ICC Champions Trophy is one of the most loved and watched cricket tournaments. It is the second most prestigious tournament in One Day International Cricket (ODI), after the ICC Cricket World Cup. Champions trophy began in 1998 and at that time it was called ICC Knockout Trophy. However, the named was changed in 2002 and since then, it is called ICC Champions Trophy.
It is called the ‘champions trophy’ because only the top 8 teams in the world participate in it. Unlike ICC Cricket World Cup, which features teams from across the world, Champions Trophy is restricted only to the top 8 teams. It is fast in nature and this is one of the reasons why fans wait for this tournament with lots of excitement.
1) Justin Langer (Australia)
One of the best batsmen to have represented Australia in international cricket, Justin Langer played 105 Tests and 8 ODIs in his international career. He cored over 7700 runs and smashed 23 hundreds. But, he never got be a part of ICC Champions Trophy squad for Australia. Langer is regarded as one of the best openers in Test cricket history.
2) Piyush Chawla (India)
Piyush Chawla is one of those lucky cricketers, who won two ICC World Cups (2007 and 2011) for India, without making much of a contribution. There is no denying the fact that Piyush is a very hard working cricketer and he has done well for his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the last 4 years. But, we also can’t deny that he was extremely lucky to be a part of two world cup winning sides. Chawla played 2 World Cups, 25 ODIs and 3 Tests, but he never got a chance to represent India in ICC Champions Trophy
3) Chris Martin (New Zealand)
Chris Martin took 231 Test wickets for Australia and featured in 20 ODIs for the Blackcaps. His international career last 13 years but he never got a chance to respect New Zealand in ICC Champions Trophy.
4) Brad Hodge (Australia)
Brad Hodge played 223 first-class matches and scored 17,084 runs at an average of 48.81. Due to Australia’s start-studded batting line-up, Hodge never really got a chance to cement his spot in the team. He played 25 ODIs and 15 T20Is, scoring 575 and 183 runs respectively, for Australia. But, like his mate Justin Langer, he never got a chance to represent Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy.
5) Monty Panesar (England)
There was a time when many English cricket fans and pundits believed that Monty Panesar will become one of the best English bowlers of all time. Early in his career, former England head coach Duncan Fletcher described him as ‘the best finger spinner in the world.’Panesar played 26 ODIs for England, took 24 wickets at an average of 35, but never played in the ICC Champions Trophy.
