Greatness is never short-lived. It is always defined over a period of time. In the game of cricket, whenever we talk about great players and their careers, we give a lot of emphasis on the number of matches. In this post, we will have a look at players who have played the most number of matches in ICC Cricket World Cup.
To represent his/her country in a Cricket World Cup is one of the biggest dreams of every cricketer. But, there are some players who have achieved this feat more than once. For a cricketer to play the most number of World Cup matches, he has to have a long (and also successful) career.
Following is the list of players who have played the most number of matches is ICC Cricket World Cup:
| MOST NUMBER OF MATCHES IN ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP HISTORY | |||||
| Player (country) | Mts | Runs | Best | Wkts | Best |
| Ricky Ponting (Australia) | 46 | 1743 | 140* | — | — |
| Sachin Tendulkar (India) | 45 | 2278 | 152 | 8 | 2/28 |
| M Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) | 40 | 69 | 16 | 68 | 4/19 |
| Glen McGrath (Australia) | 39 | 3 | 3* | 71 | 7/15 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) | 38 | 1165 | 120 | 27 | 3/12 |
| Wasim Akram (Pakistan) | 38 | 426 | 43 | 55 | 5/28 |
| Jacques Kallis (South Africa) | 36 | 1148 | 128* | 21 | 3/26 |
| Arvinda de Silva (Sri Lanka) | 35 | 1064 | 145 | 16 | 3/42 |
| Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pakistan) | 35 | 717 | 81 | 0 | — |
| Brian Lara (West Indies) | 34 | 1225 | 116 | — | — |
| Javagal Srinath (India) | 34 | 85 | 18 | 44 | 4/30 |
– Australia’s most successful ODI captain Ricky Ponting has played the most number of matches in ICC Cricket World Cup history, so far. Ponting played 46 ICC Cricket World Cup matches.
– India’s legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar is at number 2, with 45 ICC Cricket World Cup matches. Sachin is just one match behind Ricky Ponting. But, Sachin has scored the most number of runs in ICC Cricket World Cup history.
– Former Pakistan captain and one of the best fast bowlers to have ever played the game, Wasim Akram is at number 6 position with 38 ICC Cricket World Cup matches.
– South Africa’s legendary all rounder Jacques Kallis is at number 7 with 36 ICC Cricket World Cup matches.
– Intresntingly, India’s Javagal Srinath also features in this list. Srinath is at number 11 position with 34 ICC Cricket World Cup matches.
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