5 great captains who never won a World Cup

#3 Hansie Cronje

Cronje's South African team suffered a major heart break in the 1999 World Cup semi-final

Before he was forever tainted with the ignominy of the match-fixing scandal, Hansie Cronje was one of the most tactically astute captains of his generation. His smart field placements as well as splendid handling of the pace bowlers turned him into a well-respected leader for the vast majority of the 90s.

Cronje led South Africa in the 1996 and 1999 editions of the World Cup. During the former, they were outclassed by a sublime century from Brian Lara in the quarter-final clash. In a far cry from his usually strong game awareness, the Proteas' skipper committed the inexplicable tactical blunder of dropping the fiery Allan Donald for an additional spin option.

However, the 1999 World Cup was the one that truly got away from South Africa's grasp. During that fateful day at Edgbaston, the Proteas were left shell-shocked by an agonising tie against Australia. The image of Donald scampering unsuccessfully for the fatal single remains the most painful moment in South Africa's cricket history. As for Cronje, he was left to rue what could have been a pathway to the final were it not for the catastrophic run-out that propelled the Aussies to the title clash on the basis of their superior net run-rate.