5 great players who never featured in a World Cup match and why

#3 Justin Langer

Justin Langer playing his last ODI innings against England

Four most astonishing stats of Justin Langer's career:

1. He played more innings in Test Matches (182) than he scored runs (160) in ODIs.

2. He played more innings in Test Matches (182) than he faced balls (180) in ODIs.

3. He played his last ODI (May 1997) almost a decade before he retired from Tests (January 2007).

4. He never played an ODI in Australia.

To the untrained eye, Justin Langer was a subdued batsman, a grafter who benefitted from his bludgeoning partner Matthew Hayden's assertiveness and got runs the 'hard way'. He was seen as someone who is always a couple of failures away from being dropped and forgotten. Well, that could not be farther from the truth.

'Alfie', as he was known to his teammates, always played the game his way. In and out of the side in throughout the '90s, like most Australian Test openers, he played only 8 Tests for the first six years into his career. Having made his debut against the Windies in January 1993 at Adelaide, he was hit on the helmet by Ian Bishop, scoring 54 runs.

Analysis of ODI Career: He made his ODI debut in 1994 against Sri Lanka at Sharjah. He didn't get the opportunity to bat as Mark Taylor and Mark Waugh chased down the modest target of 158 in 37 overs. He was given just six more opportunities over a year and was ultimately dropped from the side.

Why he missed out on a World Cup match: With only 7 caps to his name, he was deemed too inexperienced to be selected for 1996 World Cup. After the showpiece event, he was given only one more opportunity to represent Australia in coloured clothing, against England at Lord's in 1997 scoring 36. Despite having a strike rate of 89, the presence of Mark Taylor, Mark Waugh, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden at the top of the Australian batting order was the main reason Justin Langer missed out on the ODI format and thereby, a World Cup appearance.