The Australian cricket team has produced legends of the game for years now, and they have won the team World Cup titles a total of 5 times till now. But, there’s a group of players who got to lift the trophy without having to play a game in the tournament. So here’s a look at the 4 Australian players who won the World Cup without playing a single game.
1. Brad Haddin (2007)
One of the most skilled wicket keepers to have played for the Australian cricket team after Adam Gilchrist, the player whose backup he was in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup, Brad Haddin did not get a chance to play in the tournament, but still got a trophy to his name as Australia won the tournament.
Throughout the tournament, Gilchrist, whose performance slump would have meant that Haddin would have gotten a chance to play, remained to be in great form, meaning that Haddin became one of the few Australian players to win the World Cup without playing even a single game.
2. Mitchell Johnson (2007)
A hero of Australia’s triumph in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, Mitchell Johnson in the 2007 edition of the tournament did not get a chance to play even a single game throughout, thus becoming a part of the Australian players who won the World Cup without playing a single game.
Johnson had shown a lot of promise with his brutal pace bowling going into the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup, but an almost unbeatable bowling unit of Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee held the fortress for Australia so well that, to the dismay of Johnson, he did not get to feature in the Australian playing XI. But, a lot of sorrow must have drowned as his side eventually emerged as the victors of the tournament.
3. Nathan Hauritz (2003)
Coming in as a replacement for the outgoing legendary bowler, Shane Warne, who had faced some serious charges, the stage looked to be all set for Nathan Hauritz to take it over, and register his names in the minds of the cricket fans.
But, as fate would have it for him, he did not get a chance to play in the final XI for even a single game throughout Australia’s campaign in the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup. Darren Lehmann, the other spinner in the side was given an upper hand over Hauritz and Hauritz joined in the list of Australian players who won the World Cup without playing a single game as Australia won the tournament.
4. Nathan Bracken (2003)
Another entrant in this list of Australian players who won the World Cup without playing a single game is Nathan Bracken who in the 2003 World Cup was a part of the Australian contingent but did not get a chance to play in the matches that Australia played in.
At the time, names like Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, and Andy Bichel made up the Aussie bowling attack and this meant that Nathan Bracken had to sit on the sidelines and watch as the action unfolded on the field, and Australia powered through every team they faced in the tournament.
