played nearly 250 international matches during his 17-year career, while also breaking several all-around records.
Along with fellow veterans Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib could qualify for the tournament once Bangladesh’s run in India ends on November 11.
Muhammad Nabi: Afghanistan
Afghanistan have gone from being a happy cricket story to becoming genuine contenders in every tournament, and Mohammad Nabi has been there for most of that journey.
The quiet all-rounder has been causing damage with his precise and intelligent strikes since he made his debut in 2009.
Nabi took over the reins of Afghanistan from their first captain Nawroz Mangal and led them to 13 ODI wins.
At 38 years old and in diminishing form, Nabi may go the route of dropping the ODI format and sticking with Shorter after the tournament concludes.
Trent Boult: New Zealand
Boult has been one half of New Zealand’s famous fast bowling duo over the past decade, alongside Tim Southee. His 200-plus wickets in the format at a strike rate of 29 are a testament to his accuracy and New Zealand’s reliance on him.
His speed and ability to move the ball have made him a mainstay of New Zealand’s success in the last two World Cups. Moreover, Bolt is a great player and a comedic hitter.
If the 34-year-old bids farewell to the 50-over format in a few weeks, cricket fans will at least have plenty of “funny batting Trent Boult” videos to look back on.
