The men who were missed

Travis Basevi and George Binoy09-Mar-2011

The injury to Doug Bollinger ruled him out of what could be his only World Cup before he played a game, but Australia would have been sighing in relief. Bollinger's misfortune gave them the opportunity to recall Michael Hussey, recently recovered from hamstring surgery. Hussey is No. 4 in the ICC rankings for one-day batsmen, and between the previous World Cup and this one, he scored 2643 runs at an average of 48. Only Ricky Ponting made more for Australia during that period but even he averaged less than Hussey did. Australia are likely to make middle-order space immediately to accommodate Hussey, and when they do, he will disappear from the top of our list of players with most runs between World Cups without playing in the next World Cup.

Damien Martyn could have played the 2007 World Cup if he wanted, and picked up a third consecutive winners' medal. But he didn't. He didn't even stay until the Ashes were regained in 2006-07, surprising team-mates by retiring suddenly after the second Test in Adelaide. Australia travelled to the Caribbean without Martyn, who had scored 2414 runs at an average of 39 between the 1999 tournament and the one in the West Indies, and still steamrolled everyone they played against.

One of Australia's victories in 2007 was against England in the Super Eights game in Antigua. England were forced to improvise at the top of the order during the tournament, opening with Ian Bell, because of Marcus Trescothick's absence. Trescothick had suffered a recurrence of his stress-related illness during the 2006-07 Ashes, returned to England before the series began, and was unavailable for the World cup and beyond. He had been England's highest runscorer in ODIs between World Cups, with 2174 runs at an average of 39. Trescothick did not play for England again.

Until Virat Kohli displaced him from middle order shortly before the 2011 World Cup, Suresh Raina was a regular in India's XI. Now he's on the sidelines and is uncertain of getting a game during the home campaign. Raina began his one-day career in 2005 but is yet to play a World Cup game, after being cut from the squad in the lead up to the 2007 tournament in the West Indies. Between that World Cup and this one, Raina's scored 2027 runs at an average of 39.

Carl Hooper began his West Indies career in 1987 and ended it in 2003, a period that included five World Cups. Hooper, however, played in only three despite being one of West Indies' most talented batsmen, and missed the tournaments in 1996 and 1999. Between the World Cups of 1992 and 1996, Hooper was one of only two West Indians to average more than 40 in ODIs - Brian Lara was the other. Hooper, however, withdrew from the squad headed for the subcontinent at the last minute.

Between the 1996 and 1999 tournaments, Hooper and Lara were again the only West Indians with ODI averages of more than 40. Hooper, who was vice-captain at the time, again dropped a bombshell on West Indies' campaign in England by retiring weeks before the World Cup, without offering concrete reason. Hooper came out of retirement at the age of 35 and eventually led West Indies in the 2003 World Cup. He was sacked after West Indies' first-round exit from the tournament in South Africa.

No one took more ODI wickets between the 2003 and 2007 World Cups than Brett Lee. He took 145 during this period at an average of 23.48. Brad Hogg was Australia's next highest wicket-taker with 84. Weeks before the 2007 World Cup, though, Lee suffered an ankle injury that ruled him out of the tournament, leaving Australia with an inexperienced attack in Carribean conditions. Such was Australia's depth, however, that Glenn McGrath broke the record for most wickets in a World cup - 26 - while Shaun Tait and Brad Hogg were third and fourth on the wicket-takers list.

Pakistan had also suffered a blow close to their departure for the West Indies in 2007 with Abdul Razzaq sustaining a knee injury. Razzaq had been a critical component of their limited-overs set up between the 2003 and 2007 tournaments, scoring 2162 runs and taking 91 wickets. Pakistan didn't absorb his loss well and crashed out in the first round after losing to Ireland. Razzaq's career went off the rails thereafter. He was dropped for the 2007 World Twenty20 and signed with the ICL, ruling him out of international cricket until amnesty was granted. He is once again a part of Pakistan's 2011 World cup team. Pakistan were also without Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif in 2007. The official line was that they were unfit but there were also doping-related concerns.

Had Ryan Harris not been on Australia's long list of injured fast bowlers, he too would have been in their squad in India. Harris now possesses the best average for a bowler between World Cups without playing in the next World Cup. He's taken 41 wickets in 17 ODIs at an average of 16.12 since his debut in January 2009, including five-fors in his second and third games. He has never been wicketless in a game.

Harris is the first of some illustrious names in the table below, but an obscure one is the most intriguing. Former West Indies fast bowler Tony Gray has appeared in several previous Lists with bowling themes and he's in this one as well because of his exceptional, but extremely brief, career. Gray played 19 ODIs between 1985 and 1987 and took 31 wickets at an average of 17.41. He missed the 1987 World Cup, though, and played only six more one-dayers, ending his career in March 1991 with 44 wickets at 18.97, to go with his 22 Test scalps at 17.13. It is said that injuries and the emergence of prospects like Ian Bishop curtailed Gray's career.

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