5 Legendary players who never scored a century in ODI World Cup

Considered the pinnacle of batting excellence, a century is a dream achievement for any batter irrespective of the format. Over the years, batters across the globe have showcased their incredible skills with match-winning tons. And what about achieving the triple-figure mark in cricket's biggest spectacle, the ODI World Cup? 

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England's Dennis Amiss, who scored 137 runs against India in the inaugural edition in 1975, was the player in cricket history to score a century in the ODI World Cup. With the 13th edition of the premier 50-over tournament underway, there is no dearth of centuries, with some even making it for fun. Indian captain Rohit Sharma has surpassed legendary player Sachin Tendulkar to hold the record for most World Cup centuries (7).

In this article, we take a look at 5 legendary cricketers who, despite their remarkable innings in the ODI format, never managed to notch up a century in ODI World Cups.

5. Gautam Gambhir (India)

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Considered the man of the big tournaments, Gambhir played a pivotal role in India's triumphant campaign in the 2011 World Cup. Gambhir had a great chance to score a century in the final, but unfortunately, putting his team first, he missed the milestone by just 3 runs. The southpaw scored a total of 393 runs in nine matches, including four half-centuries.

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4. Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)

Despite playing in four ODI World Cups (1999, 2003, 2007, 2011), legendary Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has never managed to score a century in any of those editions. Afridi has represented Pakistan in 398 ODI matches and amassed 8064 runs, including six centuries. 

3. MS Dhoni (India)

One of the finest wicketkeeper batters and captains India has ever seen, MS Dhoni led the Men in Blue to greater heights. He guided India from the front to a historic victory in the 2011 ODI World Cup. The right-hander missed out on a great chance to notch up a century in the final against Sri Lanka but was awarded the Player of the Match for his match-winning unbeaten 91. Dhoni has played 25 World Cup matches in total and has amassed 780 runs with five-half-centuries. 

2. Graeme Smith (South Africa)

Legendary South African opener has amassed a total of 747 runs in 20 World Cup matches. His bat produced 6 half-centuries but failed to convert into a three-digit score on any of the occasions. His contribution to South African cricket was significant both as a batter and a captain, but a World Cup century remained just out of reach.

1. Mohammad Azharuddin (India)

Mohammad Azharuddin, who led Team India in 3 editions of the World Cup (1992, 1996, 1999), failed to register a century in the ODI World Cup. Known for his stylish and elegant batting, Azharuddin amassed 826 runs in 30 games, with an average of 39.33 in his World Cup campaign. The right-handed batter has 8 half-centuries to his name, with 93 being the highest score.