Heartbreaking moments for top teams in the 21st Century

#8 West Indies failing to qualify for the Champions Trophy 2017

Sarwan and Gayle celebrating with the 2005 Champions Trophy

West Indian cricket has been on a downward spiral for a better part of two decades. The slide that started with a plethora of their greats retiring in the late 80s and early 90s was further compounded by lack of system at the grassroots level, inconsistent selection policy and lack of coherence between its cricket board WICB and the player's organization.

Still, the Windies at the back of enormous talent in the likes of Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and many others managed to show a glimpse of their former self, evident from their dramatic win in the final of the Champions Trophy 2004. However, the animosity between the WICB and the players reached its nadir when the Windies abandoned their tour of India in 2014 midway. The repercussions are truly evident as the former champions failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy in 2017, a blot in their proud history. Things may turn from bad to worse for the Windies as they play the World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe to qualify for the event, they had ruled for so long.