3 teams that have reached the most World Cup semifinals without ever winning the trophy

The game of cricket has always been full of excitement and uncertainty. There have been numerous occasions when extremely strong teams have lost to their weaker counterparts.

The cricketing world has witnessed many upsets over the years, especially in the most vital tournament, the ICC World Cup.

20 countries have participated in the event, if you consider all the editions. However, the coveted trophy has been conquered only by five teams till now, namely West Indies, India, Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

There have been several teams who have struggled to withstand the pressure of playing against the best teams, and have never made it to the knock-out stage. On the other hand, a few cricketing superpowers have made it to the semi-finals numerous times but have failed to go on and win the trophy.

Here is a list of three teams that have made it to the semi-finals most number of times but have failed to grab the cup even once.

# 3 South Africa

Team South Africa

The South African cricket team has been one of the strongest limited overs teams in the world since their debut in 1991 against India. The Proteas have produced phenomenal all-rounders and bowlers in the international arena and have been among the most difficult sides to beat in this format of the game.

The side played their first world Cup tournament in the year 1992 and made it to the semi-finals before losing to England in one of the most controversial games ever played. South Africa needed 22 runs off 13 balls when rain interrupted play, and when they resumed the target was revised to 22 runs off 1 ball, as per the Duckworth Lewis method.

The Proteas have participated in seven editions of tournament and have made it to the top 4 on four occasions (1992, 1999, 2007 and 2015), but have never won the trophy.

#2 England

The game of cricket has its roots in England. Surprisingly though, the inventors have never been able to lift the coveted World Cup trophy despite having played in all the 11 editions of the tournament.

English Cricket Team

The English cricket team has always been one of the most balanced teams in the One-Day international version of the game. The side made it to the semi-finals on five consecutive occasions in the first five editions of the tournament (1975, 1979, 1983, 1987 and 1992), but couldn't land the trophy.

Moreover, the English team has also made it to the final of the tournament on three occasions (1979, 1987 and 1992), unfortunately ending up on the losing side in all of them.

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# 1 New Zealand

New Zealand has been an incredible team in the limited overs format of the game, primarily because of its impactful all-rounders. The Kiwis have always punched above their weight in the World Cup and have frequently surprised everyone with their enterprising brand of cricket.

New Zealand Cricket team

The island country has participated in all the 11 editions of the World Cup, making it to the semifinals on seven occasions (1975, 1979, 1992, 1999, 2007, 2011 and 2015), which is a joint world record along with the Kangaroos.

Moreover, the Black Caps made it to the finals in the last edition of the tournament, losing to arch rivals Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.